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Quality Roadsters Gives Us the Heat

(Plus Air Conditioning and Defrost, Too!)
July, 2009
By Chuck Vranas
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At Quality Roadsters (West... 
   
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At Quality Roadsters (West Brookfield, MA), a complete, rolling Factory Five Racing chassis awaits Chris Richards to install his A/C, heat, and defrost kit.
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This is the complete kit available... 
   
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This is the complete kit available from Quality Roadsters, which includes everything needed to complete the install of the system into your Cobra roadster replicar or coupe.
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With the firewall out of the... 
   
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With the firewall out of the car, Chris will use the provided template to trace the opening for the evaporator housing on the firewall. This can also be done easily with the firewall mounted in the car.
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With the template mocked up... 
   
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With the template mocked up (it's located using the notch on the firewall), we're ready to ready-mark the opening for the evaporator housing.
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Chris follows the template... 
   
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Chris follows the template and uses a Sharpie pen to mark the area that will need to be cut.
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After drilling a few pilot... 
   
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After drilling a few pilot holes in the firewall to allow access for the cutting blade, Chris uses an air-powered hacksaw to open the space up for the evaporator housing. This step can also be completed by hand using a standard hacksaw.
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It's a good idea to file down... 
   
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It's a good idea to file down the new opening's edges to remove any burrs and sharp pieces left behind by the hacksaw.
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With the firewall opening... 
   
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With the firewall opening completed, it's now time to place the evaporator into the firewall for a test fit.
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After aligning the evaporator... 
   
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After aligning the evaporator in the firewall, Chris drills some initial pilot holes with a 1/8-inch drill bit on either side of the box to squarely locate it in the opening.
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With four pilot holes drilled,... 
   
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With four pilot holes drilled, Chris secures the evaporator to the firewall using four Cleko fasteners while he follows up with all of the additional mounting holes.
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With all of the mounting holes... 
   
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With all of the mounting holes drilled, Chris uses an air-driven rivet gun to secure the evaporator to the firewall. You could also use a manual rivet gun or sheetmetal screws to complete this step.
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From the engine side of the... 
   
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From the engine side of the firewall, Chris mounts the high-output blower assembly to the evaporator with the provided hardware.
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Measure and firmly secure... 
   
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Measure and firmly secure the left and right vent assemblies to the 2x2" chassis crossmember by drilling through the vent assembly with the appropriate-sized bit for the size sheetmetal screws used. Once secured, its time to attach the hoses from the blower to the vents.
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Though not shown, the installation... 
   
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Though not shown, the installation of the defroster vents and dash cables comes next, as the body must be installed and secured to mount these items. The lower vents are recessed far enough back so that they cannot be seen once the dash is in place.
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Here is the completed evaporator,... 
   
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Here is the completed evaporator, blower, vents, and hoses in place, which will be totally hidden once the dash is set back into place. Nice, neat, and clean.
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Working in the engine bay,... 
   
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Working in the engine bay, Chris attaches the bracket that supports the A/C compressor to the driver's side cylinder head with the provided hardware. (Chris has a multitude of bracket combinations available for almost every engine configuration.)
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Chris mounts the A/C compressor... 
   
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Chris mounts the A/C compressor in place, making sure that the fit is secure. The A/C compressor looks great in its new spot, and it's also offered in a highly polished version, too, for that little extra bit of glitz, just in case.
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With the accessory drive belt... 
   
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With the accessory drive belt installed and tightened, the system is starting to look complete.
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Using a 1/4-inch drill bit,... 
   
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Using a 1/4-inch drill bit, Chris drills the support mounting bracket holes for the A/C receiver/drier assembly, which will be secured to the exterior of the passenger-side foot box.
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The receiver/drier assembly... 
   
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The receiver/drier assembly has been mounted using rivets.
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After securing the mounting... 
   
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After securing the mounting brackets to the extra large condenser, Chris places the unit in front of the radiator, positioning it to mark the holes used to attach the condenser to the frame surrounding the radiator.
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With a 3/16-inch drill bit,... 
   
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With a 3/16-inch drill bit, Chris carefully drills the mounting holes into the radiator frame. The condenser will be mounted to the radiator with rivets.
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Talk about a great-looking... 
   
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Talk about a great-looking install, the use of rivets in this instance has made the securing of the condenser look real clean.
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With all of the major components... 
   
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With all of the major components of the system now in place, it's time to begin installing the hose lines to connect the system. Using the -6 line, the receiver/drier is connected to the evaporator.
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A -10 hose line connects the... 
   
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A -10 hose line connects the evaporator to the A/C compressor.
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Using the -8 hose line, the... 
   
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Using the -8 hose line, the compressor is connected to the condenser.
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Here Chris measures and marks... 
   
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Here Chris measures and marks the appropriate length of -6 hose that will be needed to connect the condenser to the receiver/drier.
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To crimp the hose ends on... 
   
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To crimp the hose ends on the lines, Chris uses his Atco 3710 air-powered crimping tool. Chris advises that most any well-equipped auto parts store is capable of crimping ends on lines, or you could simply measure all the lines and send them back to Chris who will do that work for you.
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Measuring a -6 line to attach... 
   
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Measuring a -6 line to attach the condenser to the receiver/drier, Chris recommends one end of the hose be crimped and secured before taking the final measurement at the other end on any of the hose measuring applications.
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The inlet and outlet from... 
   
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The inlet and outlet from the condenser have a clean factory appearance.
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The completed A/C line for... 
   
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The completed A/C line for the system ends with the connection of the condenser to the receiver/drier with the -6 line.
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With custom flex-tubing from... 
   
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With custom flex-tubing from Summit, Chris measured, cut, shaped, and mounted all of the heater hoses from the evaporator box to the manifold and water pump. Included in the line is a coolant cutoff switch.
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The wiring harness was installed... 
   
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The wiring harness was installed with the provided instructions locating the three relays to the driver's side inside of the firewall, which will be hidden under the dash.
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Here's a look under the hood... 
   
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Here's a look under the hood of the installation of the completed system, ready to give its owner years of heating and cooling pleasure.
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Below the relays a 7/8-inch... 
   
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Below the relays a 7/8-inch hole was drilled in the firewall and filled with a rubber grommet to allow the balance of the wiring harness to safely pass through, supplying power to the compressor, safety switch, and shut-off valve.
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Once the dash and switches... 
   
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Once the dash and switches are installed, there is little to let anyone know that you now have a Cobra that carries the comforts of both ice-cold A/C and plenty of heat for those winter days.
QUALITY ROADSTERS
Chris Richards
77 Snow Rd., Dept. KC
West Brookfield
MA  01585

www.qualityroadsters.com

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