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Old 11-10-2012, 11:08 PM   #1
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1982 28' Airstream 280
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1982 Classic 280 Dash A/C

In looking through the Forums there seems to be several variations of the dash A/C used. This is the system used on my 280. The evaporator and plenum used is apparently a 1982 Suburban rear A/C.

This all started when my blower motor gave up the ghost. Getting it out was a bit of a chore involving removing the lower panel of the dash. This is how it looks with the panel removed.

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You can see the heater core enclosure in the passenger foot well. Here is a better look.

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Here you can see the plenum and ducts going to the vents. You can also see the wiring mess common to the rigs.

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This is how it looks from the right side looking over the heater core.

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This is where the blower motor and fan wheels lives. As you can see it is a snug fit. You can also see the infamous fuse block hiding in the rear of the picture, double click and you can see the ends of some fuses and the flasher.
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Cheers, Dan
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Old 11-10-2012, 11:45 PM   #2
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This is the motor and fan wheels as they came out. You can see the right fan is missing a blade.

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This is the end of the motor with the fans removed. You can clearly see the Delco part number.

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This is the new motor and fans.

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And this is the new motor with the mounting bracket.

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This was found at this outfit Retail Automotive Air Conditioning(A/C) Parts and Accessories
The part # for the motor is 26-13264 BLOWER MTR CHEVY SUBURBAN 68-91 REAR P30 80-91 .
The part # for the fan wheel is 28-01500 BLOWER WHEEL FOR BH1300 W/CLIP BLACK .
The motor was $51.63, the wheels were $3.60 ea. you need two, and shipping was $12.61 for a grand total of $71.44.

This actually came from this outfit Automotive Air Conditioning Parts and Systems They have a tremendous amount of information on their site if you look hard enough. They are wholesale only so I ordered from Action Air but everything was drop shipped from Omega.

Cheers, Dan
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Old 11-11-2012, 12:05 AM   #3
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This is the lower half of the plenum I removed to get the blower motor out.

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This is the outside of the plenum, you can see the tag in the upper left.

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Here is the tag.

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This is how the motor and fans fit in the lower plenum.

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Also there is some discussion on other threads about vacuum controls in the A/C. This is the front and back of the A/C control and you can see there is no vacuum used.

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For some reason the 70's vintage Argosys had vacuum controls and then in the middle 80's Airstream went back to vacuum controls again.

This is as far as I have progressed so far. I'll try to get a few pictures when the blower is in an the plenum is assembled.

Cheers, Dan
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Old 11-11-2012, 04:53 AM   #4
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Thanks for all the pictures and detailed parts list. I sure would have appreciated all these pictures when I had to work on this same system once myself because the blower blades were rubbing against the lower plenum at certain speeds. If I remember correctly, I had to slighty move the motor to remedy that problem and did it all in place. You may want to consider running the motor at all its speeds before reassembling it.
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Old 11-11-2012, 01:03 PM   #5
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Great write up and super helpful seeing another 82' disassembled - many thanks.
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Old 11-13-2012, 08:01 PM   #6
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Thanks for the kind words guys. I did finally get the beast back in it's hole after about 5 hours of rolling around upside down sprawled over the doghouse. I slid the lower half of the plenum into position and then pushed the motor and fans in from the right side. Then I raised the plenum and motor/fans up into position and tried to put the screws in to hold it all together. I hadn't thought about it but getting the screens in at the ends of the blower fans really turned out to be a chore. Here is what it looks like together.

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Ignore the drain line, I haven't fed it through the floor yet so it's setting kind of high on the outlet side.

Here is a pic I slid a tape measure under the fan so you can get an idea of the tight fit. I really don't want to do this again.

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Now I get to finish putting the dash back together.

Cheers, Dan
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Old 11-13-2012, 08:28 PM   #7
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Dan,

Great job describing and documenting with pictures. I even appreciated the infamous fuse block. That fan motor is really stuffed in there but you make the job look easy. I wonder what a shop would charge to do that job?
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Old 11-13-2012, 09:30 PM   #8
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Dan,

Great job describing and documenting with pictures. I even appreciated the infamous fuse block. That fan motor is really stuffed in there but you make the job look easy. I wonder what a shop would charge to do that job?
Thanks Vinnie, I don't know what a shop would charge but I probably couldn't afford to pay it. All I can say now is my hands, wrists and forearms paid the price in nicks and cuts. There is a bracket on top of the heater core that was particularly brutal. And then there is that fuse block, my mind runs wild with the things I would do to the guy who designed that mess if I ever found him.

