On Thu, Mar 19, 2009 at 11:07 AM, James Jean-Woo Kim <jkim.phd@gmail.com>wrote:

> A friend is offering his Behr front A/C unit
> on his 84.5 Westy. So my questions are:
>
> 1. Can I install this unit in tandem into my existing A/C system so that I
> could have decent cooling in the front as well as in the back this summer?

Yes, but the general consensus from those who have used dual AC is you need
a second condenser as well to take away the excess heat.

> 2. Does anyone have advice/instructions/pics based on actual experience,
> not
> speculation please?
>
> I searched the archives and suspect Ben T might be able to help.

Warren Chapman is one of the guys who runs the Behr in dual system for his
Westy. I run them single in vans and soon to be on Dokas. They do not have
the same AC issues as the Westy. Im my Behr-equipped vans, I've noticed
having the air in my face vs. coming from the rear only in early vans feels
cooler. In fact, simply redirecting the airflow to the front the way VW did
on the post-86 vans are just as effective IMHO.

The DPD AC's made in Texas and installed by VW dealers during the Vanagon
production years seem to work as well as the Behr. They are virtual clones
of the Behr with a few improvements IMO. As Dan Fleming had pointed out in
the past, the DPD needs to holes for the AC hose. The Behr requires a
careful installation of a block shaped brass bulkhead fitting (don't really
know what it's called). Advantage DPD when it comes to retrofit.  I am going
to put one of these guys in my 88 Doka. Hose routing is going to be
different because I am running it solo.

BenT