A/C bracket with headers question

[tiorunder]

Hey! Lookin' for some advice from any of you who have had the following experience. Thank you all in advance.

Got an "80 Malibu with a 350 small block chevy motor and Air conditioning. The compressor is a type R-4 (not an A-6). Obviously, the compressor bracket will not bolt up to the motor in the # 1 exhaust area as it originally had. There is an available bracket, but it accomodates the A-6 compressor and not the R-4 which I have.

I could remove one of the bracket's "ears" to make it fit, but that would also eliminate one of it's 2 mounting tabs.

Will the bracket hold up being mounted with one bolt in that particular area? Should I fabricate another attachment point? Is there an available bracket that I am not aware of?

Let me know and thanks again. John Carroll - Clemmons, NC

 

[custom442]

Will the bracket hold up being mounted with one bolt in that particular area? Should I fabricate another attachment point? Is there an available bracket that I am not aware of?

Let me know and thanks again. John Carroll - Clemmons, NC

You could go looking for brackets, or you could make one yourself from scraps in an hour :wink: You'd need two places for it to mount (1 attachment point isn't a good idea for any accessory). The easiest way is to just bolt it up with a new homemade bracket like you said. 1/4" steel or any old bracket you have lying around should work

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Have you tried just making up some 1 inch long spacers out of steel pipe and using the manifold bolts on those mounting hole locations instead?

 

[tiorunder]

I was actually looking for more specific info on this subject. Info that came from direct experience, but I got it figured out anyway.

The bracket in question (1 of about 4) originally attached to the motor with 2 exhaust manifold bolts at #1 cylinder. The Hooker headers made it impossible for the bracket to fit the inside bolt. I removed enough material from the bracket to allow it to fit and bolt to the motor using a one and a half inch spacer. Removing the material from that bracket left me with one less mounting tab, but with all of the other mounting locations, bolts, and all of the other brackets that are intertwined with the compressor and the P/S pump, it is still rock solid. I was confident that I could go on without that other mounting tab, - no question whatsoever, but I fabricated a mount to take it's place anyhow. It attaches on one end to the bracket just above where I removed the original material and to the exhaust header bolt at #3 cylinder. I'll post a pic soon. Thank you.

 

[grandprix2+2]

I had the same problem last year with my 86 GP and found my solution on this forum. I was instructed just to cut the right side "ear" off and mount it just as you normally would. You will find that it hangs onto another bracket as well, so their is plenty of support and no need to weld in extra steel as it is rather strong already. All i needed was one long header bolt donated from the manifolds and then just cut a spacer sleeve to go over the bolt between the header and the bracket.

 

[gprimm]

Kinda late, but I thought I'd post this from my recent experience.

I used an old Sway bar link sleeve. Cut it to the right length and voila, perfect fit.

That was on my son's 1978 wagon. Just drove it out last weekend to him to the Air Force Academy. Ran fine, but now he is changing the metering rods on the Eddy Carb to help with going from 300 above sea level in Chicago to 7,200 at the Academy.