1971 Mercedes Benz 350sdl fitting aftermarket A/C

DENISO

MEMBER
1971 MERCEDES BENZ 350SDL

Air Conditioning problem
1971 Mercedes Benz 350sdl V8 Two Wheel Drive Automatic

hi, I live in newcastle, nsw, australia. I have a 1971 mercedes 350sl. It is a lovely car, but has no air conditioning. Not very many mechanics or ac people here have experience with so old a merc. Would it be possible to fit an aftermarket a/c? How complicated would it be? And how much would it be likely to cost. The car is so hot in summer it is almost undrivable.

many thanks,

denis o'brien.

4 Replies

MHPAUTOS

MECHANIC
31,937 POSTS

Hi there,

Thank you for the donation,

Good to see an Aussie on here, I'm in Vic.

These older Benz's can be fitted with after market units but finding one that will suit will be your problem, as a young mechanic I fitted many A/C to these, they were after market Mark IV Air conditioners, the main draw back was the bulky evaporator under the dash, I really don't know if they are still about, but you may be able to pick up enough bits from wreckers, the hoses, receiver dryer and may be even the condenser should be able to be sourced from current after market stock, the comp should not be a problem either just the bracket's pulleys and evaporator, but with plenty of these being fitted with the Mark IV units there could still be a few in the wreckers, it just may be a case of hunting it down.

Mark (Latrobe Valley) Vic Australia.

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Saturday, August 29th, 2009 AT 5:46 AM

DENISO

MEMBER
3 POSTS

Hi mark, thanks for replying quickly. When you say the bulky evaporator under the dash, do you mean INSIDE the passenger compartment? Or engine bay?

I know this model ran till 1980 without changing shape, and because from 1972 the cars could be ordered with a/c, I presumed I could get someone to install a complete system from a later model. Possible?

Any idea of the cost if this works?

Cheers, denis.

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Monday, August 31st, 2009 AT 2:09 AM

MHPAUTOS

MECHANIC
31,937 POSTS

Yes the after market evaporator will sit under the dash, this, in an integrated system is built into the heater system and is not seen at all. Fitting an integrated Benz unit would not be cheap, I am not sure how long it would take to do but I did do a heater on one once and that took about 3 days. I would try a find an after market unit installed in a car and see what you think about the set up.

Mark

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Monday, August 31st, 2009 AT 4:50 AM

DENISO

MEMBER
3 POSTS

Hi mark,

you were right about the cost of an intergrated merc system ! So its the mark iv. I just need to know if this referrs to a company, product, or both?

On the net I couldn't find any a/c named mark iv, but I did find 2 firms named mark iv a/c. One was in West Australia, and the other in Airport West, melbourne. Which one were you referring to?

Cheers, denis

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Friday, September 4th, 2009 AT 3:07 AM

1971 Mercedes Benz 350sdl fitting aftermarket A/C

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