1972 Shroud gone, can I run A/C without it?

[gypsymoth]

Hi, I'm a Proud and Excited Airstream Newbie! I just bought a 1972 model. The A/C shroud has disintegrated! It has been under cover, so has not been wet. I cannot afford to buy a new shroud yet, and have been unable to find a used one.

Can I use the A/C without a shroud?
Do I have to have some sort of cover on it even if I'm not using it?
Any ideas on what I can use for a temporary shroud?

Thanks for any help and ideas!
Colleen

[rebel beck]

Colleen,
I would not use it without a shroud. I have found some used ones at rv repair places you may want to check with them never know what they have laying around and you may just luck up on one. Also welcome to the forums a lot of great folks here.

[AYRSTRM2]

You can use the AC without the shroud no problem. What you don't want to do is drive it without a shroud. You can damage your exchangers pretty quickly and badly.

Also, the motor is exposed so don't let it get rained on. cover it with a rubber maid tub, but don't cover it like this when it is running, you'll burn it up. The back has to have air flow during operation.

[lewster]

Colleen,

You CAN run an A/C with no shroud but it won't perform very well, as the shroud is an integral part of the cooling and heat exchanging functions. If you have ever taken one off, you will see that there are foam seals on certain parts of the cover or sheet metal housing to provide a definite circulation pattern for the unit.

The blower motor should not get wet as it is NOT a sealed unit and water will damage it. I would at least put some sort of waterproof cover over the blower until you can REPLACE the shroud. PM me with the model and serial number of your A/C unit and I will see what I can dig up in an inexpensive shroud from my parts suppliers.

[wacnstac]

How hard is it to replace a AC shroud? Mine is in pretty bad shape. It's got some pretty big gaps between it and the AS body which I'm sure red squirrels will find and will like to make nests under.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by wacnstac

How hard is it to replace a AC shroud? Mine is in pretty bad shape. It's got some pretty big gaps between it and the AS body which I'm sure red squirrels will find and will like to make nests under.

Replacing the 1964 to 1979 Airstream AC shrouds is very easy. Either 4 nuts and lock washers hold them in place or 4 sheet metal screws.

The orignal plastic shrouds, when exposed to the sun, simply become brittle in time. When they become brittle, they crack and then disappear.

Replacement AC shrouds are available for those years, but made with fiberglass.

Andy

[Angel73]

But if your pretty good with your hand ,you might want to check out this site .This guy repaired his http://www.knology.net/~tcwilliams/ShroudRepair.htm