mechanical HVAC

[IDIoit]

im thinking about deleting the vacuum operated HVAC in my 87.

ive been rackin this around in my head for a while now.
altho my brain may be empty, it provides enough room for things to really bounce around

why do we even have vacuum HVAC??
seems like another point in the engineering thread..

i dont need the prissiness of the easier vacuum controlled unit, i actually prefer mechanical.

i am going to be deleting my old AC box in the engine compartment.
either installing a non AC unit, or completely doing away with it and making my own.

ive gotten rid of all the plastic garbage, and want to keep going.


questions, what mechanical controls, if any have the same mounting as the stock unit?

controls are as follows, if im correct...
fan speed
cold/warm temp switch, which is nothing more than a vent or a valve for the heater core.
and a floor/vent/defrost selector.

all of these are controlled via. a cable, but still requires vacuum.

what are your thoughts??

btw... HAPPY NEW YEAR.

 

[TahoeTom]

My current truck was non AC that had dealer installed AC (near as I can figure). There was no vacuum to the air box. I deleted all sorts of stuff: all the AC, my cruise control, and my vacuum pump. No more vacuum lines, AC lines, vacuum reservoir, one less belt (v belts make this easy). Cleared up lots of room in the engine bay and firewall. I have Hydroboost so no need for vacuum there. The AC under the dash came out separate from the heater, leaving the heater unmolested. Though not for everyone, I can live with no AC or cruise. I travel to Sacramento Valley in summer and as long as I can keep moving I'll survive. Stuck in traffic not so good. The heater box has a cable on the engine side and one under the dash. I imagine if you find a non AC truck you could get what you need. I found a non AC mounting bracket for the PS pump also.

 

[dunk]

80-86 non air conditioning was entirely normal cable controls. Not sure if they went to vacuum only on the newer trucks but even if so maybe it's close enough parts from an earlier truck would work to convert to standard controls.

 

[The Warden]

If memory serves, 1987 trucks are almost cable-only, even on a/c trucks. The only thing that's vacuum-controlled is the recirculation door. I have no idea why, but Ford went back to the vacuum-everything-except-temperature-blend in 1988. Honestly, I'm with you in that I prefer the '87 system, and it should just be a matter of getting the different control unit and plenum.

This is what the control unit for the almost-cable-only-system looks like, FWIW...is this what you have on your truck?

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[Clb]

I'd look to the bumpside' for inspiration.

 

[IDIoit]

my 87 still has a few vacuum controls,
im home now.
and can do more researching...

bumpside you say... hmmmmmm

******* glad these holidays are over!

 

[Clb]

Way nicer flat pannel' its a direction to look at!
Thank gawd the years over.
Great day one, today.

 

[no mufflers]

I would recommend vintage air, http://www.vintageair.com/. they have a universal kit that you can install in any vehicle. I installed one in a 77 f250 and it is way better than stock. the parts catalog has a lot of nifty accessory's to clean up the pluming, it took me a while to look it all over.

 

[fsmyth]

Generic cable to blend door. Generic cable to mechanical water shut-off (mine is
mechanical, but has a vacuum operator on it). Just put 2cd cable to the same
lever. Left all the crap mounted, since it has A/C (will fix it up someday soon).

 

[IDIoit]

so the vent selector is the only thing thats vacuum operated.
when i get to this point in the project, ill do a RW 101 tech,
really wanna delete the vacuum crap.
have not looked at other options yet.

 

[fsmyth]

AFAIK, that is correct. Haven't dug into dash that far yet, but I would bet that it
wouldn't be hard to find the vent door and add a cable to it, since all you need is
to re-direct the heater air to the defroster vents.
Been a while, but I seem to remember some old Chev/GMC panels with 3 levers
that could be cannibalized for the operator controls. There are probably more.
An old Mack had 4, an old Pete had 3 or 4. If you can find stuff that old.

 

[The Warden]

AFAIK, that is correct. Haven't dug into dash that far yet, but I would bet that it
wouldn't be hard to find the vent door and add a cable to it, since all you need is
to re-direct the heater air to the defroster vents.
Been a while, but I seem to remember some old Chev/GMC panels with 3 levers
that could be cannibalized for the operator controls. There are probably more.
An old Mack had 4, an old Pete had 3 or 4. If you can find stuff that old.

Again, if you find a system used on 1987 trucks, with the one exception of the "outside air" recirculating door, everything is cable-operated and bolts right in all you need are the control panel (like what I pictured above), the plenum with the cable-operated floor/dash/defrost door control, and the cables. I don't know how practical it would be to modify the door that controls recirculation/outside air to be cable-operated, but I'm sure it could be done...and, it seems to me that that would be far easier than trying to graft in a system from a different manufacturer, and you'd even have the option of keeping your A/C if you saw fit

JMHO...