retrofitting air conditioning in a 1969 w108 280 se

[mike drunkskunk]

Hi !
one of my car is a 1969 w108 280 se.
it came out of the factory with NO air conditioning.
i had it repainted in black,and i live in the south east of france,where the weather is quite hot for a few monthes a year.
i am looking for a complete ac kit with a modern compressor to fit my car with.
does anyone know of some company who would provide such a kit?
or would anyone who had already performed this mod in such a car ,be kind enough to give infos about it?
thank you for your attention.
michel,aka,mike drunkskunk.

[Mark DiSilvestro]

Most W108 cars sold in the US had a bulge built into the lower dash padding, with an opening for installation of a Behr AC unit.
Those W108 cars that were sold here without AC, had a wood blanking plate in that opening. Does your lower dash have this bulge underneath or is it staight across like a Fintail's? If your lower dash has the bulge for an AC unit, you may need to find a W108 in a salvage yard with the Behr AC. Or, there are companies, such as 'Vintage Air', that advertise in classic car magazines like 'Hemmings', which specialise in modern AC kits for vintage cars and street rods. I don't know if they make a specific AC kit for your car. You may have to adapt their kit and possibly fabricate parts such as the compressor mounting bracket if you can't find an original Mercedes one.
I don't kow what the salvage yard situation is like in France, but I'd guess that in '69, AC was still pretty rare in Europe, even in Mercedes.
Here in the US, air-conditioned Mercedes were very common by the late '60s. The factory Mercedes AC compressor bracket can still be found in salvage yards, eBay, and probably from other Forum members. Also, it may still be availible from Mercedes, for much $$$$$.

If your lower dash is straight across like a Fintail's, your choice may be easier. From the early '60s to the mid '70s, there were a wide variety of hang-on under-dash AC units sold for American and foreign cars. Most were made by American companies such as Eaton, A.R.A. and Thermo-King. Thermo-king even made the 'Kuhlmeister' hang-on AC used in the Fintail cars. Most of these AC unts used a bulky 2-cylinder York compressor. There is a much smoother, more compact and efficient Japanese Sanden compressor availible with a mounting kit that bolts up to the original York compressor bracket.

Happy Motoring, Mark

[mike drunkskunk]

thank you ,very much,Mark.
as you say,ac unit in 1969 were very scarce in france,as were mercedes anyway.
as for junkyards today,there is no comparison between what you can find in the states and what is left over in france...
my car has the straight dash
i'll try to get in touch with thermo king.
have a nice day,and if i can be of any help about any euro stuff,just ask.
michel.

[Mark DiSilvestro]

Thermo-King also used to make refrigeration units for commercial trucks. Supposedly, they even made a large truck refrigeration unit powered by a 4-cylinder Mercedes diesel, but even if they're still around, I doubt they would be able to supply AC systems or parts anymore for a '60s Mercedes.
Some original AC parts may still be availible from Mercedes. If you can find the engine compressor bracket and drive pulley for the AC belt, you may be well on your way to install some type of universal hang-on AC unit under your dash.
Otherwise, if you have no luck with Mercedes or Thermo-King, you could put a parts-wanted notice on the Forum 'parts for sale' page, or try eBay,
or try a net-search for 'Vintage Air'.

[RobertC]

I've had this in my bookmarked favorites for awhile, my 71 220D doesn't have air either

http://www.vintageair.com/