I have finally completed my "winter project". I replaced the entire AC system with a Vintage Air system. I decided that I didn't want to spend my time trying to get a system to work that was 40 yr old system, designed for England heat. It was A LOT of work, but it is nice to have cold air.

I used the Gen II Compac unit. The Gen II has a separate Hot and Cold controls like the Series 1 Jag and I wanted the controls to look stock. I was originally looking at the "Super" model due to the higher output, but I would have had to lose the glove box. The Compac fits snuggly, but just right.

It is a very tight fit with the tubing and hoses, especially for the center vent.

Thanks to the Kriss Motors website that allowed me to see what I was getting into and what I needed to cut.




The dash with all the heating and AC components removed. Let the cutting begin.



The cutting is done. You can see the vertical straps that I use to mount the evaporator. I also anchored it against the firewall.


I made a cover plate for the fan holes and used them to pass the hoses through. This is the heater hose side


I used bulkhead fittings for the heater side because there is very little room between the evaporator box and the firewall. This allowed the hoses to come in tight


This is the AC lines. I used grommets on this side because I figured that bulkhead fittings gave me 4 more connections to leak. I used 180% hose fittings at the evaporator so the hoses come back over the top of unit and go to the driver's side of the car.


I purchased the switches separately, instead of all together in a panel. I refitted the lower mechanical levers. Left switch=zone, Right switch=fan. Also fitted the 2 rotary switches for hot and cold in their normal spots. No more vacuum switches!!



It is now all buttoned up. I used an "under dash" vent to create my center vent. It is all VERY tight behind the panel, so the ducting hose is quite squished, reducing air flow a little. I had to move the input for the vent down a little to give me better clearance. It is held in by pressure from the dash panel above and needs to be removed to get into my fuses.


I went with the Sanden compressor, replacing the old A6 boat anchor. No pictures of the condenser, but I got the biggest one that would fit. The connections are all on the driver's side, with the dryer in the front corner of the engine compartment. So all of the hoses run along the driver's side fender.

 

Very nicely done..I am just about ready to do the same installation..but I already have the proper condenser and Sanden compressor. I have their heater servo already installed with the stock knob.

Please post any other installation photos you took. Do you have LH vents temperature now at a higher outside ambient temperature?
Does anything stick out on the passenger side knee area?
What did you for about the outside center vent?

 

I wish I had more photos. I got in the mix of it and forgot to take them at different stages. One thing I didn't mention was reusing the existing mount and structure for the defrost vents. I had to cut them up a little, but mounted the new vents inside them, so they fit exactly to the dash ( see below )

I have no temps at this point. I'll see if I can get them. As far as the center vent, I haven't done anything yet. I like being able to get to the backside of the unit through that vent so I don't want to seal it up completely. I'm thinking about creating a small box that fits in the hole to seal it, yet be removable.









This is a shot of me putting the panel back together. You can see how the unit is mounted and that there is NO room between the panel and unit when it is closed. There is about an inch max between the unit and firewall. I could have probably mounted it higher, but then there would be no room to round the vent tubing.
Also, you can see the heater hose on the right. That is the only thing that pokes out over the console. I could have probably made it shorter, but it wanted to kink if I did that. I think that once I get the tray and felt installed, it won't be noticeable anymore.

The wiring was very straight forward. You already know which wire goes to the compressor and have the heater valve. you'll just need a power and "key on" power feed. I used a fuse tap for the latter. (purple wire on fuse #4 in pic)

 

The A/C install looks fantastic. I agree all new on the inside and retro on the outside is the way to go. Be sure to post some temperature data when you get a chance. Good job!

 

Thanks for the update and the photo...that was one of my concerns..the defrost vents.

 

What a Beautiful job!
Your finished cabin is quite stunning! That unit looks like it came from the factory that way.
(';')

 

 

Some of the early photos look like a police bomb blast photo. Question: if you had sacrificed the glove box space would it have been appreciatively easier? There is no way I could do it like you did it but maybe if I can sit in the passenger seat and have enough room to work I could get it in the glove box side. Your thoughts?

