Improved aircon & ventilation

[Lone Granger]

I have accepted the 4.3s lack of fresh air and aircon for 11 years, this winter I would like to consider replacing present set-up with an improved system.

Is the 500 set up any good - if not has anyone upgraded it?

Has anyone transplanted an efficient modern system from perhaps a Focus or similar?

Would really like to get an efficient system with plenty of fan boosted delivery fitted

Having seen the Ultima system it is plain to see that it isnt much more than 2 rads and compressor - however it would be easier to transfer a packaged system already set up with heater matrix and fan

Any suggestions for suitable donors etc?

[LastLawyer]

no suggestions for donors but probably some help. will fit an aircon this winter and so asked here in the forum for some pics how it is mounted into the pre-serp 4.3 griff and received some pics. if they could be helpfull for you just mail to me: [e-mail]

regards

LL

[lone granger]

I cant believe everyone is happy with the pathetic heating and ventilation system, not to mention being poisoned by the recirculated exhaust fumes..

Any engineers out there care to have a butchas at the Griff system and work out an alternative complete system that would fit - presumably the whole system sits in passenger footwell so cant be that difficult to replace??

[dnb]

It's on my list of things to do during my winter "service"...

[barreti]

Believe me, you'll find there are a quite a few 4.x owners who are completely fed up with the pathetic heating and ventilation system - and I include myself in that. I've talked to a few who want to do something about it but not found anyone who has really sorted it.

[jeffsy]

Take the roof off?

[markh]

I'm look to improve my stock set-up and spoke to Vintage Air, they of course don't do a Chimaera unit, but they do sell a compact AC unit which could fit. Was going to look further over the winter

www.vintageair.com/

Mark

[lone granger]

markh said:

I'm look to improve my stock set-up and spoke to Vintage Air, they of course don't do a Chimaera unit, but they do sell a compact AC unit which could fit. Was going to look further over the winter

www.vintageair.com/

Mark

thanks for that - might fit - couldnt see a price - any ideas?

[silv]

Have a look at www.nfauto.co.uk. They offer a compact Universal air con & heater kit.

[markh]

lone granger said:

markh said:

I'm look to improve my stock set-up and spoke to Vintage Air, they of course don't do a Chimaera unit, but they do sell a compact AC unit which could fit. Was going to look further over the winter

www.vintageair.com/

Mark

thanks for that - might fit - couldnt see a price - any ideas?

When I spoke to them a few months back it was about $1100 USD so not too bad I thought (factory conversion £3k)

[lone granger]

markh said:

lone granger said:

markh said:

I'm look to improve my stock set-up and spoke to Vintage Air, they of course don't do a Chimaera unit, but they do sell a compact AC unit which could fit. Was going to look further over the winter

www.vintageair.com/

Mark

thanks for that - might fit - couldnt see a price - any ideas?

When I spoke to them a few months back it was about $1100 USD so not too bad I thought (factory conversion £3k)

There is a UK co doing a kit for £1000, rather hoping to do it cheaper - cant help but think that we could go to a breaker and get an Orion unit for c £300 or similar and install where battery is now - like to move battery to boot and re-mount fuse panel

[Mikej]

It's not A/C but I had the ventilation / fan vastly improved on my old 4.0 when I had it. Basically Steve Howard removed the crummy fan from the LHS wing, cut a hole in the inner wing behind the left front wheel and bolted a new fan mechanism directly onto the back of the heater radiator (I don't know what the fan unit came off, but apparently it was exactly the right size and shape). This was a dramatic improvement on the amount of air moving through the radiator.

I then checked for any leaks under the bonnet into the inner wings - there were lots and these were drawing in fumes. I covered all of these with bits of leather (the way that the factory did it), from memory there was a pretty big hole between the headlight pod and the inner wing.

Finally I checked all of the plumbing / pipes for the ventilation under the dash - again lots of gaps, any of which will reduce the pressure out of th events. Again I took the factory approach of jamming up any holes with lumps of foam - I used about 3 or 4 sponges worth.

