One of the previous owners had removed virtually all the air conditioning parts in an attempt to free up horsepower. This meant I was chasing classic parts around the country. I had to locate not only the proper A/C compressor, but also the clutch, condenser, the receiver dryer, the various brackets and the idler pulleys.
We’ve all heard it before, it pays to follow leads no matter where they may seem to be taking you. During my search I had received a lead on someone who had accumulated many old Mustang parts. After speaking with him, he actually did not have the compressor I needed but referred me to another friend.
Long story short, the friend of a friend of a friend did indeed have the A/C compressor…but not just a used compressor. No, this gentlemen still had an NOS compressor unit in the original ford box! In turn he referred to someone else who had an NOS clutch.
While these parts were NOS, they were still 50 year old parts so I had them checked. Once they were confirmed to be in perfect working order the clutch was attached to the compressor.
Despite our best efforts we could not locate an original condenser. So we purchased a reproduction unit from National Parts Depot. While the unit has a concours correct exterior it features redesigned internal circuits that replace the old style 3 circuit or core with a 6 circuit design.
A quick search of eBay yielded an original NOS receiver dryer unit, the proper A/C brackets and supports as well as a set of original idler pulleys. Unfortunately the idler pulleys turned out to be to pitted to be restored to show quality. Luckily, I was able to find another set of idler pulleys from All Classic Motors that were in far better shape.
Next Step: Tear Down Begins