How much from vertical can the drier mount be? I'm looking to put it on the CW inner fender - I'm guessing its about 20-30 deg from (down) vertical or so (CCW)? Haven't really noticed - are oem driers always vertical?

One other thing - saw this comment on http://www.nostalgicairparts.com/con...ctions-21.php: NOTE: DO NOT use the sight glass when using R-134A refrigerant. What is that all about? -Bob

 

i have never seen one that wasnt vertical. guessing that bubbles are acceptable with 143a? i ahve seen many retrofits with the sight glass and lots of semi trucks have them. i dont think it means you cant have them just not to use them to trouble shoot the ac system

 

Guess I'm asking how much of an angle is acceptable - surely there is some leniency.

 

The drier should be mounted as close to vertical as possible, but the original factory air on my '71 Nova had it mounted in the passenger fender well at an angle. So I would think as long as you didn't get carried away, a slight angle wouldn't hurt anything. They do make driers that mount horizontal if you're really tight on space.

As for not using the sight glass on the drier, it's because an R 134a system is usually charged at 80% of what an R 12 system is charged at due to the 134a running at higher head pressure. If you fill the system with 134a until the bubbles go away, it will be overcharged, your pressures will be way too high, and it won't work as well as it should.

 

Thanks - great info. One other question - does it matter where the service ports go in the system as long as they are on either side of the compressor?

 

Any advice on the service ports?

 

Doesn't really matter where you put them as long as one is on the high side and one is on the low side. That being said, make sure they are both accessable at the same time, if you put one on the driver's side front corner of the engine compartment, and the other under the dash on the passenger side, the lines for the guages may not reach and will probably **** off the guy who charges it for you.

Where were you thinking of putting them?

 

Originally I wanted to go under the inner fenderwell but I just can't package everything there with the service ports and the drier so I will probably run a 4-inline bulkhead fitting off the firewall. The service ports will probably go in right at the bulkhead fitting.