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Wed Mar 22, 2023 7:36 am

Working on a late Super. Has an Aspera Spa compressor. Trying to determine is this was factory or dealer installed? Has the dash vents, but the overall install looks hacked. Would this be original. NOT interested in making it work, just want to know if original to the car. Thanks!

Wed Mar 22, 2023 8:03 am

All A/C systems would’ve been installed at the dealer. If it looks like a hack job, chances are it’s original. my super has original DPD A/C and I would agree, the install is a bit of a hack job.

Wed Mar 22, 2023 8:21 am

Aside from Mexi bugs I've never seen a "factory" installed A/C system, they were all dealer or aftermarket. The North American ones all used made in the USA parts, compressors were usually York or Tecumseh. Maybe your compressor is a later replacement?, any tags on the evaporator unit? VPC?, DPD? VWCOOL?

Wed Mar 22, 2023 8:42 am

busdaddy wrote: Aside from Mexi bugs I've never seen a "factory" installed A/C system, they were all dealer or aftermarket. The North American ones all used made in the USA parts, compressors were usually York or Tecumseh. Maybe your compressor is a later replacement?, any tags on the evaporator unit? VPC?, DPD? VWCOOL?

VPC on the evaporator. So makes sense that it had a replacement compressor.

Wed Mar 22, 2023 9:43 am

Beeble1 wrote: All A/C systems would’ve been installed at the dealer. If it looks like a hack job, chances are it’s original. my super has original DPD A/C and I would agree, the install is a bit of a hack job.

Hahahaha....so true!

Mine did not have A/C installed by the dealer when it was new in '74. But once I bought the car in the mid-90s, in Texas, I decided it needed A/C. I found a donor car with everything in good shape and took it to a local VW mechanic who used to be a mechanic at the VW dealership in the 70s in that town in Texas. Aside from being super helpful in making sure I had all the parts, he told me about how many of those systems they installed, and how back then it was a "slash and dash" job just to get them done as quick as possible. Zero f*%ks given.

Thankfully, he was more thoughtful about the install on mine 20-some odd years later. Ironically though, when I restored the car a few years ago, I removed it all and had all the holes properly patched up, so now it's like it was never there.

Wed Mar 22, 2023 9:45 am

Oh, and to answer the original question, yes, to my knowledge all the originally installed compressors were manufactured by York or Tecumseh (which I think eventually became one company).

Absolute cast iron brick of a compressor!

Thu Mar 23, 2023 12:55 pm

Yup, back in 1973 my (purchased used) 69 Karman Ghia had dealer installed AC. It worked, but to be honest, I never found it to work well even after a service and recharge. And, the only way it worked decently was at 60 miles an hour on a highway. Driving around town it sapped all the engine power and didn't work all that well. I found it to be more of a PIA than it was worth.

Mine had a York compressor and it was giant and very heavy. Dealer installation was sloppy and it took up a very large part of the left side of the engine compartment. On a Karman Ghia you could kind of work around it some, but I would have had a lot of trouble working around this system in a Bug due to the lack of space.