I can attest to the ease in swapping these units out, I did so about 20 years ago on a 73 Imperial 2 door. I got it from a supplier out of TN and it also had the metal housing. Adam that is an amazing 72 you have, just gorgeous.
My neighbor had a red ‘70 Town & Country wagon. It had a huge separate a/c unit on top of the ceiling for the rear passengers with separate controls. Super cool back then.
One of the most respected names in commercial and residential air conditioning was Chrysler Airtemp. And Chrysler's engineering experience showed with Auto-Temp I & II for cars.
When I moved into my then old home back in 1994, it had a Chrysler Airtemp home furnace with the original Pentastar Mopar logo on it. Unfortunately, the big old orange box had a bad heat exchanger and had to be replaced.
Think to do a complete pictures of the markings, where all component, wire, hoses are. Like books for older of details(those are the next thing coming). You have a very un touch car. Have rebuilt a New-Yorker Brougham but being the first car....did not know. Regrets not having taken enough pictures. still sorting the wiring & electrical wire mess but the car is now running fine (fantastic) but not 100% sure where everything goes. From what I see from the imperial, it is exactly like what I see in your video. Fantastic car you have !
A/C systems on Mopars of this vintage blew extremely cold air when running properly. We had a Plymouth which you’d literally see ice crystals shooting out of the dash vents of when I’d turn it on full blast. It was glorious on those really steamy mid-August afternoons when the sun was so flaming hot that you’d swear your eyeballs might soon melt if you didn’t get the a/c going right away. It was so cold my wife would immediately shut all the vents in the middle and on her side just like she still does today, but on that Plymouth, just the one vent being open on my side was fine.
At last, we get to see that Imperial...one of my favourite American luxury models. Each decade produced a great looking car, these fuselage styled models of the 70's were just as grand as previous years. Looking forward to a detailed overview and a ride!
Hi Adam Brad from Brantford Ontario Canada I also miss my 1971 Chrysler Newport 4door plain Jane 383v8 another awesome driving car 👍 Really enjoy your videos thanks BVW Canada
Love the Auto Temp system! I have the Auto Temp ll on my 78 Newport and am fascinated on how they work. What ingenuity and simplicity all at the same time.
gosh, the old imperials and Chryslers were the cats meow.. the compressors... ? larger than todays Prius motors. That Imperial is nostalgic and beautiful.
A beautiful car! Your car is equipped with the optional Twin Lounge seats in gold Cologne leather. The body colour is Formal Black. Such a refreshing change from all that pony car stuff you see on other channels.
The sight glass was so nice to have, to give the owner a clue as to how the system was doing. If the flow you saw was solid, with few bubbles, it was great to verify that
My Dad had a 67 Satellite with that same compressor. It had chrome vents. They would frost if it ran for a while. It was the best air conditioning ever when it was working. I hope you have one of those ballast resistors in the glove box. One of those left me and my Mom on the side of the road driving home in a new Dodge Pickup in the late 70's.
Adam, the wealth of knowledge you display in these videos is quite impressive. I’m also gaining a new appreciation for the engineering that went into these complex systems in the pre-digital era. Thanks for the education. Cheers, John in Ohio 👍
Sure glad you're putting out videos full of information. Just bought a 1986 Riviera with 23000 miles, mint... well almost. I'll be taking your advice to wake the old girl up! Thanks!
I miss the old air conditioner units. My 1965 Ambassador 990, 1968 Rebel SST and 1970 Ambassador DPL would blow snow out of the center AC vent if you left the control on desert only.
@@toronado455 yes, desert only. To be used for maximum Cooling in minimum humidity conditions. It simultaneously went to recirculation and continuous compressor.
Thanks for posting this, keep it up. I have a 2 door 72 Imperial that needs work, and there are a lot of complex accessories that are hard to fix and find parts for. I look forward to seeing more of this gem!
I had a 73 Imperial, this was back in 1984. Damn do I miss it. Mine had a digital clock (I think that was the first year for them). Also had "sure brake", early anti lock system. Lock alarm, that would honk the horn and flash the lights if someone tried to get in the car when set.
Ooooh a taste of the Imp! I find these systems from this era absolutely fascinating. Engineers were so creative in how they got these complex systems to work.
