[Aardvaark (R.I.P.)]

The main problem of a GT is the forced air ventilation which can't be shut off. Yes you can turn the vents off but the supply of air comming in will always over come it. That is why I restricted the outside air from the right side cowl area. [/QUOTE]
Same on the manta/ascona. You can shut the dash vents but air still bypasses the heater flap and flows thur. Only about 15% Id guess though. Not a problem with my evap capacity.

 

[blancojp (R.I.P.)]

A/C installation continued

You have probably noticed I have 4 holes on the new sheet metal box made for the evaporator unit. I decided to use bulk head fitting so I would attach the inside first and then work on the engine bay components. This also allows me to finish installing the dash and hose routing without having full length cooling and heating hoses laying around.

The bulk head fittings you can buy anywhere and are mostly made of aluminum. I bough a set on Ebay for $22 that was a straight 4 location shot but was cut in two to better serve my purpose. The A/C side has a #6 and a #10 bulkhead o-ring fitting while the heat side has two #10 fitting. So after I measure the required lengths of hose, I can install the evaporator in place and hook the hoses to the bulkhead making everything nice and neat inside. In essence, I can finish the whole inside and work on the engine bay at a later date.

Here is a picture of the evaporator and fittings in place, makes everything nice and neat. Also a few other details about the evaporator unit and the hose requirements.

And for those of you keeping track of expenses, this step has cost $225.00 so far for eveything used and shown. Also note that Nostalgia Air parts have the best pricing around. They have a full universal kit for $560.00 so you can get most of the materials from them, if you so choose.

 

[blancojp (R.I.P.)]

Here are a few additional pictures not related to the A/C installation.

You will notice that I removed most of the tilt out of the engine. It sits at 6 degrees now and square in the engine bay. I used one Opel motor mount on the right side and one Racing Dynamics isolator on the left side. I will however change all motor mounts to Racing Dynamics as soon as I can refit a crossmember. The alternator was replaced with a Nippon unit which produces 75A and it is halve the size of the original. The points were replaced with an ignitor unit and the coil was replaced with an MSD LS1 unit; which fires once every 20 degrees of dwell up to 3000 rpms. The ignitor and the coil creates my 45KV multy-fire ignition.

The booster and master cylinder were relocated to the firewall. The booster is a 9" unit from a Suzuki Esteem and the 7/8" non-abs master cylinder is from a Honda Prelude. The radiator is a 4-core dual pass unit I had made for a V-6 conversion last year. I might end up using a Honda radiator with a built in electric fan instead since they are lighter and I have a few multi-core units in stock.

The suspension was fully rebuilt using poly bushings. New (non-Opel) upper and lower ball joints were used along with a new leaf spring made by a friend of mine who owns a trailer shop. The steering rack was bored to accept Mustang II internals. I now have a rack with a ratio of 16:1, which is like having power steering. I also replaced the steering rod with a 3/4" DD unit which is held at the firewall with a flange bearing. This was done minimize the rod's movement and also to seal the foot well from the engine bay.

Then last but not least, comes the three relays which control the horn and headlights mounted at a convenient location. The engine bay looks neat and uncrowded so I guess we will keep it that way for now.

 

[opelspyder]

Like I said before-I relly like the brake setup on that firewall-sure cleans it up. What condenser have you found to work well, I used a BMW one, but looked at others for Hondas-just seemed too big. I cannot believe the Gargoyles did not paint that engine bay!!! But if the car is going to be a driver, then it is an easy touch up
Keith

 

[blancojp (R.I.P.)]

Like I said before-I relly like the brake setup on that firewall-sure cleans it up. What condenser have you found to work well, I used a BMW one, but looked at others for Hondas-just seemed too big. I cannot believe the Gargoyles did not paint that engine bay!!! But if the car is going to be a driver, then it is an easy touch up
Keith

The condenser I chose is from Nostalgia Air at a cost of $69.00. The unit is 14x18 which is a standard hotrod part. I created a bracket for the lower support and the top is held in place by two side straps. The dryer is a shorty unit, slightly larger than the size of an ignition coil. This size serves me well since I do not want to crowd the area where it goes.

