'82 Air cooled Westy a/c

I'm looking into buying a Vanagon Westfalia, maybe air-cooled or diesel. One '82 air-cooled I saw in Texas on E-Bay has vents over the rear seat where a cabinet would be with no a/c. Were these vents indeed for a/c? Is it reasonable to try to get the a/c running again? Are the parts as available as later Vanagons?

Reply to
a
Loading thread data ...

................If it's never been serviced in recent years, you'll probably need a rebuilt/exchange compressor from NAPA or Carquest. With a core exchange I'd guess that you're looking at a couple of hundred for it. Then you'll need to charge the system with the old style freon that's supposed to destroy the ozone layer in the stratosphere but they've discovered recently that the ozone layer is doing just fine after all. Then, you'll need to determine whether the dryer is OK and that there aren't any small leaks in the system to drive you crazy because they're really hard to track down sometimes. Before you proceed, you'll be needing the Bentley manual for vanagons that's about $90 the last time that I looked. Aside from something like a new compressor, most of the system can be replaced without VWoA parts that are way way overpriced. Is it reasonable to try to get it working? Depends on what your needs are and how much time and expense you're willing to expend.

Reply to
Tim Rogers

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.