News:

Due to a technical issue, some recently uploaded pictures have been lost. We are investigating why this happened but the issue has been resolved so that future uploads should be safe.  You can also Modify your post (MORE...) and re-upload the pictures in your post.

Main Menu

What's old is new again.........sort of.

Started by Cadman-iac, October 27, 2021, 03:41:49 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Cadman-iac

  I've been working on my wife's car this last week, as it needed some air conditioning work. Clutch bearing went out, and it's just easier to replace the whole compressor, since it has to be removed to service it anyway. (Just to clarify, it's from another GM manufacturer, not Cadillac)
Anyhow, the condenser, among other things, is getting replaced at the same time, and the replacement is the new serpentine design, instead of the multiple tubes of old.
Once I got it out of the box, it struck me that I've seen this style before. So I went into my "Cadillac" trailer where I keep all the parts to Norma Jean, and I dug out the condenser.
Sure enough, there's that serpentine design on a condenser. Just 50 plus years older.
So I started to compare the two. The Cadillac one is all copper, and it weighs 22 pounds.
The Buick one is all aluminum and weighs 11 pounds including the box it came in. (I'm sure a comparable Cadillac of the same year as the Buick would be very close, if not identical).

However the old Cadillac condenser is about half the length as the newer one, but both are the same thickness.

This replacement condenser comes from the land of idiots though. It's strapped to a flat piece of cardboard that has the tensile strength of single ply starched toilet paper, then the ends of the cardboard are folded around the condenser and inserted into a box.
The Cadillac condenser, I'm positive, would have been packaged in a plywood box with 2x4 reinforcement pieces.

Anyway, here's a few pictures of each condenser for comparison. Funny how these have reverted to the original design. Although the use of aluminum is a definite improvement,  for both the transfer of heat, and weight savings.

Rick

The first 3 are the new part, the second 3 are of the 56 part.
CLC# 32373
1956 Coupe Deville A/C car "Norma Jean"

bcroe

I have had a few of those sealed clutch idler bearings fail, old grease ineffective. 
For both A6 and R4 I was able to remove the clutch (using tools for the purpose)
and replace the bearing (they are the same) without disturbing the compressor
or its gas charge.  Spare bearings remain on hand.  Bruce Roe

Cadman-iac

#2
  That's true, I've done that before as well. My problem with this car is its a front wheel drive and the compressor sits under the engine. It's also the V5, which takes a different puller to remove the pulley with the bearing in it. Otherwise I would have just done the bearing and been done with it.
My point though, was how much things change and yet remain the same, as in this design of the serpentine condenser.
CLC# 32373
1956 Coupe Deville A/C car "Norma Jean"