The engine bay was painted but it has tons of dirt on it and is not going to look acceptable until the final clean up. I coated the engine bay with bedliner which gives the protection I need and provides a bit of sound deferrent. I did not know how long the work was going to take so I protected the done areas of the body best way possible. Besides, there is no paint on this car yet, just tinted primer and a coat of clear. I wanted to do all of the custom work myself until it was time to get the Gargoyles fully involved. Gargoyles primary responsibility is to get customer cars out, not work on the boss's car so I put my money where my mouth is and done most of the work myself.

Then once I drive it a bit and I am happy, only then it will get dissassembled and go in for full body work and paint. But like I said, I still have tons of work to do and I don't even know if the Opel engine will stay on the car. And after all is said and done, this car will work for a living. I wanted a simple but custom car. One that draws a line between custom and factory and hard to tell which is which.

The best part is that until it goes back and gets dissassembled for body and paint, I get to drive it!!!!!

 

[opelspyder]

Painted or not????

Okay-you have got me totally confused, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Back on the last page, you mentioned the car was painted, and will have 5 coats of clear, but now the car is only in tinted primer. Well then what is it??? Painted or not. Also if you are painting the engine bay, which I would definitly do, as it looks rough, why not protect it with primer, than a truckbed coating that leaves a rough finish. I just know it is a pain to go back and strip the coating, unless you are going to paint over it to give it a matte look in there?

I know Juan, you don't like my interiors, but I sure do not understand your methods either-I guess we will agree to disagree.

I looked at those condensers, they seemed too big, but then again, I still have the booster located in the factory spot, which hinders the issue of the width, so I see where it won't be a problem to fit it there for your application.

What type of induction system are you going with?
Keith

 

[RallyBob]

You will notice that I removed most of the tilt out of the engine. It sits at 6 degrees now and square in the engine bay. I used one Opel motor mount on the right side and one Racing Dynamics isolator on the left side. I will however change all motor mounts to Racing Dynamics as soon as I can refit a crossmember.

What is this application for out of curiosity? I like the fact that the engine is sitting upright. It just 'looks' proper now.

Bob

 

[hrcollinsjr]

I like the fact that the engine is sitting upright. It just 'looks' proper now. Bob

Did this have any effect on being able to shift into any of the gears?
Harold

 

[blancojp (R.I.P.)]

Okay-you have got me totally confused, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Back on the last page, you mentioned the car was painted, and will have 5 coats of clear, but now the car is only in tinted primer. Well then what is it??? Painted or not. Also if you are painting the engine bay, which I would definitly do, as it looks rough, why not protect it with primer, than a truckbed coating that leaves a rough finish. I just know it is a pain to go back and strip the coating, unless you are going to paint over it to give it a matte look in there?

I looked at those condensers, they seemed too big, but then again, I still have the booster located in the factory spot, which hinders the issue of the width, so I see where it won't be a problem to fit it there for your application.

What type of induction system are you going with?
Keith

Keith:
If you look at post #63, it clearly states that paintwork is only 30% done since I had lots of other stuff to do on the car. Besides mine, there were 8 customer cars in the shop which come first. What I have done however is to protect the work that has been done by coating the engine bay, shooting the car with tinted primer and a single coat of clear. After I drive the completed car assembly and I am happy with the operation of the vehicle, only then the car will get finished the right way. Yes it is double work but I get to have fun doing what I like, when I like since I own the company.

In any event, I don't believe you researched the A/C scenario too well since this condenser fits with the brake booster in place. As for the intake, I have two options which I have not decided yet. The first is a Carter racing 48mm single barrel carb and the second is a Holley 34mm dual barrel carb. Either one will suit the engine with the ported manifold I am installing.