 

The photo below shows the minimum area that you would have to cut out. Since the dash slopes down at the edges, the evaporator would sit several inches lower, pushing into or below the shelf. The ac and heater hoses come out the right side, so it would be difficult up against the side of the car. Maybe you could flip it... I guess there's not really a front or back.

Then there's an issue with the heater. It blows straight out the bottom, angled a little. They make an extender that you could use to pipe air to the driver's side, but you would have to figure out how to route it.

I'm sure it could be done. This is a headache filled adventure, so you may not have anymore issues than what I did. If you were going to go this route and lose the aesthetics of the glove box, shelf, etc. , it might be best to just use an underdash system and forego all the pain of all the cutting, routing, etc.

 

Today I drove about ten miles on the freeway with the outside temp at 83F. Inside temp at the left hand vent was 42F and the fans were on low speed and the temp on the lowest setting.

Having a comparison of similar temps with the Vintage Air system would complete my decision to remove all the Jaguar AC stuff.

Also, how does the heated air get out from behind the radio area to the passenger compartment? I understand it just directs the air downward but that space is enclosed with no vents to floor/ passenger area??

 

Ya, the floor vent will just dump into that area behind the console. I thought about rigging something up to divert it, but I was tired of it and just wanted to get it put back together. There is, however , small vents on the sides of the console that the original system used. They come out under the front edge of the console These should let the heat out. I just figured I'd use the "combined" floor and dash mode to get it warm. Also, I don't drive it in the cold that often.

 

Here ya go.
Outside temp= 88 LH vent = 34. Same settings as you. That was running about 45-50 mph for 5-10 min. (my wife wasn't pleased with me using her cooking thermometer!)

 

Here's a shot from under the dash showing how the tubing fits behind the glove box. Not much room, but looks like it was designed for it. If the whole box was square, it wouldn't fit as well. (firewall is toward the top of the picture)

 

Baudrate:

Thanks for the photo of the glove box area and the temp reading... actually yours is about 10+ degrees colder than mine.. My thermometer is actually reading about 48F due to the large graduations.. I noticed that again yesterday. I put in a digital thermometer as a backup to check mine. When you get the center vent installed you will probably find the air colder there since it is closer to the evaporator and less hose is needed.

Your result are just what I was hoping for!!! Those temps are near the thermostat limits of causing icing...

In 1971 Jaguar first moved the XJ AC evaporator unit from the trunk into the passenger compartment.. as you stated previously "there is no extra room in the dash area".. and the evaporator is of a poor design..like the S! XJ wiper system and fronts seats that are too short in the rear and have the toilet seat rubber diaphragms (I fixed that by using late model high back seats with Lumbar supports and electric up and down - has heated seat option but I never installed it!!!)

 

Baudrate:

How many fans speeds are there? Cannot find that info in Vintage Air information anywhere... Also, it looks like both the Mode and Fan switches are the same part number?
Am collecting part numbers now so I can order what I need. My install will be easier than yours since I have the VA Heater Servo already and all the stuff under the hood is
there and working..plus I have had my evaporator out twice in the past and know how much has to be taken apart..

 

3 speeds on the fan.
Heater Switch = 11413-RUA
AC Switch = 11092-VUT

Below I made note of where my cuts were. It extended to the right side of the right fan hole.

 

Thanks for the information, that is why these Forums are so great..sharing.

 

The cuts you mentioned, you took out all that area on Jaguar to fit the VA evaporator????

 

yes. this whole area all the way to the firewall. You could probably move it to the left a couple inches and that would give you more room for your hoses, but cutting was a pain, (not to mention trying to not set your car on fire) so I stopped there. this also centers the heater vents better because they are not centered in the unit.

 

They are chrome Smoothie Ram Horns from Speedway Motors..plus they are personally ported by me.