Reviving the Air Conditioning
This is an original AC car, but when I bought it the system didn't work. The main reason being that the compressor was out of the car... When the previous owner took the engine out for a much needed rebuild, he also had to take the AC compressor out. Unfortunately by the time I got the car, the system had been open to the atmosphere for several years.
My first thought was to take it to a professional shop. I didn't really know anything about AC systems, so let the pros handle it, right? Wrong. After 2 months (!) in the shop the car had all the electrical wiring for the cooling fans messed up, a blown MSD 6A Ignition, and a cracked drivers seat frame (the "mechanic" was on the heavy side). But it did not have functioning AC. At this point I took the car back and refused to pay the shop. I did get a new set of AC hoses out of the deal.
My next plan was to take it to a better shop, but my fiancée said "you're going to end up doing it yourself in the end, so just do it". Well, I guess this was a good time to learn about AC.
I have divided the following into four sections. The first is an overview of the early C3 Corvette AC. The second is the tools used. The third is a description of how to retrofit the early AC to the new r134a refrigerant, and the last section is about troubleshooting.