• Steel Soldiers now has a few new forums, read more about it at: New Munitions Forums!

  • Microsoft MSN, Live, Hotmail, Outlook email users may not be receiving emails. We are working to resolve this issue. Please add support@steelsoldiers.com to your trusted contacts.

FMTV Air Conditioner Hybrid Completed Installation

Rebuilder

Member
96
5
8
Location
Minnesota
Thanks Keith for figuring this out. I just did this install and it's working great. It was 90 here yesterday and it was blowing mid 40's at the vents.

Couple notes:
- The EZ Clip fittings I got didn't come with the green o-rings but you can get them at any auto parts store.
- I wired the condenser fan so it's always on when the A/C is on. I'll just turn the A/C off when fording.
- I had a hard time finding a shop that could figure out how much R134 to put in so I just bought a gauge kit and vacuum pump and did it myself (included in the cost below). Just Google search for a chart that shows system pressures for the ambient temp and fill the system until you reach those pressures. I ended up using 3 pounds which was at the low end of the pressure range. I'll check it once I run it for a while and add more if needed.


Here's the list of the parts I used with pricing in case anyone else wants to give it a try.
AC Parts.jpg


Here's the EZ-Clip info. There are a few extras but off the top of my head I can't remember which ones they are.

I got them from Truckerac.com but they're also available at hosewarehouse.com

E-Z CLIP FITTING STRAIGHT 08-6031E 1 27.84
FEMALE O-RING w/R134a PORT Ftg 6 Hose 6


E-Z CLIP FITTING 90° 08-6933E 1 19.89
FEMALE O-RING with R134a PORT 10-10


E-Z CLIP FITTING 90 08-6961E 3 15.80
DEGREE FEMALE O'RING Ftg 6 Hose 6


E-Z CLIP FITTING 90 08-6963E 1 16.61
DEGREE FEMALE O'RING Ftg 10 Hose 10


E-Z CLIP FITTING 90 08-6962E 2 16.42
DEGREE FEMALE O'RING Ftg 8 Hose 8


E-Z CLIP FITTING STRAIGHT 08-6061E 2 13.62
FEMALE O-RING Ftg 6 Hose 6

Here's the A/C Hose info. I got them at hosewarehouse.com

GH001-8 Eaton Aeroquip EverCool A/C HoseSAE J2064 Type E E-Z Clip Multi-Refrigerant Hose 5 ft
GH001-6 Eaton Aeroquip EverCool A/C HoseSAE J2064 Type E E-Z Clip Multi-Refrigerant Hose 10 ft
GH001-10 Eaton Aeroquip EverCool A/CHose SAE J2064 Type E E-Z Clip Multi-Refrigerant Hose 10 ft

Installed pics....

The 16"x23" condenser fit perfectly. I used nutserts and 1" spacers to mount it to the existing sheet metal around the radiator. I'm thinking I might need to beef it up a little so I'll keep an eye on it. Same with the fan mounting. The plastic ties it came with are pretty cheap so I'll probably replace them with something stronger.

AC1.jpg

AC2.jpg


Pulley from Fleet Farm drilled and tapped into the stock pulley.

AC8.jpg


I modified the low pressure inlet fitting (upper left) so I could access the valve with the cab down. The high pressure side valve is coming out of the drier again so it can be accessed with the cab down.

AC3.jpg

The drier and high pressure switch come with the condenser kit. The yellow wire goes to the Heater/AC box in the cab. The black goes to ground.
AC4.jpg


The bracket is made out of 1/4" steel bent and wrapped around the bottom of the alt bracket to an existing hole. I also welded a tab for the alternator pivot bolt to go through. At the top for the bracket I welded a tab and bolted it into the alternator ground hole. (Some people may not like that idea but I think it'll work fine since the belt tension is pulling the bracket towards the alternator so there should be very little stress on it.)


AC5.jpg


AC6.jpg


AC7.jpg


AC9.jpg
 
Last edited:

Keith Knight

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
1,006
1,905
113
Location
Wauchula, FL
Great job, looks awesome! It’s a lot simpler than sourcing out all the original brackets and such.
Thanks for posting all the pics and info.
 

scottmandu

Active member
822
36
28
Location
Texas
Army technical literature states "about 4 lbs". I've found with my ac kits 3.5 to 3.8 is perfect. On 100+ degree days with 94% relative humidity vent outlet temps will be 36 to 38 degrees.
 

ramdough

Well-known member
1,554
1,729
113
Location
Austin, Texas
I just reviewed this older thread and had a question. How tall of a condenser would fit? It looks like 23” has the whole width.


Awesome build. How is it performing? Any things you wish you changed or did differently?
 

Keith Knight

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
1,006
1,905
113
Location
Wauchula, FL
My latest update involved replacing the Gen1 dash/evaporator unitwith the newer Gen2 unit. After trying everything possible to get it to blow colder air. The gen1 unit struggled to blow 60-65 degrees on a hot summer day here in Florida. Which doesn’t cut it. So in goes the Gen2 unit. Now it blows 40-45 degrees. It gets so cold I have to turn the fan down. Also a very important upgrade I did was to completely insulate the interior of the cab with 2” of heat and sound barrier insulation on the walls and ceiling. The floor was sprayed with 3 layers 1st lizard skin heat barrier 2nd lizard skin sound barrier 3rd rhino liner then top with a custom rubber floor mat made of 1/8” rubber top and a bounded 3/8” foam rubber on the bottom covering the entire floor. Oh yeah and dark tinted winds. All to keep the heat and noise out and cold air in. It also lowered the interior cab noise level by 8 decibels so I can now hold a normal conversation.
 

Another Ahab

Well-known member
18,007
4,579
113
Location
Alexandria, VA
So in goes the Gen2 unit. Now it blows 40-45 degrees. It gets so cold I have to turn the fan down. Also a very important upgrade I did was to completely insulate the interior of the cab with 2” of heat and sound barrier insulation on the walls and ceiling.
Nice work!

That there is some SERIOUS insulation for a vehicle cab. It will sure get the job done.

Was that rigid foam? Glued? Mechanically fastened?
 

Keith Knight

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
1,006
1,905
113
Location
Wauchula, FL
I purchased all the insulation and floor mat material from www.cabinsulation.com
Check them out. The floor mat material matched the original LMTV floor mat material. I’m guessing they may be the supplier to LMTV manufacture.
All the insulation is soft foam. Using the metalized mylar first again all the metal. Then using the perforated vinyl 1” thick for head liner and side panels. Attaching it to 1/4” luan board then made custom stand-off washers and screwed it to the cab.
 
Top