A little piece of me dies every time I hear of someone removing the AC from their T3.  It really works great in a well sorted system running R12 or some equivalent.  In sunnier climes, try a good 3M UV window tint as a means of mitigating heat soak during brief stops

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> On Jun 28, 2014, at 5:53 AM, Steven Shelton <shelton4@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> 
> Thanks for your help, Kieth.  At some point VW changed the way they hung
> the AC from what's described in Bentley.  All bolts and screws on mine came
> out from below the rear bed board.  It's a pretty easy one man job that way
> and it's not heavy so it can be held with one arm while the last bolts are
> removed.  I did put a sawhorse under it, though, to keep it from possibly
> crashing down.
> 
> I'm in Georgia and, yes, there have been times over the years when the heat
> without AC was almost unbearable.  Those are the times when I dream of
> driving down the road with a electric generator in the luggage rack running
> a portable AC in the cab.
> 
> I think I'll leave the space open.  After 29 years of driving my Westfalia,
> I'd like to be able to see something in the rear view mirror besides
> tailgaters. Trimming it out will be a challenge, though, especially since i
> want to make everything reversible.  Of course, with all that stuff I had
> to pull out, this is a good time to add extra lighting.  And I can put some
> better speakers back there, too.  Oh well, it's too damn hot and humid to
> go camping, anyway.
> 
> 
>> On Fri, Jun 27, 2014 at 7:47 PM, JRodgers <jrodgers113@gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> Works in cooler or drier climes - but in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi
>> and North Florida - in the summertime by the time  you got to your
>> destination you would be parboiled!
>> 
>> John
>> 
>> 
>>> On 6/27/2014 3:38 PM, Michael Magnani wrote:
>>> 
>>>  I permanently removed my entire A/C system from my 90 Westy for the
>>> same reason: it always leaked refrigerant and even when it was properly
>>> serviced, never worked all that well. Removing the compressor has made
>>> working on the engine a lot easier and I turned the space where the
>>> evaporator lived into a nice additional storage cabinet.
>>> Mike M
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Friday, June 27, 2014 5:48 AM, Steven Shelton <shelton4@GMAIL.COM>
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> I don't plan on reinstalling the AC.  When I bought the camper new, the AC
>>> was only slightly better than open windows.  Years ago, when the freon
>>> leaked out and the technician said the leak must be somewhere in the
>>> cabinetry, I just did without.  My rationale was that an enclosed, air
>>> conditioned environment just separates you from the travel experience.
>>> The
>>> windshield becomes a TV screen for a travelogue.  Of course, when we were
>>> in west Texas last month traveling into the afternoon sun with the
>>> temperature at 102 (103 inside the cab), my rationale seemed pretty
>>> irrational.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Thu, Jun 26, 2014 at 9:39 PM, Keith Hughes <keithahughes@yahoo.com>
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Steven,
>>>> 
>>>> You're right.  You have to drop it down, then tilt it down towards the
>>>> passenger side.  You have to first reach inside and either disconnect the
>>>> condensate lines from both sides of the drip pan (I don't recommend that)
>>>> or pull both tubes up and into the evap housing cabinet.  Then while
>>>> supporting the evaporator and fan housing, remove the cabinet.  This is a
>>>> PITA alone, but doable (i've used a bar stool and hydraulic jack sitting
>>>> on
>>>> the engine cover to prop up the cabinet).  Much easier with another pair
>>>> of
>>>> hands.  The evap/fan housing is very brittle, and loves to crack, so you
>>>> need to be careful.  You can't support it from the support brackets
>>>> because
>>>> the evap fan makes it super front-heavy.  I've just used the bar stool
>>>> and
>>>> boxes stacked to the right height to support it while disconnecting the
>>>> AC
>>>> lines.
>>>> 
>>>> Last year I made a number of mods to my A/C system, including a new A/C
>>>> cabinet, but one thing I did that you may consider is to fully enclose
>>>> the
>>>> Evap housing (bottom), reinforcing with aluminum angle on the perimeter,
>>>> and adding a front bracket for the housing.  Now it's self-supporting,
>>>> and
>>>> the cabinet can be pulled without disturbing the evap housing.  pmail if
>>>> you want pics of the mod I did - wasn't that difficult.
>>>> 
>>>> Keith Hughes
>>>> '86 Westy Tiico (Marvin)
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>>   Date:    Thu, 26 Jun 2014 18:15:24 -0400
>>>>   From:    Steven Shelton <shelton4@GMAIL.COM>
>>>>   Subject: AC Removal
>>>> 
>>>>   I need to remove the closet of my 1985 Westfalia for some
>>>>   rear corner
>>>>   bodywork.  Of course, I have to remove the air
>>>>   conditioner cabinet to get
>>>>   the closet out.  I've started removing the AC cabinet
>>>>   but it looks like the
>>>>   evaporator, evaporator housing, and fan will all come out
>>>>   with the cabinet.
>>>>    But I can't get to the refrigerant hoses to disconnect them
>>>>   before the
>>>>   cabinet comes down.  Bentley isn't clear on this, and
>>>>   what they describe is
>>>>   different from what I have anyway.  What do I need to
>>>>   do to keep everything
>>>>   from crashing down at once?
>>>