I have done a lot of work and spent a lot of money on my 1976 4-door Maverick in order to make the air conditioning work. I have: - Had the condensor restored/rebuilt - Had the dryer restored/rebuilt - Installed a Sanden compressor - All new hoses under the hood - Converted to R-134a - Installed new evaporator switch - Completely flushed the entire system I even installed a new radiator on this car. My hopes was that I, and my family, would be cool and comfortable going down the road. It works "O.K.", but I thought it could be better. Here is what I did: Installed new window rubber seals. The seals on this car had chunks missing, and the wind would whistle through the cracks as I drove down the road. I always lumped this up to "driving an old car...live with it". All 4 doors were bad. All the orignal seals were extemely hard and very brittle. Maybe being a California car had something to do with it. It finally occured to me that I could pump all the cold air I wanted to into the car....but if it is just flying out the window...what good is it doing? I replaced all the window seals on all (4) doors. This required buying (4) kits from Auto Krafters. This was a lot of money (especially for a 4-door). All I can say is that it made all the difference in the world. I used to drive around with the AC on full blast the entire time I drove the car. It was cool. Now....I can drive around with the AC fan on the low settting, or the second to lowest setting...and it will freeze you out. Plus...I can now hear my stereo...and no more window whistling. Want colder AC....fix all the leaks around the doors and windows.
Good tip Craig that likely gets missed on these oldies. Pretty tough for the AC to get the humidity down with those old seals. AC only has so much energy so to speak. If a large portion is being used of get rid of the humidity you have less ability to draw the heat out of the air. Thats why a recirc door is so important. Keeps all that nasty humid air out. Glad the car is even nicer to drive now.
I agree. The hot air kills the chill quick. Another help is tinting the windows as dark as you can stand it. One thing I remember about MY ac is that the air flow out of the vents wasn't the greatest. I blamed it on the design of the squirrel in it's cage. lol.. The size of the tubing,duct and IT'S design wasn't the greatest either. Seemed kinda restrictive.
Very good post Craig. Gives a person something to think about that's probably been overlooked in many Mavericks and Comets. Thanks.
Just in time for the heat of Summer Craig. Maybe you will also have to keep your heater on low, during the cold Indiana winters! And...now that you can hear your stereo better, you might be tempted to upgrade your sound system in the 4 door! I wonder if you have the stock radio in that one?
good point Craig...:Handshake with my...new seals and Peel and Seal, i have to roll the window down to hear my horn blow... i also disabled the vacumn pod that opens the fresh air vent when the A/C is on...that made a huge difference... Effie on July 28...A/C on low. ........ ...Frank...
