Earlier '66 AC Compressor Questions

[Mike B.]

Re: Earlier '66 AC Compressor Questions

Hi Dom,

The I 22 5 compressor is near the top of my choices but it's one of the poorest casting dates among my compressors. Very worn/grainy date that's not immediately made out. I'll give it another look when I get back up Maryland. I'd still like an October date if I can find one.

I was looking at a Paragon catalog and compared their '66 Frigidaire foil label to some file photos of real ones. Sure looks spot on to me. What do you think of these and do you use them? I was also wondering if you've got a way of typing build dates on those labels.

I've seen photos of your work Dom and I enjoy your posts. I'd like to have you do the job when I find my compressor. The '66 is ready to be put back together, but because I'm here in Florida most of the time not much gets done on the car. She'll be a joy to reassemble as my retirement project which is getting closer by the day.

So, if I found my compressor, should I have it restored by you and then store it away? Would that hurt the compressor not being properly oiled during storage?

Thanks Dom,
Mike

[Mike B.]

Re: Earlier '66 AC Compressor Questions

Hi Ric,

Thanks again for the info you provided to all of us on this post. And especially me. This really helped!

When I bought the '66 in August of '88 she had most all of her AC components removed. Luckily, she still had her evaporator/blower assembly intact. But her compressor/all mount brackets & braces/hoses/clamps were gone as were her condenser/dryer/tubes/grommet. As for the inside of the car, luckily she still had her AC distributor assembly/harness/vacuum hoses intact. And the center register/duct with it's 2 fabric hoses/all dash pulls were still there. But alas, her left and right black plastic duct outlet assemblies/brackets were gone.

As I didn't know much about Midyears then and even less about their AC system I was feeling pretty low of how much was missing on the car. And believe me, there were a lot of other areas that were tampered with. But I knew she was an all numbers matching '66 L-36 Convertible with AC (or used to have AC). So I trudged on.

Now for happier times. About 6 months after I bought her, I began doing extensive title searches in the states I thought might pan out and bingo!! I got 3 hits in Oklahoma of 3 prior owners! 2 were dead ends, but the guy in the middle of the 3 names was the charm. He lived in Oklahoma City and he said that he "had some ducts in a box out in the garage". He said he'd "sell them to me 'cause he needed the money". I was in the Air Force back then stationed in the southwest corner of Oklahoma and about 2-1/2 hours from his house. My wife and I headed up to OKC bright and early the next morning cash in hand.

The garage door opened and he began stacking big boxes of parts on his work bench. A few odds and ends at first then came "the mother load of all AC parts". Every single piece of what I described as missing above was there! All except the compressor and mount brackets/braces. Oh, and the firewall hot water shutoff valve/bracket was missing too. But everything, and I mean everything else was there! And 2 very rare pieces unique to '66 L-36 AC cars......the L-36 compressor muffler and the L-36 condenser with it's special side mount brackets.

The '66 L-36 compressor mount brackets and brace bar are difficult to find. Two of the brackets are one year only pieces unique to '66 whereas '67-74 share the same parts. I met a great guy through the TDB who lives south of me in Virginia. He had a set of these brackets and agreed to sell them to me. I now have a set of correct brackets for my '66. Now if I can only find that compressor!

Ric, I know this post was a little long. But you said you find Midyear AC topics interesting. Well, I can't get enough. So I thought I'd share this story on the TDB so you and others could read about one man's journey in hunting those elusive parts down.

I'd very much like to chat from time to time about our two cars and their similarities.

Take care, Mike

[Richard S.]

Re: Earlier '66 AC Compressor Questions

Morning Mike.....Enjoyed researching that info for your project, you were very lucky in finding all those parts, sometimes luck happens. Was
unaware that those brackets are unique for 66. Since our cars build dates are so close together they would share the same
assembly features (my body # S2459) so if I can help with any other info just ask. Are not all 66 compressor mufflers
the same,SM and BB.The only part that I knew that was unique to 66 BB air cars was the lower control arm piece. You learn new
stuff every day, however it's 1 new in forgot 5. Looks like you are well on your way to a beautiful car. What other options do
you have? Mine is radio,427,soft top and AC.
Ric

[Domenic T.]

