Reproduction Parts for 1916-1964 Chevrolet Passenger Cars & 1918-1987 Chevrolet & GMC Trucks


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#201826 03/24/11 03:37 PM
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I have a 68 Impala convertible that is having trouble with its' C60 A/C.I believe there is a small leak in the condenser and will be swapping this out.A friend and I were looking over the 1968 assembly manual and noticed that there was a vaccuum controlled heater valve located on the passenger inner fender.I have looked every where and cannot find this valve.Upon further investigation we noticed that the heater and A/C control on the dash looks different than the one described in the assembly manual.We also looked at my friends' 68 Impala and noticed that he has a different heater control and the heater control valve on the inner fender,what gives?? My car was the 136th off the line in the Southgate factory,my friends' was built in Janesville later in the year.Is it possible that my Impala has a more 1967 like A/C system than that of the later 1968 production cars? Any help would be appreciated!


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There were two completely different AC units in 1968. The cheaper and more common one was the manual controll unit. The dash levers all moved in a horizontal direction. Thene there is the fancy Comfortron automatic unit. It had a temperature setting "wheel" on the control. You would just select the temperature desired and it would automatically adjust Summer or Winter.
I do have a 1968 shop manual so if you can let me know what you have I can give you more info.


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The vacuum controlled heater valves where there to shut the coolant flow off to the heater core when you had the AC set on max cooling.


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Hi Gene,as I stated in my first post,I have the manual control factory A/C unit.The controls on the dash look like the 67 type,not the 68.Since this car was built in September 67,was it possible for the car to have a 67 factory manually controlled A/C system? It does not have the vaccuum controlled heater valve,did the 1967s have this?


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I thought thatI had a 1967 and 1968 Service Manual but they are the overhaul manuals and just cover the compressor overhaul. My parts book in a 1976 so not complete for all the '67parts.
What I do have is a 1968 New Product traning book.....printed Aug. 1967.
It mentions the two changes in the 1968 system.
Ambient Temp. sensor switch. This prevents operating the compressor when temp. drops below freezing so as not to damage the compressor seals.
Diverter door switch . This switch has been added to the door to prevent compressor operation when the conrols are set to the heater mode.
The control face plate has been simplified eleminating the words "Temperature", "Outlets" and "Defroster"The new controll also has a different bezel that provides different mounting.


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Originally Posted by The53TwoTen
Hi Gene,as I stated in my first post,I have the manual control factory A/C unit.The controls on the dash look like the 67 type,not the 68.Since this car was built in September 67,was it possible for the car to have a 67 factory manually controlled A/C system? It does not have the vaccuum controlled heater valve,did the 1967s have this?

Many have thought Chevy would use, in your case, the pile of 1967 left over parts on the 1968, until the supply diminished. Not true. For every car there were parts assigned, no piles of parts waiting to be installed on something. When the last 1967 rolled off, the 1967 parts were gone, as well.

However, you may have an "add on" a/c system installed by an independent supplier, using Chevy parts ... or mostly Chevy parts.

Back then, if a customer wanted a/c on a unit he purchased, we made a call to a supplier who did the install, parts and labor. That service extended to radio upgrades and other items, as well.



1951 Chevy Styleline Deluxe 2 door sedan / purchased from second owner 6-19-2000.
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Sorry to confuse everyone,but,the reason I am asking,is that I need to know if this car needs to have a heater control valve or not.There is one called out in the assembley manual,but,I'll be darned if I car find it on the car.....the 67 assembly manual does not have a heater control valve called out,hence my question.I am just looking for confirmation,thanks!
Bob,I was not aware that it was possible to install a factory looking AC unit in a car that came without it from the factory.Didn't dealers usually just install the under dash unit in that case?Seems like a LOT of trouble to add the evaporator to the firewall and modify the hole there to accept it as well as getting the wiring,vaccuum lines etc.I wish I had the build sheet for this car to find out,thanks for your help.


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I have a 68 Impala Sport Sedan with factory air, the manual control model. This impala was built in Arlington, Texas in Jan 1968, and several members of The Lone Star Division of VCCA were working there when the car was built. There weren't many 1968 Impalas sold in Texas without Factory Air...
I also have an assembly manual for the 1968. If you will post a picture of the dash showing the A/C controls I can verify what you have. You won't find a lot about the control devices without pulling the inner fender, and sometimes it is necessary to pull the outer fender on the passanger side to work on the heater core etc. There was a UK member of Chevy Chat (another website) that had pictures posted of his 68 with the fender off and showing the A/C unit. I had the pictures until my computer H.D. crashed.


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I no longer have a '68 model but do have the chassis service manual. There is no vacuum operated heater hose valve illustrated or listed. My '70 Caprice does have the vacuum valve on the heater hose. I found a replacement at O'Reillys.


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53 210, in earlier years, the under dash unit was installed as an aftermarket, but into the 60's an aftermarket, which, to the eye, looked close to factory, could be installed. I'm thinking the supplier was Mark IV, but I wouldn't bet the farm on that one.

Like anything else, the more you do, the easier it becomes. We gave the installers 2 days for the job, seemed to always be enough time.

The unit installed was manual controls only, never with the Comfortron setup.

IMO, the unit never had the "cool quality' as the factory installed unit. Price for installation was comparable to factory unit, as I recall.

Checking a 1968 GM parts manual would answer your question about the water control valve. Mine stops at 1957.



1951 Chevy Styleline Deluxe 2 door sedan / purchased from second owner 6-19-2000.
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Thanks to everyone for the input!! As always it is interesting to hear how things were done in the past.I have no access to the car now as it is at the garage having the A/C fixed,so I am unable to get pictures.I thought long and hard about tackling the repair myself,but,since I have no experience with an A/C system,I decided to have a pro look at it.I want to be able to use this car to get to Flint,but,without A/C,it would not be fun.I will post more when I get the car back,thanks again!!

Dave


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Here is an update regarding the AC unit.The POA valve had a small unseen crack in which the refrigerant was leaking.A new POA valve,high pressure valve and drier were installed.The refrigerant was changed to R134A.I have just a few more things to do before the car is ready for the trip to Flint,thanks to all for the help and suggestions!!


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