 

[ungermm]

So if you are confused after this, take a five minute break and drink a beer.

That's a cure for some of the times when I'm stumped with my own work. Sometimes you just have to take a beer break. I'm intrigued with your very nice work.
Jerry

 

[blancojp (R.I.P.)]

What is this application for out of curiosity? I like the fact that the engine is sitting upright. It just 'looks' proper now.

Bob

What application are you talking about?

I used a Racing Dynamics Isolator which is comparable to a '55 chevy motor mount, but it is gas filled. Racing Dynamics make isolators for racing boat engine applications and are quite durable. Here is a picture of the unit, doesn't look like much but it handles 750Hp. The small one in the picture handles up to 180Hp which I will be installing two of these on the Ascona; since I was told there is a need for a viable replacement.

The other pics are my new LS1 coil placement, the isolator installed on the engine and the condenser installed side by side with the brake booster.

The last picture is for display only since I do not have a brake booster in the stock location. Just to show that it fits.

 

[blancojp (R.I.P.)]

Did this have any effect on being able to shift into any of the gears?
Harold

Don't know about that but I can say for certain, my gearbox shifter is centered in the hole. The gearbox is nice and leveled in place and the mock up carb sits well and clears the hood.

There was a single problem though, I had to use a smaller alternator due to the new engine location. The old alternator was hitting the steering bar so the problem got resolved. The steering bar was also replaced with a 3/4" DD unit and a firewall bearing was used to minimize flexing. So if you add that to the rework of the steering rack, I can turn the front wheels while standing with no effort at all.

 

[Aardvaark (R.I.P.)]

Also note that Nostalgia Air parts have the best pricing around.

True if they have what you can use. They had a very limited selection of condensers and evaps when I was picking out components for my Manta. Still true from the looks.
Because of very limited space in front of the radiator and it's supports, only Danhard made a condenser that would fit very well. 12"hx16"wx1" thick to limit sheetmetal trimming to a min. and still work well with the seven piston Sanden and 16K Btu evap. Not that GT owners care I guess. :no:

 

[blancojp (R.I.P.)]

True if they have what you can use. They had a very limited selection of condensers and evaps when I was picking out components for my Manta. Still true from the looks.
Because of very limited space in front of the radiator and it's supports, only Danhard made a condenser that would fit very well. 12"hx16"wx1" thick to limit sheetmetal trimming to a min. and still work well with the seven piston Sanden and 16K Btu evap. Not that GT owners care I guess. :no:

There are lots of Manta owners out there which this information is usefull. I know this guy who owns a '72 Ascona that now knows where to get a condenser for his car

 

[blancojp (R.I.P.)]

Air conditioning installation - continued...

It is time again to continue the installation and get a few additional components on board.

I will be using a Sanden 508H for this system and I know I should have gone with the 700 series unit. But I had to chose wether to use on of the four 508H I have in stock or buy a new 700 series unit. The choice was abvious, so a 508H it is. We have already talked about the electrical side and the evaporator so we will continue placing the next components.

1) I finalized the area where the evaporator goes and made sure all was sealed and covered with Dynamat. I also secured the bulk head fittings and torqued them in place at 35lbs.

2) I was going to install the evaporator first, as I described in other posts however some of the heater fittings came in wrong. So I will postpone this part and continue the installation until the fittings arrive in the next few days.

3) It is now time to place the condenser and drier. I created the brackets for the condenser and used an old coil mount for the drier. The idea is to place all components so measurements can be made for the hoses. Also I wanted all hoses to be less than 4 feet in length so the raw materials I had in stock could be used. The condenser used is part #34-1418 from Nostalgia Air Parts. It is a 14x18x1.25" Aluminum serpentine condenser with the male #6 return line facing upwards and the male #8 compressor line straight.

