Better HVAC (Aircon and Heating) install options

I have been wanting to add aircon to my 110 300tdi CSW, every time I look under the bonnet I see the spare gap for the compressor, however I then have two issues with the usual aircon retrifit


1) They are expensive

2) They don't work; freeze front passengers legs only, rest of front passengers body still hot, rear passengers hotter still, in the back nada, removes space for legs and where I put luggage when travelling solo and quite frankly looks absolute pants...


So forgive me, I have spent quite a lot quite readily for upgrades to the old girl, but draw the line at £2k for something ****e...


So hear goes my thought process -


1) If I was going traditional route, the heater box and area is very big and the heater is... not great, is there not an evaporator / small hvac that can replace the heater element in the heater box, or use the LHD side if RHD / vice versa? https://www.carbuildersolutions.com/uk/heatac


2) if not going traditional route, the cubby box needs raising on mine anyway, and this box designed for a diesel heater: https://www.mudstuff.co.uk/mud-heater-locker.html plus this designed as a toolbox https://yrmit.co.uk/product/lt77-r380-centre-seat-tool-box-land-rover-defender/, surely should be big enough to fit the cabin parts and could be modded to blow both back and forth?


Surely we can com up with something better than what is out there???

I reckon one of the kit car boxes under the cubby box would be the way to go.


https://www.carbuildersolutions.com...&vid=0&q=air con&sid=false&isc=true&orderBy=0

lynall said:

I reckon one of the kit car boxes under the cubby box would be the way to go.


https://www.carbuildersolutions.com/uk/search?adv=false&cid=0&mid=0&vid=0&q=air con&sid=false&isc=true&orderBy=0

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Yep, I am erring that way at the moment, especially as the condensation could be channeled onto whatever gets so hot on long trips down there and cool it a bit

Another thing to consider is the impact on performance. I've been in a few Tdi Range Rover's with retro fitted aircon and in all of them it impacted how they drove. A 110 is big and heavy too.

300bhp/ton said:

Another thing to consider is the impact on performance. I've been in a few Tdi Range Rover's with retro fitted aircon and in all of them it impacted how they drove. A 110 is big and heavy too.

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yep: This is another reason for looking at a separate system, as feedback from the retrofits I have read (so much be universally true!) is that defender aircon is either icy or boiling; those are the two AC settings! Which Is not great for £2k+ and suggest the compressor is re drawing too much power for my liking at least.

I am not looking at a hugely powerful aircon tbh, too much aircon is horrible - if its distributed properly is half the battle, which in the 30(?) 40(?) year old afterthought under dash kit it really is not... maybe this is what people probably really mean when they say its either icy or boiling: they have frozen legs and a boiling head. Does anybody know how many Kw / Hp the standard compressor draws? My engine has been fettled with so goes as fast as you really want to be going in a defender, but still, I do not want one of those aircons that make the engine idle another 1000rpm higher lol and clouds appear around the footwells

Interestingly I did notice many years ago at least, when my then UK car that I was using in Madrid was in for a service, they gave me an identical Spanish spec courtesy car and the aircon was a) way colder and too much for my liking, but also, b) made a noticeable difference when it kicked in of a few hundred rpm. The UK spec, back then at least, was a lot softer and you did not notice an engine idle change at all. Cpoincidently, nobody ever complained on long journeys of aircon ailments. If these retrofit were originally specc'd for Africa or the outback... then the compressor maybe overkill as well and another reason to go MacGyver on this

I had an early M reg 300 tdi manual with a/c and fully loaded with 7 people it would not pull away in first up a steep hill! you could really tell the a/c was running.
Then I got a late R reg 300tdi edc auto and on this the a/c running was barely noticeable.

My dads lightweight had an Arctic heater between the seats, takes about 3 days to warm up!! But it's brilliant, would even keep you warm in, well, the Arctic!!

lynall said:

I had an early M reg 300 tdi manual with a/c and fully loaded with 7 people it would not pull away in first up a steep hill! you could really tell the a/c was running.
Then I got a late R reg 300tdi edc auto and on this the a/c running was barely noticeable.

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I usually ask my monther-in-law to get out in the former situation and both the power/ hill and the hot air situation fixed in one

kermit_rr said:

My dads lightweight had an Arctic heater between the seats, takes about 3 days to warm up!! But it's brilliant, would even keep you warm in, well, the Arctic!!

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Yep, that is also part of idea, that you can get HVAC models, which should fit in the space for the heater I linked to from mud stuff, so you basically reverse the flow and it works as a heater as well as aircon. Both needed in a landy lol