Spider A/C, Ferrari in F1

["Dean W. Cains" <dwc@domain.elided>]

Hi Group:

Yesterday I asked for information (mostly pictures) about the "original" or 
"factory/dealer" A/C systems ion early '70's Spiders, because a friend 
wants to install such a system in his '71 Spider.  There have been several 
reply postings to the Digest, some of which were contradictory to other 
posts.  To add to that confusion, I had a '72 Spider some 20 years ago, 
which I believe had one of those "factory/dealer" (for lack of a better 
term) systems.

The system had a York piston-type compressor mounted above the alternator 
on the exhaust side of the engine.  The bracket that held the compressor 
was an inverted 'L' (more or less) fabricated of angle steel (or 
iron).  The crankshaft of the engine had a double pulley, and an extra 
fanbelt exclusive to the compressor.  Inside the car, the evaporator and 
fan were mounted under the glove box in a molded plastic housing that was 
certainly designed specifically for the Spider.  That housing had a single 
air outlet (an eyeball socket type) on its left side, with the two original 
vents on either side of the dash also supplied with cold air from the 
evaporator housing.  Those dash vents became exclusive to the A/C system, 
and could no longer supply fresh outside air, which was one drawback of the 
system.  The operation of the original heater and defroster vents remained 
unchanged.  I should also note that the system appeared, at least in the 
engine compartment, to be identical to the "factory/dealer" systems I've 
seen in GTVs and Berlinas of the period.  I can't say for sure, but I'd be 
very surprised to learn that the system wasn't dealer-installed with parts 
supplied by Alfa, as it just seemed to be more well-fitted to the car than 
any aftermarket system could have been.

Mostly, the system had nothing but drawbacks, and only detracted from what 
was otherwise a pretty nice Spider.  There was a very noticeable power 
drain on the engine, but maintenance also became troublesome, as the engine 
oil filter was truly impossible to access.  Here in the heat of south 
Florida, the system was only marginally effective, except on days when the 
rain was fairly heavy, and even then it couldn't be used to defrost the 
windshield because the top dash vents weren't part of the system.  After 
owning the car for a few months, I removed the system and trashed it, 
without a single regret.

Anyway, my friend is still looking for pictures of such an install, so 
please send some to me if you've got any.  As for my opinion regarding A/C 
in a Spider, I'm with John H., and would simply buy a Spider with A/C from 
the mid-'80's or later, and leave an early '70's car unmolested.

There have also been many comments on this weekend's F1 race and how the 
Ferrari team "disgraced" itself.  However, I've seen little mention of the 
real issue at hand, which is that Ferrari's only goal in F1 is to win 
championships.  There are two championships at stake each year, one for a 
driver and another for a manufacturer.  Going into the race, MS had 44 
points to RB's 6, so the choice as to who should get the full 10 points for 
a win should be obvious to anyone, if the teams's goal is a driver's 
championship.  With respect  to the manufacturer's championship, the team 
would get the same points for finishing 1-2, regardless of which car was in 
which position.  Sure, RB got screwed out of a win and the big trophy, but 
F1 is and always has been a team sport.  Winning a race gets a team 
bragging rights for a few weeks, but winning a championship gets them for a 
full year.  It's fair to say that Mr. Ferrari (Enzo, not perhaps Piero) 
often made similar decisions, and would have done the same last weekend.


Regards,

Dean W. Cains
dwc@domain.elided

'74 Spider Veloce
Lutz, FL
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