Well I thought this was just too cool (pun not intended) to keep all to myself.

Some of you know I have a '63 Dart 170 wagon. I post about its issues from time to time. Currently on the table is an engine rebuild so I can bring it back to semi-daily driver status...though with the price of gas, we'll see how long I put up with that.

Before I was the owner, the wagon had aftermarket AC added sometime in the mid-late 60's, but I always thought the MarkV Ultra knee-knocker evaporator box was heinous and clearly stated it's aftermarket origins. So I've been on a lazy multi-year hunt for the original factory MoPar Cool Aire system for 1963. Not exactly the most common option on these cars, and for whatever reason, the '63 system seems even fewer and further between than the '64 system (that one also seems uncommon).

As extremely fortunate luck would have it, I recently stumbled upon a parts Dart that had nearly everything, and the owner was willing to part out what I wanted. Unfortunately it didn't have the fan shroud: I guess you don't win them all at once. But pretty thrilled to finally get this.

As you can see, the evaporator will need a bit of restoration, but it's such a great feeling to have finally found the year-correct system for my car. It'll need the silver "MoPar Cool Aire" repainted on the bezel and the metal switch control faceplate will need to be restored. I plan on using the existing AC components in the engine compartment with this evaporator until I need to do some upgrades to the system. Then I'll probably get the Sanden compressor with a parallel-flow coil for better system efficiency.

And if just the purchase weren't great enough in and of itself, the circumstances are: this AC came from a slate-blue, 1963 Dodge Dart 170 wagon. The exact same wagon, model, and color as mine. Serendipitous!

Too cool!

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

What refrigerant will this run? I'd love to see pics of your progress on this project!

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Never seen a Valiant I didn't like!

Score!

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.

Would have run R12, but can run R134a without a problem.

If using R-134a, I would highly recommend a parallel flow condenser.

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Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 170 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170
64 Valiant 4dr 225

Yeah, what Charlie said. And a better radiator fan, for sure. Also see here.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Agreed about the parallel-flow condenser. Whether or not I accelerate the replacement of the condenser and compressor with newer components will depend on the condition of what's existing. I don't really feel like charging the system back up with R12 just to make the older parts function well: would prefer to do an upgrade to make strain on the engine less and make the system better and more efficient anyway, but everything usually depends on cost.