Blair Farmer's Lincoln Continental Services aka Blair's Lair

[bd94s10]

Hello,

I visited Blair's Lincoln Continental Services shop or Blair's Lair as I call it in Clearwater, FL yesterday. Teresa Connor aka TC is helping me w/ the parts to upgrade my AC in my 1965 Lincoln Continental Convertible. Blair and I have become good friends over the years and he allowed me to show a bit of his shop during my visit yesterday.

The video will post at 4 PM ET on 8/15/2022 (today). Please check out and consider subscribing.

Note: if you need parts rebuilt or to schedule service please give Blair a call at 813-732-8833 or email him @ lincolnman57.bf@gmail.com. If you call him please leave a detailed message of what you are needing and your callback number. He is very busy during the day (1 man shop) and can't always answer his phone. He has been working on Lincolns for 40+ years. Fun fact he had a shop with John Cashman back in the day in the Tampa Bay Area.

More to come as I hope to begin the parts upgrade this coming Saturday at Blair's shop. Can't wait to have ice cold AC blowing in "Rita Hayworth" which is what my wife and I call our '65. Thanks again Robert D. for selling us the car!

Video link: https://youtu.be/Us3DZTT1_vA

[TonyC]

Just saw this; cool to know there now is an all-inclusive, one-stop shop for A/C conversions for our cars. Can Blair rebuild or reproduce receiver-dryers to operate on the PAG-134a conversions? If so, that will be a place I'll bookmark for the future. Right now, with all the parts I have, I'm sticking to the old 12; the tricky thing is finding someone who has some (or Duracool).

---Tony

[bd94s10]

Thanks Tony. I think Blair and TC are going to start offering these. Definitely call them if you need something or message me and I'll help out. Yeah so the 134a I guess gets the new stuff so that is one good thing although everyone swears the older R112 is way cooler. Any preference in your opinion? Just curious.

[1Bad55Chevy]

R134A is cool for now but its been on the way out for a few years now... Hello 1234YF!! Do a quick Google search on that and look at the price per can.. you will love it!

I think the EPA totally banned production of cars using R134a in 2021 but the major manufacturers made the switch around 2014. The fittings on the system look the same as R134A but they are longer and your gauges will not work with them. You also have to buy a special gauge set for it!

I love working on all this new junk because it makes my life fun!

[TonyC]

Well, Jason, my preference is to stick to the tried-and-true (though demonized) R-12...or Duracool, which supposedly can also be used with no mods to a system (Canadian members should be able to verify or refute that). I've spent quite a lot of money over quite a few years getting all the parts I needed to rebuild Frankenstein's A/C; and now that I have them all, the only expense that I will make room for is a freon charge. That said, the R-134a variant will not work in mine, because my receiver-dryer was built (or rebuilt, I can't remember now) for R-12, not R-134a. I'm not even sure if any of the other components would be compatible with that variant. Maybe they could be, but the R-D is certainly not. If I could come across somebody who has or could get 3-1/2 lbs. of R-12, I'd immediately put all those parts together and head right over for the charge-up. I would use Duracool, but our beloved (not) government already placed restrictions on the shipping of that; and the supply I had, got cremated in the infamous shed fire of 9 years ago. God, I wish I had thought of putting that stuff in the trunk!

---Tony

[Mike]

I'm not familiar with doing the conversion in these cars but in general it's always been my understanding that you replace the dryer when doing the conversion or major work but there usually isn't one specific for R12 or 134. However it wouldn't surprise me if there are more specific parts when it comes to older systems where the parts are more unique then the newer cars with mass produced stuff.

[LithiumCobalt]

I’ve never seen a distinction in dryers regarding the type of refrigerant used. Why they would be different, I don’t know.

[Lee]

Tony’s right. But having said that, I’ve successfully converted several R12 systems over to 134 without changing the dryer. Here are two white papers on the subject from compressor manufacturers. And a link to a desiccant manufacturer. The short story is that molecular sieve XH-5 used in R12 and R22 is not compatible with R134 (which needs XH-7) It appears there is also an XH-9 which is compatible with both. If you buy a new dryer for an old R12 application…I’m not certain you’ll always know which one you are getting.

https://www.tecumseh.com/globalassets/m ... -r134a.pdf

https://www.embraco.com/wp-content/uplo ... ystems.pdf

https://www.jointlucky-desiccant.com/xh ... sieve.html

Oh, and Chevy…not only is 1234YF expensive, but it’s flammable, and under pressure. An under hood fire might get interesting rather quickly. But we’re saving the planet, right?

[frasern]

Well, Jason, my preference is to stick to the tried-and-true (though demonized) R-12...or Duracool, which supposedly can also be used with no mods to a system (Canadian members should be able to verify or refute that).

---Tony

I'm not sure if ultra cool is the same, but I put that in my 84 diesel truck 2 years ago, still working.
And, are you sure it wasn't 1234YF you had in that shed? I hear it's quite flammable, and under pressure.

[TonyC]

I don't know, Fraser; if 1234YF was a designation for the patent name "Duracool," then yes, that was what I had. I do remember it coming with a hazard placard, warning about extreme flammability, being based on propane. But I know that wasn't what caused the fire; it may have added to the heat, but it wasn't the cause. There was a leaky container of gasoline in there according to my late adopted-mum (which was not mine; I had oil in a drain pan, but not gasoline, and the drain pan didn't leak), which saturated the floor of the shed; and stray embers from a rubbish fire Mum started near the shed ignited it. I wasn't the only one who lost stuff in that fire; she had a lot of valuable family heirlooms in there as well, all gone.

The only things I could salvage were a couple sets of clapdoor wheelcovers...but even so, the heat from the fire tarnished them.

So, about this "Ultra-Cool"...you got me curious about it.

---Tony

[bd94s10]

Appreciate all the comments. Blair and TC have done several of these upgrades and it was just worth it to me to do all new stuff. They reinforced its something they recommend and they have both been working on these cars 40+ year each! The previous cars they have upgraded blow ice cold. Since I haven't had working AC in either of my cars it will be nice to have something. I do know people swear by the 112 but that is debatable I guess. I just wanted mine to work and be as efficient as possible. I'll let everyone know how it goes. We only have about a half day left to finish it I just need to make time to get to Blair's and get it done!!!

[LithiumCobalt]

I've had Blair do work for me before and was always pleased. He knows his stuff, willing to share knowledge and reasonably priced.

On a somewhat related note, my '71 Mark III has what I believe to be the original AC compressor on it. With 102k miles on it and over 50 years old, that is quite astonishing. I have it off the car now to possibly have it resealed and cleaned up. I bought a new York aftermarket compressor for my '67 sedan and it lasted less than two years before it leaked all over.

[bd94s10]

Glad to hear it Sophia!