Thought I'd chronicle my adventures somewhere in case some visitor or club member is thinking of doing something similar.  I have decided to repair/restore/upgrade the air conditioning in the 76 Westy.  I am using the stock "Cool" brand under-dash unit with a r134 conversion kit from ICE in Cali.  Up front, the unit needed a relay and duct hoses found at a couple of swap meets.  The wiring is pretty simple, but routing the hoses by trial-and-error is a pain!

Installing the ICE kit wasn't too bad.  It consists of a Japanese-made rotary compressor, mounting brackets, a pulley, a belt, and the hardware.  The rep said I wouldn't have to cut into the metal around the engine.  WRONG!  It was already cut for the previous York compressor, so it just needed a trim.  The only other problem was clearance for the idler pulley.  The bracket that mounts to the side of the fan shroud needed a washer under each bolt to clear.  The rest was pretty simple, although the instruction sheet isn't much help, with backwards drawings, among other things!

Monday it's off to ThermoKing on 23rd street.  Louis says it shouldn't be a problem to run new hoses and hook everything up.  He's going to see about a more efficient condenser and if it really needs the original two-condenser setup.  We may end up going with the old ones.  I'll update in a few days.  Feel free to post any questions!

It's back and way cool!  On the way back from CYW, Misty wanted it off after about 15 min.  The only way you can tell the compressor is cutting on is by the click of the thermostat, and then it's hard to tell if it's going on or off.  Louis installed an aftermarket dual-fan condensor under the left side outside of the frame rail and when the fans are on it moves the grass underneath.  It seems to work as well in traffic as on the highway.

I noticed the compressor unit on "Juan" is exactly the same as the one on the bus.  You can tell a difference in town, but on the highway, you barely notice it kicking in.  Should be no problem for a 1600.