replace the armstrong?

[cnsilver]

Hi my husband and I are about to take the (I believe) the original AC unit out. Hubby wants to have the old unit bench tested but it is awfully cruddy looking. also the interior and exterior shroud look in sorry shape. Is there anywhere to get a slightly used unit to replace a 40 yr old unit?

[Jammer]

The new units require substantial modifications to the shell because they use a 14" square opening rather than the small hole for refrigerant lines only that the Armstrong has.

In general it is not possible to remove an Armstrong for bench testing because the refrigerant lines cannot be disconnected. Any testing and repair must be done on the trailer.

I believe that the Armstrong is worth saving in most cases. Controls, fan motor, and compressor that will fit are all available although it takes some digging and a refrigeration tech who is willing to do the work.

[Dan@LED4RV]

Originally Posted by cnsilver

Hi my husband and I are about to take the (I believe) the original AC unit out. Hubby wants to have the old unit bench tested but it is awfully cruddy looking. also the interior and exterior shroud look in sorry shape. Is there anywhere to get a slightly used unit to replace a 40 yr old unit?

cnsilver,

Jammer is right, there is a fair amount of work that will go into replacing the AC and bench testing way to much. There is nothing that can't be done up there that could be acomplished on the bench. Some parts are available but it runs into alot. Figuring out the part, finding the part etc. Putting a used unit up there is also not a good idea. It is alot of work and if you have problems your stuck.

Also, your going to want to put a Dometic AC up there. There are two drain kits made(one by Airstream and one by Dometic) that allows you to use the drain line that is in your wall. The drain line keeps the water from running down the side of the unit.

The modifications Jammer was talking about is your going to have to put wood between the outer skin and the iner skin. Then you will have lots of holes on top to seal. These are holes that were put in the top when the Armstrong was installed.

Here is a picture of what that wood looks like......



It is a pretty fair amount of work. Most dealerships don't know how to do it.

You may can get the AC from a local dealership as that won't cost you freight. Then you can get the drain pan from Inlandrv or Out-of-Doors mart.

I hope this helps

Dan

[Kevin245]

Hello cnsilver,

The original Armstrong AC's are/were well built. Ours is a 76 model and it still runs strong...somewhat noisy, but cools well. If your unit currently operates and cools I'd suggest a thorough cleaning and a systems check in place rather than removal.

Replacement exterior shrouds are available and the interior one (if it is still serviceable) can be cleaned and painted. You can usually find them from others here who are replacing their Armstrongs. The price of postage is typically all it takes.

BTW We lived in Lugoff from 97 to 05.

Good luck,

Kevin

[cnsilver]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I think this more of a project than we can handle, since the camper is NC (lake Lure) and we are in SC(Rembert) Do any of you know if there someone close to the NC/SC line that may be able to help us?? Thanks again!