Air conditioning Retrofit Project Diary

[andrew_r]

Hi all

I ve started fitting air conditioning to my 1998 TVR Chimaera 500. Thought I d start this thread to keep track of the progress, share updates, and hopefully give myself a bit of motivation to get it finished sooner rather than later.

The car didn t come with air con, so I m starting completely from scratch. I ll post part numbers, costs, and anything I end up paying for in terms of labour.

The plan is to end up with a proper modern system that makes the car a lot more comfy for summer road trips around Europe.

Let s see how it goes

Andrew

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Parts & Cost Summary:

Dorman 626 001 Engine Heater Core Bypass Kit
£35.61 https://amzn.eu/d/aEriW8n

Compressor: Sanden TR105 3204 : Fully reconditioned from ACR Uk Solutions on EBay: £140

Condenser: Sanden (TVR P0165) from Motaclan: £155.71

Receiver/Dryer: P0121 from Powers Performance: £71

Trinary Switch: P0031 from Powers Performance: £35

Aircon Pulley/Tensioner: P0136 from Powers Performance: £53.99

Serpentine belt for aircon: P0139 from TVR SSW: £27.53

Fuel cooler: P0195 from Powers Performance: £59.99

Aluminium Air compressor Pipe (Compressor to Fuel Cooler): P0175 from Powers Performance: £60.48

Total: £639.31

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Labour Summary:

4h @ £85+ VAT (Taylor TVR to remove existing heating): £408

Edited by andrew_r on Monday 16th June 08:23

Edited by andrew_r on Monday 16th June 08:23

[andrew_r]

Step 1: Rip out the old heating and cooling system

While the car was in for its annual service with Dan at Taylor TVR, I asked him to take out the original heating and cooling setup and fit a bypass I had sourced myself. The bypass is a U shaped pipe that connects the heater pipes coming from the engine bay. These pipes used to carry water into and out of the heater matrix. Since I am not using a matrix anymore, the pipes either needed blocking off or linking together. I went for the linking option using the bypass, after spotting this clever idea in a thread:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

The bypass I bought was the Dorman 626 001 Engine Heater Core Bypass Kit, Universal Fit. Cost me £35 on Amazon.

Big thanks to Dan for getting this job done, as I had heard it could be a real pain to remove. He got it all out in about four hours.

Here’s what came out of the car:




Andrew.

[andrew_r]

Step 2: Source Parts

Although I’m not aiming to replicate the TVR system, many of the under-bonnet components are still available new (or new-old stock) and perfectly suitable. Some items, such as the compressor are only available used, unless you go for an alternative brand. Here’s what I’ve purchased so far:


Compressor: Sanden TR105 3204 : Fully reconditioned from ACR Uk Solutions on EBay: £140

Condenser: Sanden (TVR P0165) from Motaclan: £155.71

Receiver/Dryer: P0121 from Powers Performance: £71

Trinary Switch: P0031 from Powers Performance: £35

Aircon Pulley/Tensioner: P0136 from Powers Performance: £53.99

Serpentine belt for aircon: P0139 from TVR SSW: £27.53

Fuel cooler: P0195 from Powers Performance: £59.99

Aluminium Air compressor Pipe (Compressor to Fuel Cooler): P0175 from Powers Performance: £60.48

Some of these parts, such as the fuel cooler and aluminium aircon pipe are new old stock (NOS) and not being made anymore, they’re likely to be different to get hold of in the future.

When I get time, I’ll add photos for each of these.

Andrew.

[Zeb74]

Nice initiative.
Out of curiosity, have you considered an electric aftermarket kit?

[andrew_r]

I did look into this as an option, however I decided to stick with a more conventional set up. I was unsure how effective a 12v system would be, and the systems which do look well developed, such as the excellent looking option from Classic Retrofit seemed a little too pricey upfront (although my total project cost may end up similar!)

https://www.classicretrofit.com/collections/electr...

Andrew