The Resurrection of Vixen Continues...

["Dave Stragand" <dave.stragand@xxxx>]

So, today's events are already being referred to by my neigbors as "The
Great Mildred Street Polyester Explosion"... and it's a mess, indeed.

Confused? Well, maybe I had better back up a bit.

I decided to charge up my air conditioning system today. Now let me
start by saying that I hate air conditioning; as it always gives me a
headache. I figure that if you want to cool down, well, that's what
windows are for. But, with the DeLorean, I'm told air conditioning is
something of a necessity. So, I bought all the remaining parts I'd need
this morning. I took some good notes with part numbers and procedures
for a future post on retrofitting your D to R134a. However, I'll save
that for another day.

I charged up the system, and it was blowing nice cold air, and the
pressure on both sides was just fine. One little problem went
unnoticed, though. The bolt that I used to hold the clamp on the back
of the compressor was about 1/2" too short, and didn't thread into the
casing very deeply. What resulted was an explosion with all the
subtlety and grace of Mt. St. Helens. A geyser of polyester oil shot
about 30 feet in the air, wafting gently on the wind to settle on pretty
much every car in my neighborhood. It also covered my entire engine and
interior with a fine coat of oil. Sigggghhhhhh....

The explosion did little other damage, save for the back of the
compressor. The mounting boss between the suction and discharge side on
the rear of the compressor was ripped right off. I guess I won't have
air for a little while.

Sooo... if anyone has an old, dead compressor for parts, please drop me
a line. I only need the rear cover, which has the two ports. It's held
on by 5 bolts. But... I will buy the whole compressor if necessary. Oh,
yeah. I could also use the correct clamp mounting bolt.

If anyone needs me, I'll be washing my neighbors' cars.

-Dave Stragand
http://www.ProjectVixen.com
VIN# 05927