Bill Webb published this article 1988 in his book Swedish Iron aka VOLVO 1800 on page 82.
The air conditioning system for these cars consisted of a York compressor and a Frig-a-King*) dash mounted unit which was manufactured in Dallas, Texas. These units were sold as an option through Volvo dealers and installed by their service centers.
This system is a very old design, and even when it is working at its peak, the output is not up to par by today's standards. It can only be rated adequate for cooling the 1800 interior and inadequate for anything larger. The York compressor was used on many four, six and eight cylinder cars, both foreign and domestic. The earliest cars I have observed with air were 1964 1800 models.
A 1963 model was loaned to Frig-a-King*) to build the prototype hardware and attachments to market the unit. Volvo then manufactured the mounting brackets for attaching the various components to the engine. The mounting the B18 engines are not as strong as the later B20's, and even the later models can stand creative improvement.
The York compressor and clutch assembly are no longer available from Volvo, but can be purchased from most air conditioning shops. The clutch assembly, which mounts on the compressor, is sold only with the magnetic field and coil. It is important to purchase the clutch and field coil as a matched set, because the thickness of the coil is very critical for clutch and fan clearance.
The 1800 mounting brackets are of style than those fitted to 122 and 140. They were angled to provide hood clearance but were of a weak design, and because of severe vibration of the piston type York compressor, developed cracks on the lower bracket welds. Considerable difficulty was experienced by Volvo with this problem which created stress on both bearings and pulleys,
An excellent alternative as a replacement to the York compressor is the Sankyo rotary unit from Japan. Sankyo also manufactures the adaptors which will bolt on to the York units. The adaptor brackets from a 140 model can be used, which will allow the Sanyko compressor to be mounted in an upright position. This provides ideal clearance and is a bolt-on operation.
The items needed for this conversion are as follows:
- Sankyo compressor
- Double groove crankshaft pulley
- Idler pulley with mounting bracket
- One right angled spark plug connector
- Adaptor brackets for the Sankyo compressor
The front pulley of the compressor must be aligned so that the belt is in a straight line with the crankshaft pulley on the block. If interference is encountered, such as the compressor pulley hitting the fan, the adaptor plate for the compressor can be bolted to the front of the compressor tabs instead of the rear.
The Sankyo compressor will revitalize your old system and provide you with a modem update for any 1800 model that the 140 series brackets will attach to.
Its silent running will provide really cold air and a smoothness of operation not previously experienced.
If you start from scratch with no air conditioning or if the 1800 underdash unit cannot be located, a universal underdash unit, such as the one used for a Mazda pick-up is a good substitute. See your Frigette Corporation dealer and check his catalog for this underdash unit.
*) Bill Webb probably means FrigiKing and FrigiCar Corporation, Dallas (TX).
