Does anyone have ANY idea why the alternator and air conditioner aren't swapped around? Did any vehicles come with the A/C on the other side with a 302 motor? The condenser and evaporator fittings are both on the passenger side. Was it only due to the smog pump and lines? Are there any factory brackets available that might allow me to move it to the passenger side? I'm curious about making one to clean up the engine compartment GREATLY, AND have a short alternator to battery cable.
What was Ford thinking? Swapped around the other way would lose weight off the front and and require less refrigerant. Mainly, the A/C hose on the top of the motor is a pain and I don't see the reason for it. The alternator should also be over by the battery...
1989 Crown Victoria with 5.0l has the ac compressor on passenger side and alternator on drivers side. It also has a standard rotation water pump instead of our reverse rotation. Mighty tall bracketry to fit under our hoods though.
I'd have to see one in person. Obviously, a custom a/c gas line would need some work to get around the intake tube, but I don't see why it couldn't be done. This gives me the idea for a future project, but I'd need to CNC out some brackets for everything, or at the very minimum for the power steering and alternator.
The battery was on the passenger side of my '83 so the run was quite short on that car.
Darren
It still seems like it'd mostly make sense for the A/C to be on the passenger and alternator/battery on the driver though. I'm sure a hose could be routed in a way that wouldn't clutter the passenger side too much, perhaps even with the smog pump still in place.
I guess because FORD put it there!!!!
Just messing around!!!
Compromise.
There was just more room for the larger (than the alternator) A/C compressor on the driver side with the upper radiator hose taking up a lot of space on the passenger side. Then there is was the snorkel of the air cleaner that the lines would have needed to clear before going back toward the firewall.
Little had changed when MPFI came along in 1986 when the airbox was mounted up where the battery once was and a large inlet tube was in that area leading up to the throttle body as well as the oil fill tube sticking up in the way.
Considering that A/C was an option, and not always the norm like it is today, it probably made more sense to engineer a compromise rather than re-engineer everything else for that one option.
The 3.8 has the compressor on the driver's side too. Doesn't the 2.3 have it there also? A few 5.8 diagrams I Google'd were on the driver's side.
Seek, I'm sure Ford had a good reason (not, lol).
Evaporators are almost always on the passenger side. Would seem to make sense the condenser outlet and compressor would be there too.
The 2.3L Turbo was the exception. It had it down low on the passenger side. It also used a different design compressor that was more compact as well. You know, for weight savings and lower center of gravity as they were the performance cars of the line. :evilgrin:
They should have went a bit further and put the battery down low in the passenger side of the trunk too........but I digress.
The 2.3 has it on the pass side.
The BATTERY MISTAKE is easily fixed. I did it many years ago!!!!!
(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c209/tfalconier/100_3719.jpg)
The reason it was changed on the SEFI (not really...think batch fire, but whatever) is so that the air inlet hose would clear, as well as the inlet on the EFI upper manifold. At least, that's MY guess/opinion.
That makes sense.
The 1988 3.8L went to a Pass. side A/C, but it used the HR80, and I doubt it would have worked with a 302.
(http://arrc.ebscohost.com/statics/p5/images/sm/isbn_graphics_complete/9133/chiltonimages/8818/88181g47l.gif)
1994+ 3.8L Mustangs had the A/C on the Pass side too, but they had no AIR pump.
(http://mustangattitude.com/mustang/1996/1996_00021_05.jpg)
1994-1995 5.0 Mustangs are driver's side, even though they redesigned the accessory brackets (but still have the AIR pump)
The 1997-2000 Explorer 5.0s have the A/C on the driver's side (Would have thought the accessory redesign would have put it on the pass. side), but the condenser has outlets on pass/driver side, so the hose routing is a bit cleaner. No AIR pump on those engines.