260 A/C to 240 swap finished! But.....

[dat240zg]

Guys:

 

It's finally done!!! Got the swap finished yesterday and it actually works!!! I was able to swap in the entire HVAC stack from a 260 into my '70. Only problem is that once I got power and tested the blower, it squeals like crazy. Anyone know if there is a more powerful direct replacement for the blower motor?

 

Thanks.

 

Bryan

Dat240zg

[zgeezer]

Oooooookay. A 260 A/C swap into a '70. Please send more details: what bracketry was needed, did you use the 260 or 240 controls. What were the problems. I was working up a decision on sticking with my ARA dealer add on or jump for one of the after market street rod units. Tell us more.

[dat240zg]

Glad To. I've tried to write up a FAQ that one of these days I'll get around to typing up for everyone. Off of the top of my head, here goes:

 

- I've used the controls off of the '74.

 

- To lessen the amount of new brackets I had to make (I don't have a shop or anything, but still wanted perfection) I used the blower housing from the 240 and mated it to the 260 blower.

 

- In order to use the 260 a/c wiring harness, I enlarged the hole on the top of the blower housing where the sensors go (not certain what their official name is) to fit the 260 sensors in the 240 housing.

 

- I made one bracket for the bottom where the base of the system mounts to the tranny tunnel.

 

- The most painful part was drilling the 4 holes for the A/C lines (on the drivers side) and the heater temperature control unit (where the heater hoses pass through the firewall). The last was the most painful as the holes for the 260 heater hoses were just about an inche and a half to the left of the 240 holes.

 

After this, everything bolted right up . I had the luxury of the 260 wiring harness, so I traced down every wire, bracket, etc related to the AC. Had the brackets powdercoated, new vacuum lines, new AC lines and had to have the AC evaporator lines changed a little to fit the radiator support holes on the 240.

 

As far as the final details, I sanded the edges of the 260 AC face plate just a little, to follow the shape of the 240 dash. It meant taking approx. 1/8 of an inch of plastic off at the top corners of the 260 face plate and smoothing it to clear two screws inside the 240 dash (one on either side). I then replaced the dash, hooked everything up (vent hoses, etc.) and am in the process of having the system charged right now.

 

My 240 face plate was already cracked in several places, so I cut the face plate below the vent and re-installed it. I'm having a local interior shop create a trim piece for the control panel and the radio area. I like the look of the orginal lite and vent and will probably stick with it.

 

The only problem I have found is that the underside of the actual control unit from the 260 has various switches and cables that hang down. That together with the A/C drain pipe that goes out to the tranny tunnel means that space for a radio is fairly tight, depth wise. I'm gearing up for the turbo swap, so instead of placing my stereo back in the usual place, I'm using that space for a turbo timer and several other gauges. For the radio, I made a bracket to mount in out of site in the glove box, where I still have enough room for my CD's and all of the other junk that gets tossed in there. A side benefit is no obvious easy prey for anyone to try to rip off.

 

Soorry for the length! If you guys have any other questions or want pics, let me know and I'll do my best to get you the info.

 

Later!

 

Bryan

Dat240zg

 

Oh, BTW, anyone know if there's another blower that will bolt in? Thanks.

[Guest Cusp]

I've heard that Honda blower motors are almost identical shape but blow much harder. Take a poloroid of your blower with you to the pick-n-pull and and check some out.