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Old 11-15-2012, 04:31 PM   #9
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Thanks Vinnie, I don't know what a shop would charge but I probably couldn't afford to pay it. All I can say now is my hands, wrists and forearms paid the price in nicks and cuts. There is a bracket on top of the heater core that was particularly brutal. And then there is that fuse block, my mind runs wild with the things I would do to the guy who designed that mess if I ever found him.

Cheers, Dan

I would tell him that I'm a trailer guy and will not protect him from you
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Old 11-15-2012, 05:45 PM   #10
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They charge an arm and a leg

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Dan,

Great job describing and documenting with pictures. I even appreciated the infamous fuse block. That fan motor is really stuffed in there but you make the job look easy. I wonder what a shop would charge to do that job?
The shop removed the dash to get to my AC...I was out of town and was thinking of going shopping....when I got the call that they had to remove the dash, I figured that was my shopping. p
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Old 11-15-2012, 05:53 PM   #11
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Dash AC

I now understand why so many folks don't fix their dash AC. p
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Old 11-15-2012, 06:18 PM   #12
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It really wasn't "hard" work. The largest fastener was a #10 sheet metal screw. It was just tedious work. A younger, more flexible person with a little less body mass would have an easier go at it than I did. Anyway it's done and I like a bit of cool air in my face so I have no regrets.

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Old 02-27-2013, 09:18 PM   #13
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Hi Dan. How is your a/c working? My setup looks exactly like yours and I'm also going to replace my a/c fan motor. I'm going to do this after our April Yosemite trip, but before any summer trips. My fan slows down after running for 15-20 minutes so I'm going to replace the motor. I wish I had done this when I had the dash out for painting and duct replacement. I'm going to try your method.
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Old 02-28-2013, 01:01 AM   #14
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Hi Dan. How is your a/c working? My setup looks exactly like yours and I'm also going to replace my a/c fan motor. I'm going to do this after our April Yosemite trip, but before any summer trips. My fan slows down after running for 15-20 minutes so I'm going to replace the motor. I wish I had done this when I had the dash out for painting and duct replacement. I'm going to try your method.
Hi Dean, My A/C is nice and cold. I'm running 134a with a new A-6 compressor, not rebuilt. The rest of the system is original with the exception of new dryer and hoses and a fitting adapter like this.

GM Pad Adaptor

You can have hoses made up to fit rather than trying to identify and buy the pre-made GM hose set-up.

Another mod was to install an on-off toggle switch in the wire to the compressor clutch. This allows me to run the blower fan without the compressor for those warm times when you want a little air circulation without needing to chill the air.

This tool Craftsman 6 in. Flex Spinner, 1/4 in. Drive - Tools - Ratchets & Sockets - Socket Accessories was what I used with a 1/4" socket to get the blower housing apart. Universal joints and extensions required more hands than I had to make them work.

The screens at the end of the blower fans fit in a groove with a tab that fits a notch in the edge of the screen, lots of fun to get aligned. Above all else, everything is old brittle plastic so be gentle and don't force anything.

Good luck.
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Old 03-24-2013, 07:02 PM   #15
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My compressor blew up on me last fall. The clutch and bearing just fell apart. I simply reached up under there and cut the the fan belt in half and removed it. You stated that you purchased a A-6 compressor. Can you be more specific about what a A-6 compressor is and where you bought it?
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Old 03-24-2013, 11:23 PM   #16
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My compressor blew up on me last fall. The clutch and bearing just fell apart. I simply reached up under there and cut the the fan belt in half and removed it. You stated that you purchased a A-6 compressor. Can you be more specific about what a A-6 compressor is and where you bought it?
The A-6 is the A/c Compressor that GM used for many years. It looks like this. More Information for ACDELCO 1521680 They come with a couple of different size pulleys, I think 5" to 6" but unless you are running at extreme rpms they all will work. There are many rebuilt units available for about $150 and up representing quality. There are also new units available like this. A C Compressor w Clutch A6 1gr 5 5" 12V New | eBay

There are also conversion kits to use the newer light weight aluminum compressors if you like.

I hope this helps, if anything else feel free to ask.
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