Re: Earlier '66 AC Compressor Questions

Mike,
I do use the ones from paragon except for the early caution ones that were 63 -65 decals that were under the foil. I had to scrap a bunch because refrigerant wasn't spelled correctly, then they called me with new ones and they had to also be scrapped because once they were on the compressor you couldn't make out the words.
Their regular foils are good and that's where I get them. I have the old IBM and found the font (golf ball) in Oregon from a very old man that worked for IBM and fixes them to this day. Wasn't cheap but he knew what I needed and said the flea bay ones would not hold up like the originals.
Typing them so the ink sticks is a pain. First you tape the date box and sand it lightly with 800 grit. Then coat it with clear enamel, tape the foil to notebook paper and carefully line it up. Then type each character until the ink sticks. sometimes when you type over to get the ink to stick it removes it and you just keep hitting the number till it's good. Then I remove it from the IBM and fog a clear coat on it very thin or the ink will run thru the clear. Then 2 more coats, the last for the gloss, and your done. Takes a few hours but you can read the date code and the top coat keeps the ink from rubbing off. Can't really notice or feel the clear.
Mike, I put the correct amount of oil in them and seal the 2 ports . I have a recent thread on proper storage on the A6.
Mike, another thing to put in the pot is that the casting date is very hard to see with the manifold in place and usually good rebuild /restore paperwork verifies the back plate and front plate. I now check the front plate casting date which cannot be seen when compressor is assembled.
The back plate and front plate are usually within a few weeks of each other.

Dom

[Mike B.]

Re: Earlier '66 AC Compressor Questions

Hello Everybody,

Gotta flag a typo which is beyond the time frame to edit out. My good NCRS friend that I was telling you about down in Virginia, Page Campbell contacted me about this thread error. It's on post #18 (I'm seeing #17 on my TDB). It's the one that I posted some TDB file photos of compressor clutches and cases (Wayne Midkiff shots). 3 lines up from the top shot the casting #6555032 should read #6555302. Now how did I miss that??!!

Gotta give my props to Page Campbell. He is extremely knowledgable about Midyears. Especially Air Conditioning. When Page posts, I read!

Mike

[Mike B.]

Re: Earlier '66 AC Compressor Questions

Good Afternoon Ric,

Yes, I was very, very lucky to get those parts back to the car. I neglected to mention that all of those parts I picked up that day were all original to my '66. It was his car before it fell into the hands of Bubbuh. He had intentions of restoring the car and had removed all of those pieces from the car. He kept all the parts when he sold it since he knew they would strip the car anyway for racing. So, the planets aligned when I found him through my title search and I'm so grateful that he kept all of those parts. He was a good guy that missed his Corvette who'd fallen on hard times.

Looking at my '66 Assembly Manual it shows a different part# for both the compressor muffler and the condenser from small block cars that year. Maybe I should compare the '67 AIM (don't have one) to the '66 AIM to see if the '67 390 & 400 HP cars with AC have that same muffler? I may have misspoke when I said the L-36 condenser was unique to '66. I bought some parts from a guy up in Philly who had a '67 Big Block AC car and his condenser was identical to my '66s original. Nevertheless, these 2 parts are unique to the '66 L-36 vs. the '66 small block w/AC.

Ric, I'll try not to wear out my welcome with my questions about your car. I've got a lot. It would be good to talk to you live, but I see by your profile that you're somewhere in Canada? Don't know if my cell covers that. But we can always PM each other through this here TDB!

This has been a huge event finding you and your car through my years in Corvettedom! Our cars are even closer than I thought. Your body #S2459 is only 183 apart from my body #S2276! Unbelievable to find two St. Louis built bodies that close together that both became L-36 w/AC convertibles!!

My car:
-Nassau Blue 2 Top Convertible
-Bright Blue Vinyl Interior
-427/390hp TurboJet Engine
-Muncie Close Ratio 4Spd Transmission
-3.36 Positraction
-Four Seasons Air Conditioning
-Power Steering
-AM/FM Radio
-Teakwood Steering Wheel

It's been a real pleasure Ric. Thanks so much for responding to this Thread!
Mike

[Mike B.]

Re: Earlier '66 AC Compressor Questions

The other end of the shop. My little '65 screamer in all her glory!

[Mike B.]

Re: Earlier '66 AC Compressor Questions

One of the prettiest shots I've ever taken of a Corvette. Love the "S"!!

