air conditioning

[pw84]

I'm looking to replace the factory air conditioning system in my 85 gt. I don't know which to go with , either a rebuilt vs new components, I need everything except the evaporator which I already have. Buy from a auto parts store or a mustang store like lmr or cjpony.....any suggestions or experiences would be helpful..........Thanks

[erratic50]

I can tell you from experience that looking for the individual parts new or NOS and ignoring the kits will save a lot of money. I needed absolutely everything on my 85 build and the running total so far on the AC portion is around $250 less than a kit would be and its higher quality mostly factory stuff.

It is more work to do it that way, but might be worth it.

I can tell you to really carefully watch the part number and the described hose routing on the 85 vs later cars. Places try very hard to sell you the wrong stuff. I have quite a few parts I don't need and had to replace as a result! Not a huge deal since I also have any 86GT that needs those parts. I just wasn't planning on buying that stuff yet.

I don't have my 85 car up and going yet so I can't comment on lessons learned beyond that.

[mudgepondexpress]

I buy the parts individually. Save a ton. I am an eBay hound so I found my part numbers and searched everyday. You don't want NOS hoses unless you are running R12. If you convert you need the newer barrier hoses.