We had a customer in the late 70's with one of those controllers that went bad. Customer balked at the $180 price so we by-passed it and when spring came around we would route the heater hoses back to the engine then reverse it in the fall.
Thanks Adam. The AutoTemp II system in the '73 cars seems to be a little different to the "74-'78 cars. I had a '76 New Yorker Brougham with ATII (also my '77 NYB prior to conversion to RHD). Thankfully the system on my '76 worked okay. But the controller was inside the cabin on the later cars. The external controller on the '73 Imperial is a whole lot easier to troubleshoot. Pleased yours is working well.
When the HVAC goes through the infotainment center with the radio, navigation, and central vehicle management the controls everything from the door locks to whether your heated seats come on automatically when it’s below 32 degrees, your 3 computers might be 20!
A friend of mine had this exact car years back, until an unfortunate accident. Anyone who has never seen or driven or parked one is missing out. Beautiful car.
What type of Freon did it take? R12, 22? I remember riding in cars of this vintage the air conditioning was freezing cold coming out of the vents. Great to see you have it working again. Very cool car!
Such a smart looking luxury car! And that control head is amazingly simple, and seems like it would be more reliable than the concurrent (pre-'73) Ford or GM systems.
Gorgeous Imperial I hope to own one some day, or at least a clean Fuselage C-body. I completely agree on leaving the engine bay alone, looks like a time capsule and like you said none of the repro paints match well to original colors. All those QC marks just add to the originality.
Great video. Very informative. I've liked Imperials for as long as I can remember. The exterior of this year's styling is awesome. But I think it lacking on the interior. Not at all like a Cadillac or Lincoln. But still a very stately looking car. And jeeeez....a true landyacht.
It seems like I'm stalking you, I just commented on another video about your H2 Kawasaki. I saw the newer video on the walk-around of this car. Side note is I had the US Steel catalog that Syd Mead illustrated. From an auction box! It was worth several hundred dollars, but I did enjoy going through it. Sold it. Anyways, I was wondering if you knew if the Mercedes connection. Especially seemed odd when Daimler bought Chrysler in the 90s. "Hey Mercedes, they'll just keep selling you climate control systems, just chill!". But I worked at a Mercedes dealer through the 1990s and had to replace a few of these. If I remember though, there is a climate control unit as well as this valve, plus the control panel, it's been so long ago now, but I believe there is more to it than the valve. But yes mainly they do seize internally.
The key to getting that ice cold air is the huge condenser and the wide spaced fins on the evaporator. Normal delta t is 15-20 degrees so if you're getting frost that means the evap is running about at 20 degrees. Any humidity in the cabin with freeze on the fins and block the airflow. The wide spacing on the evaps of old could handle it. You can't get away with those low temps today.
Chrysler had the best a/c! ❄❄. This is such a special car, can't wait to see more of it! Glad someone finally motorized the headlight doors. Do you send the old a/c control unit back as a core?
At least ATC II has the replacement parts available- apparently the ATC I system on the 1969s doesn't and can't be repaired. Lovely Imperial, I had a 73, beautiful cars.
Hi Mister. Thanks 4 your nice videos. I got a 70s IL and I noticed that your drive belt to the AC jumps pretty much. Doesn't that give you worries? Mine jumps too, but not so much. Maybe I shouldn't worry either. Regards.
Bravo 👏 Ingenious German engineering Spectacular Automobile inside and out 🎩💍 Years ago had to fix a customer’s Cadillac climate control system Was a vacuum nightmare but got most of it working like new.
Great video Adam, could you do one on your 1969 Cadillac Eldorado auto climate system? My 1970 has issues with a lot of different colored vacuum hoses , control valves and boxes. You are able to explain things like a true automotive professor.
Very interesting..Did GM use a similar system on their "comfortron system" that could be had on chevys? I agree about the engine paints, never a match...That engine bay looks fine just the way it is. Can't wait to see more about the "uncle buck special" marquis coupe in the background, looks to be the same color also....Just in much nicer condition...
that black over gold color scheme is really striking...good looking car. Did Mercedes license the AirTemp brains for their own use? interesting that they chose Mopar. GM's a/c was licensed to a number of vehicles, up to RR.
