Toyota mini truck air conditioning in a pig?

[Pygmalion]

Does anybody know if the Nippondenso air conditioner out of a late 70's Toyota mini truck would fit in a FJ55? It bolts to the bottom of the dash on the passenger side, and is definitely an aftermarket option.

I happened to be rummaging around the wrecking yard today and stumbled upon said toyota, and if it'll work, I'm all over it. We have some days that hit 115* here in my neck of the woods, so it would be a very welcome addition.

 

[Pygmalion]

I think I may have answered my own question... unfortunately it looks like the plastic duct that connects the blower with the heater will get in the way. This wasn't immediately obvious to me since the duct wasn't installed when I got my pig, so I'm used to seeing a wide open space under the passenger-side dashboard.

Looks like I'll just have to save my pennies for a Vintage Air system, or try to figure out a way to re-route the duct to fit the A/C.

Don't the Vintage Air systems block the external blower too? I thought I remember seeing something about that...

 

[rsrai]

since no one has replied yet, i wonder if they are all thinking that you will continue to answer your own questions?

 

[Pygmalion]

LOL.

Well, I'll let it slide this one time, but from this point forward I refuse to answer my own questions.

 

[scouthead]

I have no idea what it would take to get the minitruck stuff into a pig, but it made me laugh seeing it posted here, because I was just looking at a friend's early 80s truck thinking the same thing.

 

[Luke111]

If you where to put in the Toyota A/C, why not get rid of the front heater, does'nt the toyota system work as a heater and A/C. I'm putting in a vintage system and I think the plan was to remove the front heater because the unit also produces heat. I'll have to confrim that with IPOR. I would like to keep the front heater, not sure if there is room for both.

Lou

 

[Trollhole]

PM Portal_tek I believe he has a stock A/C unit for sale.

 

[Luke111]

55 A/c

David
The Vintage A/C unit that I'm installing does, A/C, Heat on the floor or bi-level and defrost. My pig came with A/C that I believe was factory and worked but the stock blower motors pretty weak, I'm hoping this vintage unit blows harder and if it does I'll sell my A/C. I did a lot of research on th new FJ Crusiers A/C its extremely compact and will fit under your dash and extend over and above passenger footwell, like my factory unit did. If you can find a totaled FJ Crusier it might be worth a shot. If anybody knows of one I may still be interested.

Lou

 

[nat]

David
The Vintage A/C unit that I'm installing does, A/C, Heat on the floor or bi-level and defrost. My pig came with A/C that I believe was factory and worked but the stock blower motors pretty weak, I'm hoping this vintage unit blows harder and if it does I'll sell my A/C. I did a lot of research on th new FJ Crusiers A/C its extremely compact and will fit under your dash and extend over and above passenger footwell, like my factory unit did. If you can find a totaled FJ Crusier it might be worth a shot. If anybody knows of one I may still be interested.

Lou

Which Vintage Air unit are you installing? I think that is what I am going to do too.

 

[scottryana]

I went with the Vintage Air Slimline under dash unit (11400-VUZ-A), it fits well does heat, AC, and defrost. I was thinking about doing another unti heat, and AC for the back but will hold off until I see how this single unit does this summer.

But... If they would of had the Mark IV under dash unit when I bought mine I would have used it. The Mark IV is all steel and looks much more period correct then any of the other units.
http://www.vintageair.com/cat2006/23.pdf

Ryan.

 

[Luke111]

I went with the Super Gen II 61005-VUZ-A. Ryan and I should be able to provide you all with lots of info on these two units soon. Hey Ryan where would you mount the rear unit? That's a cool ,no pun intended, idea

Lou

 

[Bluzer]

Our '77 fj 40 has the Nippondenso air conditioner unit in it. It's located on the passenger side. If you think it's the unit you are looking at in the mini truck, I can send pics.

 

[scottryana]

Lou,

The Mark IV unit is only 5.75 inches tall. I think you could mount it on the bottom of the front seat bracket. It would be just like having a second set of vents for the rear passengers. I probably won't end up doing it, unless the AC I have just won't keep up.

Ryan.

I went with the Super Gen II 61005-VUZ-A. Ryan and I should be able to provide you all with lots of info on these two units soon. Hey Ryan where would you mount the rear unit? That's a cool ,no pun intended, idea

Lou

 

[Luke111]

That's a great option for the rear area.

Lou

 

[Pygmalion]

Our '77 fj 40 has the Nippondenso air conditioner unit in it. It's located on the passenger side. If you think it's the unit you are looking at in the mini truck, I can send pics.

That would be great!
I'll PM you my e-mail address. I'm heading over to the wrecking yard tomorrow so I might see if it's still there.

 

[Pygmalion]

Thanks for the pics Bluzer! I appreciate it.

I went ahead and picked up the mini A/C, since it was only $110 for the whole shebang.

It needs some cleaning, and the middle vent fixed (it just popped out), but considering the alternatives are in the $1,000 range, I think it'll be a fair tradeoff.

I test-fit the A/C unit, and it looks like it'll fit. There's also a bit of room between the rear blower on the A/C and the firewall, so I'm going to look into building a fiberglass duct to connect the fresh air blower to the heater. Or maybe I'll get tricky and cut the blower off of this unit and build a custom duct that connects to both the heater and A/C, with a baffle connected to a pull cable to switch between the two...

I also did a test-fit on the condenser, and I'll need to modify the radiator opening to accommodate the entry and exit lines... otherwise the condenser core is 21-3/4" wide, and the grill opening is 22" between the radiator mounts. I'll have to notch the mounts top and bottom on alternate sides, though I think it should be doable without too much effort.

Then it's just fabbing the bracket for the pump, though I pulled the bracket from the 20R motor in case I can use it for anything.

The line sticking straight back on the right-hand side of the A/C is removable... it was just easier to remove the pressure line from inside the engine compartment. These lines are also getting remade to put the entry/exit lines closer to the center of the unit, to clear the fresh air blower.

So far things look good... now I gotta figure out how to test the thing, though it still had some pressure in the system (I know... I added to the ozone hole), and also the oil was really clean, and everything appears to be functional. I'll find out soon enough.