Air conditioner help:
So, You Managed to make a bracket to fit the compressor, Bolted a universal evaporator under the dash, found a place to squeeze in the receiver-dryer but where are you going to find place to put that huge condenser and it's fan.......???
Well if you have a clubman like mine, you're in luck. If not, your guess is as good as mine. Some bolt it under the boot/back seat but best you get the proper thing from Rover or proper mini kits from John Cooper Garages, Astroair and the like.
For the clubman there is plenty of hidden space up front. First of all you'll need to find someone who can do some body chopping without making a mess. Cut the front panel out including the upright support for the catchpanel. Leave about an inch or so and cut new slots for your grill mounts to fit in. (you'll have to bend those lugs on the grill to accommodate the new slot locations being further forward.)
Now you need a new support structure for the catchpanel. I made mine a Y shape simply as I felt it was stronger but you can really do whatever you like.
The idea is just to keep it flat and as close up against the grill as possible.
Bolt fans to the condenser. I used small 8" fans which are pretty flat and stand up to the job well.
The fans must be in the space between the grill and the condenser unit and will therefore be blowing air. With the gill back on they are well hidden.
Can you get the cap off the dizzy? Nope - but almost. You need to move the condenser ever so slightly forward so make sure however you secure it, it's top mounts are easily accessible.
What about my points I hear you shout.....well it's time to upgrade to electronic ignition - if not from maintenance and performance point of view then just the fact that magnetic or optical pickups are not affected by moisture! Ignitor is quite good and easy to fit.
Make sure there is clearance for the bonnet catch and the safety catch. You will soon find out about this once you have bolted the unit in place but when it comes to to close the bonnet .......
You should Get the condenser to sit as close to the hook/ catch as possible - but still leave enough clearance to avoid any rubbing.
Your problems are still far from over and the next most obvious one is overheating. Now of course the car overheats in the hot weather since this is the time when you actually use the aircon. The standard radiator can't cope and the space you thought you were going to add the heath robinson rad from another car upfront is no longer available....
The minispares super 2 core works very *very* well and together with an 8" electric fan, identical to what was used up front on the evaporator, all your problems are solved.
Bolt the fan directly onto the radiator core. Fans located further away (like in the inner wing) loose a lot (if not most) of their efficiency.
With all the extra ancillaries you're in need of a couple more switches. I went the neat route and simply added a 5 switch unit from a later model car - no body chopping needed, fits strait in.
Hope I may have given you some ideas.