This controller is known as a servo. It had been adopted by Merceds Benz and used in their prestigeous 116 series predominatly in their 6.9 l 450 SELs in the yeras of 1979 and 1980. It was dreaded since the housing easily cracked and nobody knew how to fix any clogging inside. But even the aluminum ones fail so if I were you I would get a replacement unit.
I bought a 73 lebaron and the old lady had a HUGE toolbox sitting in there. It is truly an amazing amount of space that seemingly is just there to add length to the car. A truly amazing time in automotive history.
@@dlotboy Wow that's true you could put something in there. I thought it was just open to the ground below, but I watched again and there's a metal bottom which could support a tool box easily. LOL
i like that how you got room around engine and front of radiator and front condenser. i like the fuselage era of mopar cars. someday I'll a imperial LeBaron 1969-1973 like each year seemed looking great cars.
I like your outlook on keeping the underhood as is. Are the plug wires original? Would expect them to be black but I’m not a MOPAR guy and don’t know how they left the factory.
Somebody working at an A/C and radiator shop told me that when you use modern R134 freon instead of the old R12 you can’t really judge the charge of the system anymore by looking at bubbles in the side glass. Not sure if it’s true but R134 always seems to bubble a bit, even if charged correctly. In fact, when you buy a new receiver/dryer the side glass is no longer there or it’s blocked off by paint.
The Mercedes "purists" have a cow if you tell them that their A/C system was licensed from Mother Mopar. They just refuse to admit that their "German Engineered" cars had "American technology" for their upscale automobiles. I have had numerous Mopars over the years with Auto Temp I and II. I had an old school mechanic who had the factory "test box" for troubleshooting the Auto Temp I units (where the control box was in the right side vent near the floor, hence NO provision to open the vent on the passenger side). Unfortunately he passed away and his widow sold the whole shooting match (tools, manuals and test equipment) before I even knew he passed. Sigh. I had several Imperials with dual A/C and several wagons with dual A/C. Worked great in the summer heat of Phoenix (115 degrees plus, both front and rear cranking out). Those were the good old days.
Love the imperial, question, can you talk about that thick book you have with all the different cars, is that book still available, thanks. Jason from ny
I had a 70 imperial that i managed to break the climate control buttons on a very cold canadian morning. I heard hissing and all i had was air flow to the floor vents! Some vinyl tubing and a four port aqaurium air valve i ran lines to blower vacuum switch and vent motors. It worked better than factory. I could get airflow in defrost, dash, and floor all at the same time or any combination. I was a detailer at a gm dealership in the 80's at the time and the mechanics laughed at my macgyver repair techniques.
So hypothetically in a perfect money before sense world what if you had a perfect system off the showroom floor and replaced the antifreeze with waterless coolant. Would the temp control unit fail or would it extend the life of the whole system. Thank You 🙏 Love Your Videos!!!
With the old school, R-12 A/C systems with those massive compressors, you could park that car in the middle of the Arizona desert for 5 hours in the middle of August in 110 degree sun, throw the switches to max cool, and in about a minute you could hang meat inside it!
I bet the evaporator was freezing up with no air flow going across it. I never did like Chrysler’s electric motor for the headlights, they’re too fast and slam shut and sometimes you can see the headlight doors rebound from the severity.
Well, I didn't run it much as there was no air output. Now it works great. Agree on Chryslers electric motors; the first time I shut the lights off, I thought there was an underhood explosion.
Have you seen anything on that Evans Coolant? It might be a good product for you. It's apparently non-corrosive and is good for the leak-free life of the car. Expensive as all go-get, though.🙄
I've always heard the Autotemp systems are a pass to the more serious C-Body owners, because of how finicky they are and a pain in the ass to work with. Might've been an earlier model of it however, another commenter here mentioned it was pre-1969.
Ford's old York piston compressors were the worst of the bunch. GM's Harrison division rotary compressors were the bomb...so good...Chrysler's were almost as good. Ford's got rumbly and noisy over time failed first in my experience. Ford always went cheap....
The Harrison six piston rotary compressors were used by the General for more than two decades. They were, are bullet proof. The original one on my '63 Impala still works well to this day as does my '70 442 and '70 Monte. Lincoln Mercury also used them in the 1970's .
