1986 International 6.9idi

[RatrodMike18]

Good morning,
I have a 1986 International MDT with a 6.9idi motor. I am turning this truck into a rat rod hauler and would like to install air conditioning in it. It currently has air brakes and a compressor for this mounted on driver's side front of motor. I have a few questions and I apologize up front if this has been covered but I just can't seem to find exactly what I'm looking for as far as conversions. Does anyone have a website or further information on exactly what I would need to complete this process. The truck currently has a heater core that is bypassed because I assume it leaked at one time. I was hoping to install the blower portion of the new AC unit in the location where the heater core is in the cab. Am I off here? Also, where exactly would the compressor go on the motor since I have air brakes? Does anyone know the new serpentine belt size I would need after installing the compressor. Just have a lot of questions so I would appreciate all of your expert opinions! Thank you in advance and take care.
Mike

 

[FrozenMerc]

Frankly, you are just going to have to get creative with the AC compressor. Being creative means fabricating your own brackets and putting it where ever it fits and you can get a belt to it. Does it have serpentine or a V-belt setup? I have never seen a mid 80's 6.9 with serpentine, I thought they were all V-Belts, but you stated serpentine in your post? A standard 1/2" V-Belt should work fine. Use a piece of rope to figure out the lengths that will be needed. DT-466's of that era had water pump pulleys with 6 or 7 grooves that allowed for all kinds of accessories, the V8's weren't as fortunate as they were considered the standard option and the DT was the premium motor. Putting the AC core in place of the heater core should work fine, The chances of needing heat in Riverside, CA is low so that should work out.

Here is an image of a MV-404 engine with all the accessories to give you some inspiration. the MV-404 was the gas predecessor to the 6.9.

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Here is a Turbocharged Ford 300 I am working on. The location of the turbo demanded the accessories needed to be relocated. I made all of the brackets, except the alternator. The vacuum pump is off an IDI engine, so it applies to this forum...

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[RatrodMike18]

Ok...Thank you so much for the reply. You are correct and I reverted back to my hot rod lingo of serpentine belt, but it is a V-belt. I guess my question is where do I source these parts? Is there a company that sells kits. Yes...everyone will say find a MDT salvage yard and go pull it but that's not really the case out here in CA. Any help with sourcing these would be super helpful.
Mike

 

[DougBoy66]

There are some self contained after-market units that are fully electric and not belt driven that work as stand alone units. The compressors mount to the firewall and come charged with the "freon" already and a quick connect bulkhead, kind of like a mini-split for a house. I have seen mixed reviews of how effective they are. I think that they are using the technology developed for the electric car market A/C units

 

[DougBoy66]

Here is an example. I dont know the quality of this unit but I am sure there are quality ones to be had if you do some research

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[FrozenMerc]

There is no kit for this sort of thing. You will have to procure or fabricate everything yourself. A place like Vintage Air may be able to help you with some of the components, but the majority is going to have to be custom made or use stuff from other applications. Hoses, brackets, mounts, etc will all be custom. It is not complicated, AC systems have been around for 70 years, and there is plenty of info on what components are needed to make one work. Do the research, and you will be surprised what you can create.

 

[RatrodMike18]

Copy that! Thank you both.
Mike

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Copy that! Thank you both.
Mike

Don't forget to keep us updated. We also like pictures.

 

[asmith]

Here is a Turbocharged Ford 300 I am working on. The location of the turbo demanded the accessories needed to be relocated. I made all of the brackets, except the alternator. The vacuum pump is off an IDI engine, so it applies to this forum...

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I dont care if it applies or not. You should share more about this inline six and your plans for it. That is really cool!!

 

[asmith]

I was going to say the same thing as @FrozenMerc this is going to have to be custom built, but as he mentioned Vintage Air and other companies like that should be pretty helpful in putting it together.

 

[FrozenMerc]

I dont care if it applies or not. You should share more about this inline six and your plans for it. That is really cool!!

I am restoring (rebuilding) my 1951 Ford F-1 Pickup that I originally restored / hot rodded back in the mid 90's. The 351W was quite tired and I wanted to do something different. I had a 300 from a previous F150 I scrapped out and one bad thought lead to another. So, the '51 is getting a turbocharged and intercooled 300, backed by an M5R2 5 spd (read "weak link"). Chassis has a Mustang II front and a 9 inch rear. I have completed the chassis, and it is a roller, and currently I am working on body work. The cab was a bit of a mess, I have had to replace the fire wall, and a good chunk of the floor and rockers. I did not do a good job of properly repairing the rust the first time around and I am now trying to correct those sins. Unfortunately, I have gotten very little done on this project this summer as customer work as taken over the shop. My goal was to get the body work done and the truck off to the painters shortly after the new year, but that does not look like it is going to happen...

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The whole kit installed during mockup. Wasn't sure I could get away with stuffing a 300 in there and not be cutting the firewall.

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For RatRodMike,
I had to piece the AC system for this truck together as well as obviously no one makes a complete kit that was going to work for this unique application. The Compressor is a generic V-belt drive from Summit. The condenser is mounted under the cab as there was no room in front of the radiator with the intercooler and having to push the rad about an inch forward to fit the motor. The condenser is from a roof top unit used on a Mack semi-truck. I fabbed the fan shroud myself and used a pair of 9 inch Spal fans on it. Even if it is not the most efficient in that location, it shouldn't matter as the cab is tiny and won't take much to cool. The dash unit and dryer is all Vintage Air. I bought fittings and hoses separately. I will cut the hoses to length and have a local hydraulics shop crimp the fittings when I get to that point.