I have one with the large pulley for this 70 I'm working on. Is it just as easy to buy a reman and swap the pulleys?
I rebuild mine. Not that hard to do with the right tools. I bought a second hand service kit for the A4 compressors that has everything needed.
What size diameter is your pulley? I too have he same problem, where yo send it to be rebuilt. Then again, I don’t even know if it’s correct for my 70 GS. It was in the trunk of the car when I bought it in 2001. Can you post a picture of yours. Let me know if it matches. Thanks Nick
I once used Classic Auto Air in Tampa, FL for the a/c compressor and other components on a 70 GSX. That was 20 years ago but their work was flawless.
I always seem to be working on the same stuff as you, Adam! First, for Nick, that's clearly an earlier compressor than 1970. You can tell by the label. It does look like the right style compressor. Ok, my car has a large pulley compressor. My air was AFU but working somewhat when I got the car, 7-8 years ago. I fixed all the probs, had it working R12 100%. It worked great for a handful of years. This year, it's down again. I put gauges on it, it's empty. I'm 99.99% sure it's the compressor (front seal). I'm waiting for parts now to fix it. I ordered a double lip seal kit, but I'm not sure I'm going to go that way. I also ordered a new, large pulley, modern A6 compressor. It's not a Pro6Ten, it's a super new type, maybe bolt-in deal. I hate to go to a modern compressor because of the look, but I'm old and hot, and I not only want to look cool, I want to be cool, too! And...I hate the slinging. I'm not sure how long it will take for this stuff to ship. I'll let you know...
@mrolds69 Thanks! The compressor I have was in my truck when I bought the car. Guess it won’t work for my 70 GS and need to find a new used one or try that aftermarket version you mentioned. Let me know how that goes in if you use it.
Classic Auto Air does make them look pretty. Haven't hooked mine up yet, though. If you can afford their pricing but can't tolerate the lead time, maybe we can work a deal. I've got a while before I truly need mine.
I'm not sure how concerned your client is with originality but there is usually a date code on the back of these compressors. He may or may not want to keep the original. Or if he decides to use a replacement, someone may want to buy your compressor for their car depending on the date code.
Mine is, I believe, a later date code than my sept 68 build should have. Might be for a 70. Duane said you can't see it and it doesn't factor into judging.
So, what is the proper size for the AC pulley on a 70 GS 455? The unit I have measures about 5.5". I see a number of 6555302 on the back side with C 144 and then R14 . I can't seem to find what that part number means and what C 144 means. Any ideas? The C 144 is under the rust above the 6555302 number. I took a wire brush and found it. Thanks, Nick
That's the thing Adam, extra issues on the rebuild. They quote you a price, but you really can't know until it's apart. I can rebuild mine, but if the pistons are sloppy, or if the shaft is worn or pitted where the seal is, you need new or better parts. They can't tell until it's apart. My car was a TX car new, triple black, I'm sure it ran a lot. Then there's the shipping $$$. The compressors around then are all about the same. The differences are the pulley(s), and the "clocking" of the electric terminals. Then later, they added a switch on the back, and much later went to metric threads. If you buy a rebuilt from an auto store, it could have metric threads for mounting. It's like the old carb or starter rebuild stuff where they mix and match parts. That could be a good deal for you from 2manybuick's. For Nick, it would be a 6" pulley (OD), although some say 5 3/4's measured from the belt groove. I can't actually find a new, large pulley, 10:00 compressor with the right clutch.
If you decide to rebuild yours, I would check the front shaft bearing. A lot of times the front seal leaks because a worn bearing causes a lot of shaft movement.
The pulleys can be changed but it is hard to find the tool for these old compressors. The parts store do not carry them to rent. I ended up purchasing the tools to do this as it is the same procedure for replacing the seal. I think there are some places that will do an exchange.
I think this is the one that Frank is talking about; I have been thinking about getting one of these also. Frank you will have to let us know how it works out for you, some have been happy with them. Nelson https://www.originalair.com/s6-compressor-new S6 Single Groove Compressor . .
Nelson, I'm pretty sure I have all the special tools needed to do the seal and pull the pulley. I bought a Snap on AC tool lot years ago off ebay. The compressor I ordered is similar to the one you posted. The big difference is it has the large pulley on it. I think the problem with the big old A6 jobs is the way we drive our cars. They were never made to sit for like 6 months at a time. Modern cars run the AC compressor automatically year round for defroster and modes like that.
Ok, you can check these out. Frank is the second one like what you purchased? This is like the original and has the 6" pulley. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/...970/make/chevrolet/model/chevelle?prefilter=1 This is the newer style aluminum with 6" pulley. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/fss-58078/year/1970/make/chevrolet/model/chevelle .
