Aircon retrofit
Discussion
I am in the middle of doing it now and I did a lot of research before I started it.
Some have had success with putting aftermarket systems in but I think the best way to do it is to find the parts from a breakers yard and then put them on your car.
The ac heater box is the probably your car and as yours is a later model and supposedly they were all the same. You just have to pull it out from under your dash and fit an evaporator to it.
The rest of the components are very basic and other than the fuel cooler which I think is off a jaguar, the rest is just pipework, a P38 compressor and a condenser drier combo that is easily available from tvr parts or ebay.
If your wiring has not been tampered with, apparently that's all there too.
If you can find all the parts from a donor car that's your best bet but if not it's still doable you just have to find all the bits.
A good car sparky / ac tech guy will have no problem fitting it though but the nasty bit is taking that heater box out, unless you have a contortionist available.
Some have had success with putting aftermarket systems in but I think the best way to do it is to find the parts from a breakers yard and then put them on your car.
The ac heater box is the probably your car and as yours is a later model and supposedly they were all the same. You just have to pull it out from under your dash and fit an evaporator to it.
The rest of the components are very basic and other than the fuel cooler which I think is off a jaguar, the rest is just pipework, a P38 compressor and a condenser drier combo that is easily available from tvr parts or ebay.
If your wiring has not been tampered with, apparently that's all there too.
If you can find all the parts from a donor car that's your best bet but if not it's still doable you just have to find all the bits.
A good car sparky / ac tech guy will have no problem fitting it though but the nasty bit is taking that heater box out, unless you have a contortionist available.
Hi - I have working original factory fitted aircon on my Chim and spent circa £1k getting it all running as it should about 4 years ago . It's OKat best and doubt that it would cope with the heat of Australia. Not sure I would bother if I was you. Just have the roof down permanently😄
I got AC retro-fitted in my Griff 500 in 2015 at this place in Wembley. http://www.alpinair.co.uk/
For cash, it cost about £2,000.
Despite Alpinair saying they had retro-fitted AC to a TVR before (a Chimaera I recall), they still had to be guided somewhat.
For example, they had to be told not to put the AC on/off/speed dials on the centre console/armrest!!! See photo.
In the end, the dials went just above where my right knee is when seated (although my knee never touches the dials). The photo of these dials is not of my car, but gives you an idea as to their location.
Alpinair said it was too difficult to make use of the existing heater matrix and also therefore original air-vents. (The original TVR AC is not apparently that good anyway). Alpinair therefore put the blower in the boot, above the fuel tank, and two air-vents and a suction vent into the bulkhead between the cabin and the boot/fuel tank. All done very neatly I think, and it does not look like anything other than original.
A photo of the boot area with the blower is attached, so too is a photo of the bulkhead with the vents. The carpet is a different colour now, as I spray dyed it blue a few weeks ago!
The only downside to having the blower above the fuel tank is that it protrudes just so much that I cannot now put the fibre-glass targa in the boot. That doesn’t bother me too much, as if it is not raining the targa stays at home, and it if pours down, I just put the Surrey Folding Roof (which permanently lives in the boot) in place.
For cash, it cost about £2,000.
Despite Alpinair saying they had retro-fitted AC to a TVR before (a Chimaera I recall), they still had to be guided somewhat.
For example, they had to be told not to put the AC on/off/speed dials on the centre console/armrest!!! See photo.
In the end, the dials went just above where my right knee is when seated (although my knee never touches the dials). The photo of these dials is not of my car, but gives you an idea as to their location.
Alpinair said it was too difficult to make use of the existing heater matrix and also therefore original air-vents. (The original TVR AC is not apparently that good anyway). Alpinair therefore put the blower in the boot, above the fuel tank, and two air-vents and a suction vent into the bulkhead between the cabin and the boot/fuel tank. All done very neatly I think, and it does not look like anything other than original.
A photo of the boot area with the blower is attached, so too is a photo of the bulkhead with the vents. The carpet is a different colour now, as I spray dyed it blue a few weeks ago!
The only downside to having the blower above the fuel tank is that it protrudes just so much that I cannot now put the fibre-glass targa in the boot. That doesn’t bother me too much, as if it is not raining the targa stays at home, and it if pours down, I just put the Surrey Folding Roof (which permanently lives in the boot) in place.
^^^That looks like the kit that car builder solutions sell with the ducting front..
http://www.carbuildersolutions.com/uk/universal-ai...
http://www.carbuildersolutions.com/uk/universal-ai...
s p a c e m a n said:
^^^That looks like the kit that car builder solutions sell with the ducting front..
http://www.carbuildersolutions.com/uk/universal-ai...
It does doesn't it!http://www.carbuildersolutions.com/uk/universal-ai...