[Mike B.]

Re: Earlier '66 AC Compressor Questions

Thanks Dom for all of your inputs to this thread. You're definitely the right guy for a compressor resto. I've often wondered if and how it was possible for someone to reproduce dates on those repro Frigidaire foil labels. That's a very meticulous process you've devised there! I'm impressed.

I'm gonna hunt around for more choices of compressor casting dates to better select the right one for my car. I'm real particular when it comes to which parts go on my car. Heck, I've waited this long! When I find the right candidate, I'll send it off to you.

Thanks again Dom. I'll be watching for your posts.
Mike

[Mike B.]

Re: Earlier '66 AC Compressor Questions

Hello Everybody,

Tryin' to keep this thing towards the top.

I'd sure like to hear from more of you '66 w/AC owners out there. Especially those that have earlier cars built Oct, Nov, Dec of '65. Does your AC compressor label show model #6550133 or does it show #6550113? I'd really like to see your labels! Please post a shot if you can. I'm compiling some stats to better select a compressor for my car. So please chime in

I'd also like shots of '65, '66, and '67 compressor foil labels from any production month along with the compressor casting date on the end plate. I'm trying to document the average spread between the compressor casting date to when the compressor was assembled. No need for VINs of course, but it would be very helpful if you could state which part of the month your car was completed.

I'm not dissing the '63 and '64 w/AC owners, but your compressor foil labels don't show an assembly date that I can cipher. I've searched the TDB looking for threads pertaining to this subject but couldn't find any. I've got an early '64 Vette compressor in my stock and I've always wondered what that code meant. Does anyone out there know how to decode '63, '64 and early '65 compressor labels? This sure would benefit us all!

Well, I've surely enjoyed chatting with everyone that has replied to this thread. The info provided has been great and I thank you all. I'm hoping that this thing isn't winding down. But if it is, here's a shot of yesteryear as a thanks for viewing this post. Wouldn't it be great to walk through this used car lot! Mike

[Domenic T.]

Re: Earlier '66 AC Compressor Questions

Mike,
The 63/64 have the same build date with exception of the early 63 that had a spot welded tag on it. Also only had 3 mounting holes instead of 4 on the back plate.
Mike, I seriously doubt that the year end would be the same as the normal production Months. Lots of things were stock piled that kept the same tooling, compressor being one of them. The building of components went on while the factories tooled up for the new model. I see more shift 1s than shift 2s. There were also shift 3s at some point.
I remember ordering my 65 SS months before in 1964 while the factory was tooling up for the next year. That was the year for the big GM strike and my car was a few months late.

Dom

[Domenic T.]

Re: Earlier '66 AC Compressor Questions

Mike,
I have a K 9 5 vette compressor. We may have talked about that a few years ago. It's been done waiting for the 6 hole hub. I have only one left (6 hole) that has more miles in shipping that one can imagine.

Dom

[Mike B.]

Re: Earlier '66 AC Compressor Questions

Good Morning Dom,

I remember chatting with you about a J X 5 loose end plate that you hadn't installed yet. By "6 hole hub" you mean the holes that the red arrow is pointing to in the photo below? It sure would be great if you would post a shot of that K 9 5 four hole end plate. I'd love to take a look at it!

As questioned 2 posts above, what's the average time lapse between compressor casting dates and the build date typed on the Frigidaire foil labels of original '66 and '67 AC compressors? What's your take on this Dom? You'd be the guy that would know with all of your experience in rebuilding A6 compressors. I've done thread searches on this subject but haven't found any. I'd really like to know as I'm sure some of the readers of this post would too.

OK, now this may be a stretch. I sure need everyone's help here. Especially from the '66 and '67 AC car owners out there. I've often wondered what's the closest car assembly date when compared to the date on that Frigidaire label? This is important for me to correctly choose my compressor. This information, if accurately compiled for even just a bit could surely benefit us all. So please chime in!

Thanks for posting Dom. I sure get a lot from them. Mike

[Mike B.]

Re: Earlier '66 AC Compressor Questions

Here's the proper shot of the hub. Couldn't edit that wrong shot out in the post just above! Mike

[Mike B.]

Re: Earlier '66 AC Compressor Questions

Can't even edit Gemlin duplicate shots out this morning!! Mike