Re: The Packard Request

Posted by HH56 On 2016/9/18 14:27:31

Ahh, the Avanti AC. I remember it well so might as well hijack this thread again. I guess you could call the Avanti AC integrated since styling wise it did have the matching panel in the console containing the louvers and switches. Technically it was another underdash hang on. The unit had the typical plastic housing which held the blower and evaporator. It bolted in the empty space behind the upper console directly under the dash. The tapered console louver panel replaced the typical front of a regular under dash unit and screwed to the evaporator and the console. All in all, a very nice job of hang on integration.

During one of the many trades with Doug I wound up with a 63 1/2 with a supercharger. As you said, since the factory didn't offer AC with supercharger thought that was the end of it. At the time I got the car there was a newsletter put out by the Avanti Owners Association and I found an issue with the manuals that were with the car and Doug had passed along. It had an offer to order back issues so I ordered a bunch of them. Lo and behold, in one issue there was an article another owner had written on adding AC to a supercharged car. That was all it took. Newman- Altman was still in the Stude parts business so ordered the Avanti AC items. They didn't have the original console panel so they sent the same panel they were putting in the Avanti II at the time. It was almost the same as the original Stude unit except it had rectangular vertical louvers instead of the original round ones.

The mod required relocating the battery to a box in the trunk and making a bracket to mount the compressor low on the drivers side under the PS pump and partially in the old battery space. Back then there were no Sandens so used a York compressor in that small space. It actually fit and AC worked well most of the time. It had a long belt so it whipped and managed to throw occasionally at fast speed. I added a back idler but never did get that totally corrected before the car changed hands. I lost track of the car and sometimes wonder if the guy that bought the car ever fixed it.