DastardlyDick said:
Hi - I have working original factory fitted aircon on my Chim and spent circa £1k getting it all running as it should about 4 years ago . It's OKat best and doubt that it would cope with the heat of Australia. Not sure I would bother if I was you. Just have the roof down permanently??
But that's just it, you cant put the roof down when there is the heat as in Australia, and certainly here in Cyprus. Tried one season, the car stayed at home all summer as with the roof off we fried and with it on we also fried. It could only come out at night. The heater box is very very basic and even if you dont find one with ac, apparently your car being a later model can accept the evaporator matrix.
The rest I am told is basic plumbing and electrics. My wiring has been messed around with in the past so we are just doing a clean wiring job too from scratch.
You just need to be prepared to put the hours in with research.
s p a c e m a n said:
^^^That looks like the kit that car builder solutions sell with the ducting front..
http://www.carbuildersolutions.com/uk/universal-ai...
I have the complete unit from this company, the one with heater matrix in it as well. the whole unit with fan is smaller than the TVR heater box, which is shttp://www.carbuildersolutions.com/uk/universal-ai...
te anyways, at least the one in my 93 Griff was st.
DoctorBonzo said:
Thanks to everyone for their comments. That looks very compact unit. Is it much more effective than the original TVR unit? I don't want to go to all the trouble and expense to find out that it's useless anyway!
It should cool a mid size saloon car just fine... tivs are small 
Some dynamat against heat/sound around the gearbox and firewall will also help
I think by the time you connect 2 sets of 2 hoses and the ductwork and drainage, there wont be much else space under the footwell.
The concern for me is that all of the hose come out on one side and in one plane and you would have to connect to a duct at the left and right directly under the dash, and a large duct on top going into the winscreen vents.
On normal cars this might not be a problem but it is really tight in that footwell.
The concern for me is that all of the hose come out on one side and in one plane and you would have to connect to a duct at the left and right directly under the dash, and a large duct on top going into the winscreen vents.
On normal cars this might not be a problem but it is really tight in that footwell.
OleVix said:
I have the complete unit from this company, the one with heater matrix in it as well. the whole unit with fan is smaller than the TVR heater box, which is ste anyways, at least the one in my 93 Griff was st.
This looks excellent Ole, I can't take the boot fitted option becaaaause someone put a bomb in my boot...te anyways, at least the one in my 93 Griff was st.
So I'd be grateful if you could keep me posted on the fit of your nice compact system mate
jazzdude said:
I think by the time you connect 2 sets of 2 hoses and the ductwork and drainage, there wont be much else space under the footwell.
The concern for me is that all of the hose come out on one side and in one plane and you would have to connect to a duct at the left and right directly under the dash, and a large duct on top going into the winscreen vents.
On normal cars this might not be a problem but it is really tight in that footwell.
The concern for me is that all of the hose come out on one side and in one plane and you would have to connect to a duct at the left and right directly under the dash, and a large duct on top going into the winscreen vents.
On normal cars this might not be a problem but it is really tight in that footwell.
Space is not that bad when all is out... LHD car
Hi everyone,
Rather than starting a new thread, I thought I’d add to this one.
I’m about to begin an AC retrofit in my Chimaera. I’ve purchased most of the parts and am nearly ready to get started, but I have a few questions that I hope someone with experience retrofitting aircon can help answer:
1. I’m using the Sanden TRS105 3204 compressor, the same model TVR used for the Chimaera and Griffith. Where does the plug connect to?
2. For those who have retrofitted aircon before, how did you mount the drier/receiver and the condenser? Are there any off-the-shelf brackets available?
3. Where does the trinary switch mount, and what does the plug connect to?
4. For the fuel cooler, did you need to extend the return fuel hose?
That’s all for now, but I’m sure more questions will come up as I progress. Thanks in advance for your help!
Andrew.
Rather than starting a new thread, I thought I’d add to this one.
I’m about to begin an AC retrofit in my Chimaera. I’ve purchased most of the parts and am nearly ready to get started, but I have a few questions that I hope someone with experience retrofitting aircon can help answer:
1. I’m using the Sanden TRS105 3204 compressor, the same model TVR used for the Chimaera and Griffith. Where does the plug connect to?
2. For those who have retrofitted aircon before, how did you mount the drier/receiver and the condenser? Are there any off-the-shelf brackets available?
3. Where does the trinary switch mount, and what does the plug connect to?
4. For the fuel cooler, did you need to extend the return fuel hose?
That’s all for now, but I’m sure more questions will come up as I progress. Thanks in advance for your help!
Andrew.
You can buy an under dash unit with an evaporator and mount it if space allows. or find an AC car and retrofit the HVAC box if they ever came with one. It just depends on how much room you have to play with. A friend recently retofitted his truck with a/c on his truck and used the space in his glove box to mount the unit.
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