convert standard heater car to AC car by cutting firewall

[fastcars]

Im about to cut the firewall off from a 61 impala 4 door that is air conditioned to weld on to my Convertible 61 impala. I just dont know what I need to cut. I removed the parts that where attached to the firewall like the heatercore and the other stuff (not sure what the rest is called)... so now I have a bare firewall. I was just going to cut the front skin off but realized that there might be more too it. I think the opening that goes to the kick panel vent is bigger. Would I have to cut the whole firewall out... all together with teh dash and everything, or can I just do the front skin?

 

[b-d409]

I have all of the original AC parts off of my 62 Impala. The correct heater core box for both sides of the firewall, all the AC parts for the inside, etc, etc. If your interested, PM me and I'd be willing to sell it all for a package price.

 

[fastcars]

I have every single part I need, i just need to know what needs to be cut

 

[petepedlar]

I'm watching this post carefully as I also have all the parts to put factory air conditioning into my '61. I have all the manuals but I haven't got that far yet....... It would be great to have someone who has done the conversion give us some tips.

Dave

 

[fastcars]

kinda tough waiting for the answer so I'm going to have to figure it out myself. The problem I'm haveing is that my conv is my house and my 4 door is my sisters house 10 miles away. I took pictures of my conv firewall so I can compare. The only difference I have noticed is the firewall skin is different. Nothing under the dash... far as I can see.

 

[mac1]

I converted mine over to factory A/C a couple of years ago. Its not that hard to do. I had to put a metal filler piece on the heater core opening as the a/c unit heater core and nipple outlets are different. (see picture). I used self drilling stainless steel screws to attach the a/c box to the firewall. Just take your time.
You don't need a donor a/c firewall. Theres more engine compartment pictures on my home page. Good luck.

 

[fastcars]

Oh this is what I was looking for. The truth is I needed to know if I needed to cut out the firewall from my 4 door that already has ac to weld it to my conv that doesnt have ac... Looks like you did some traceing with a pen then u cut.... So I guess Im done after I removed everything then.. right?

 

[mac1]

Oh this is what I was looking for. The truth is I needed to know if I needed to cut out the firewall from my 4 door that already has ac to weld it to my conv that doesnt have ac... Looks like you did some traceing with a pen then u cut.... So I guess Im done after I removed everything then.. right?

Yea, you can make a cardboard template of your a/c donor firewall and transfer it over. I think the outer firewall evaporator radius on the a/c firewall is a little bit more square then the non a/c firewall, but this should not be an issue. Just slide in the evaporator core and secure it to the firewall with some self drilling screws and sealant. Everything else will fit fine with your non a/c firewall.

 

[fastcars]

I have a question for you, since you have a convertible. Where is the convertible switch? I mean, you have a vent there now and thats where the conv switch is also located. I just thought about that, where am I giong to move the switch to or how does that work?

 

[mac1]

The convertible top switch is in the same place for a/c and non a/c cars. There's an extension piece that relocates the rocker lever underneath the duct assembly. The switch itself remains in the same place under the dash frame support. You'll have to drill a small hole through the duct for this extension. These extension pieces can be picked up on ebay from time to time or you can fabricate one.

 

[fastcars]

I never heard of that. Then again, i never bothered looking at the ac on a conv. Can you take a picture of your so I can see what youre talking about? Also, I'm going to use the new kind of freon, i think its 134a or something like that.... Do I have to change or do anything different to my ac parts? Or can I use another type of freon?

 

[fastcars]

Does anyone have a picture of whats its supposed to look like so I can fabricate it? Also, I will need to add some freon, I'm guessing I have to use 134a. Do I have to replace ac parts with new ones or do anything different than stock? Last question, I thought I had all the parts for the ac system but im missing the ac pump. If I can find the hoses, can I just use an ac pump from another v8 car, like a newer chevy truck or something? Would it matter if it was from a v8 car?..... ok, 2 questions.. thanks.