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AC on a 1970 Avanti


avantey

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I was talking to friend today who owns a '70 Avanti with air who is completely computer illiterate so I am helping him on this one. He has the Mark 4 AC on this car and years ago had a broken alternator bracket welded to repair it. He cannot get the pulleys aligned and running true to the crank. So he tears up a belt every year, is on his fourth alternator and the car makes terrible noises. I am not familiar with the setup but I guess the AC has some bearing on the alternator bracket form or something.

Where can he buy this bracket? He says they are unavailable and is a long time member of AOAI and I think SDC.

Thanks- BIll

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Guest Silverghost

Mark IV was a high-end aftermarket add-on AC builder.

They made complete add-on kits.

The kits contained everything you needed to install AC on a specific model & make of car.

Pully/s belts, brackets, york compressor, condensor, dryer, hoses & lines and, finally their under-dash evaporator& fan "Monitor" under-dash AC unit.

I doubt you can find any parts for this car's old Mark IV system.

His best bet is to have a new bracket welded-up to resemble the old broken unit !

Many of the old Mark IV brackets were aluminum and tended to crack !

My Dad had a Mark IV AC unit installed in his 1964 full size Chevy.

We removed this entire kit when he gave the car away .

The entire kit is now boxed in our basement !

Edited by Silverghost (see edit history)
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  • 1 month later...

What you might consider is to change the compressor to a more modern Sanden compressor. Reason for this change is that this is the a/c compressor of choice for the street rod a/c system manufacturers. Therefore, the support for mounting kits is pretty much "full line" for many engines . . . I'm presuming the '70 Avanti has a small block Chevy V-8 in it.

An additional advantage is that Sanden makes about 30 "back plates" for there basic compressor, which allow it to go in many different places and hose attachment configurations . . . NOT just the ones you normally see . . . even one to mount the factory GM hose set. And, of course, it takes less power to run.

There are part numbers for R-12 versions and also R-134a versions . . . probably just the difference in the oil that comes in then, possibly. They are, basically 8 CID compressors, which is less displacement than the A-6 GM or square York compressors, BUT almost everything we have in later model vehicles is cooled with a 8 CID compressor, so it should be fine for the Avanti's interior size. Also pulley variations for V-belt or serpentine.

Pick up one of the street rod magazines and they should have some information on vendors for Sanden compressor kits. A Google search can yield similar results, with illustrations of the brackets and such, too. A new compressor is about $200.00 range and the brackets are about another $99.00 or so, last I recall (I was reseaching changing the A-6 on my '77 Camaro to one of the Sandens is how I discovered these things).

As I recall, the Mark IV systems were cycling systems. Might have to adapt the existing wiring to the Sanden, but that should be reasonably easy to do.

Just some thoughts,

NTX5467

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  • 1 month later...

yes you could just use the mounting bracket and AC compressor off a 70's or 80's car with the older v belt drive, then just have to get new hoses made to go from the compressor to the condensor, and the recever tank, the combressor wires hook up the same as the old, most of these compressors thought will be R12 compatable, but use the dura cool in them and not the 134A as the old oil is not compatible with the oil in an R12 system.. and your not suppose to use R12 in mobile equipment any more,, and its price in quite high unless you have a few of them old R12 freon cans around,,

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  • 11 months later...

Try Nostalgic Motors. They bought all the parts when the later (non-Studebaker) Avanti company quit making cars. They have most of the parts for the Avanti IIs-66-91 (but they weren't called IIs after 1984).

Avanti and Studebaker Parts

I'd also suggest joining the Avanti Club. Great magazine with lots of parts ads.

Edited by JohnBoyle (see edit history)
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  • 3 years later...
  • 3 weeks later...

In seeing this old thread . . . I recalled the orig Avanti had the Studebaker 289-family engine in it. The "revived" Avanti II used the Chevy small block V-8. THAT should make things much easier to find parts for! As I mentioned in the earlier post, changing to a modern Sanden compressor would be a consideration to get access to the currently-available mount/drive items for the small block Chevy V-8. EVEN convert to a serpentine belt system, too!

Enjoy!

NTX5467

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