This all made a massive improvement

[lone granger]

thanks for reply - anybody had the heater box out from under passenger dash - appears to be cardboard cover retained by screws with pipes and servo valves dangling out bottom - unfortunately i think mice have been kipping out in the heater box and this motivates me to replace it with an aircon / heater combo unit - I would run dedicated inlet trunking to lower front grill below rad and as you say improve connections in dash which are a tad Heath Robinson..

Love to work on a solution with a couple of like minded desperados this winter - preferably lifting a combo set-up from a modern breakers yard car - sub £500 would be a good target - perhaps we can then offer the service to a few other suffocating Griffsters?!

[antonyj]

Dont think its a cardboard cover, the whole unit it made of that material, whatever it is.
The unit basically mates upto the inner wing above the passenger seat.
I would guess(from having had the whole dash out ) that the main dash has to be out to get the heater box out.

Take pics for us all as you go.........

[lone granger]

antonyj said:

Dont think its a cardboard cover, the whole unit it made of that material, whatever it is.
The unit basically mates upto the inner wing above the passenger seat.
I would guess(from having had the whole dash out ) that the main dash has to be out to get the heater box out.

Take pics for us all as you go.........

hmmm, I wont be taking the main dash out..! - I will have to have a closer look (not easy) - I assumed it would just drop down like the fuse box, once pipes disconnected

Any thoughts chaps?

Anyone have the email address for the Griff Bible chap or similar likely candidate?

[barreti]

The guy who writes the bible is Steve Heath. His PH moniker is SHPUB
www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/profile.asp?h=0&memberId=11483

[barreti]

I just found something I will be fixing Lone Granger.
Wanting to get my head into the space above the glove box, I removed the pipe from the left inner wing - the flexible thing which IIRC connects to the left vent.
Half the hole is covered with some sort of piece of plastic!
I've tried to pull/push it but it wont move at all, so I'll be cutting whatever it is before I refit the pipe again.

[lone granger]

barreti said:

The guy who writes the bible is Steve Heath. His PH moniker is SHPUB
www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/profile.asp?h=0&memberId=11483

I have written to Steve and invited him to join the thread - I am really hoping this could turn into a worthwhile winter project that provides a very useful upgrade at an acceptable price (max £500)

[shpub]

It is basically a non-starter for a 4.3. The air con installations on the 500s involved radically different dashboard and ventilation systems and involved virtually dismantling the whole interior to retrofit into cars that didn't have it factory fitted. Hence the several grand that they cost on a 500. The parts are not retrofittable to a 4.3 as the bodyshell/interior was not designed to take them. In addition, there are various air con things needed like compressor, dryer, evaporator and so on which are also hooked up to the ECU to control the air con clutch. It isn't a simple on off switch. If wired like that it can actually kill the compressor and even kill the crank bearings.

It is not impossible given enough money/time/inclination but I can't see how it could be done for the £500 build price target and without removing the dashboard and most of the interior.

PS I have air con on my 500. Hardly ever use it.

[lone granger]

shpub said:

It is basically a non-starter for a 4.3. The air con installations on the 500s involved radically different dashboard and ventilation systems and involved virtually dismantling the whole interior to retrofit into cars that didn't have it factory fitted. Hence the several grand that they cost on a 500. The parts are not retrofittable to a 4.3 as the bodyshell/interior was not designed to take them. In addition, there are various air con things needed like compressor, dryer, evaporator and so on which are also hooked up to the ECU to control the air con clutch. It isn't a simple on off switch. If wired like that it can actually kill the compressor and even kill the crank bearings.

It is not impossible given enough money/time/inclination but I can't see how it could be done for the £500 build price target and without removing the dashboard and most of the interior.

PS I have air con on my 500. Hardly ever use it.

Accepting your advice for the mo.. - how best to radically improve the airflow?

Also on a personal note - how easy is it to dissasemble what appears to be a cardboard case around heater to see what the damned mice have been up to - is it simply a matter of the visible screws? - The mice have dropped no end of pieces of black foam - the only place I can see this is squished between the heater card box and the under part of the dash..

re ECU hook up - I can see that the idle airbypass has to regulate idle when the compressor kicks in and out, however i cannot see any other connection - can you elaborate please.

The UK aircon kit referred to above - would you consider that a no-go too?