4) The dryer is a shorty unit, model #2-0027 from the same company. You can use any universal drier you want as long as it is brand new and opened only at the time of installation. All or perhaps most A/C components arrive from the factory charged with Nitrogen, to check for leaks and not allow unwanted stuff from entering. The drier has two male #6 connectors and two female switch ports for either a binary or trinary switch.

5) Now that we have both of these components in place, we can start to plan hose routing. Starting at the evaporator in a normal A/C system, The first hose is a #10 that goes to the suction side of the compressor. The second hose leaving the compressor is a #8 which goes to the condenser. The third hose leaving the condenser is a #6 which goes to the inlet on the drier. The fourth hose leaving the drier is a #6 which goes to the expansion valve on the evaporator. It might sound complicated but there is only one way to attach these hoses since the connectors determine where they go.

Well, that is enough for now. I will continue the intallation in the next few days.

Enjoy the pics.

 

[blancojp (R.I.P.)]

Air conditioning installation - continued...

I forgot to mention on the drier, there are two female ports for the binary/trinary switch. Only one of the two ports will be used but it is good to have placement options during a component installation. The binary switch is wired in series with the compressor cluth and turns the unit on/off at a specific HI/LO pressure range. The trinary switch does the same as the binary switch but has a second set of contacts to turn the condenser fan ON/OFF. The contacts on these switches can power the devices directly without a relay so it makes the Electrical part simple.

 

[Aardvaark (R.I.P.)]

Jaun.
Are you planning to use a low vacuum cutout for the compressor clutch for
allowing maximum engine power when flooring the gas and the ac is running?
Like the old PassMaster cutouts and on some modern cars?

If you need a source for a relatively inexpensive adjustable set point vacuum switch (about $30), I can steer you to them. I installed one and it works like a charm on the Manta. Also put one on my '63 Thunderbird and it works perfect, too, after a little fiddling with the set point.

 

[blancojp (R.I.P.)]

Jaun.
Are you planning to use a low vacuum cutout for the compressor clutch for
allowing maximum engine power when flooring the gas and the ac is running?
Like the old PassMaster cutouts and on some modern cars?

If you need a source for a relatively inexpensive adjustable set point vacuum switch (about $30), I can steer you to them. I installed one and it works like a charm on the Manta. Also put one on my '63 Thunderbird and it works perfect, too, after a little fiddling with the set point.

I was not thinking of it but now that you mention it, it looks like a new add-on. My engine will be about 85-90Hp so anything that can help will be added.

But just in case the 1.9L quite don't cut it, I have a Quad-4 standing by ready to be installed.

 

[Aardvaark (R.I.P.)]

Sensitive Pressure, Vacuum or Differential Pressure Switch
I bought two of these PSW20B switches. Only minor ajustment to
the trip point was required since they come preset to the low
vacuum end. This one has a one amp contact set. Omega is good to deal with.
I set mine to trip the compressor clutch off at about 1/2 throttle.
Pics of mine are in the writeup I did on my ac project.
Every horsepower counts on these cars.

 

[blancojp (R.I.P.)]

Stealth is alive

Hello All!

Well after a ton of hours invested in the car, Stealth is almost complete. The car runs and drives quite well, however the A/C turns the car into a rubber band powered vehicle. Perhaps it will be better if I drive with the top down and forget A/C until more power becomes available.

The suspension is hard as a rock but the car with front and rear sway bars handles like if it was on rails. The final items are just the interior and the two piece convertible top. The car is fully modern when it comes to gadgets. It has individual power windows with one touch up/down, power locks and power door release. All you need to enter and drive the car is the 5-station key pad which handles all the used to be "keyed" functions. There is also a fixed keypad on the driver's door that controls the car as well, just in case I lose the other key pad.

It has a two piece, three stage manual convertible top that allows you to drive as a coupe, a targa or a full convertible. It is a mean little car and it is too bad horse power is not one of the best features.

The car will be done just in time to unvail at the next Georgia reunion.