A/C & PS are gone!

[Black Majik MSP]

First, I'd like to thank Jeff & the other people I talked to for help with this project. I'd also like to point out how TOTALLY misleading Jeff's thread about this was too. He said that this only takes an hour & that the resulting weight savings was 80lbs. In reality, it's more like 6 hours (doing it solo) & 35lbs (I weighed it). (smash)

So anyway, they're out...enjoy the pics!

1. All the parts, brackets, bolts, etc. The A/C box weighed 22lbs & the PS box weighed 13.
2. You can actually see all of the engine now since I also removed the brackets that held everything to the engine.
3. I still have 1 A/C & 1 PS line that I couldn't remove.
4. I think I could fit a small child in my engine bay now
5. In the foreground, you see the A/C line I removed, the special connector I couldn't disconnect (even WITH the Ford AC removal tool), & the PS line I coudn't get at (not enough room to reach down with big pliers). In the background, you see the PS line I removed.

 

[Black Majik MSP]

More pics...

1. In order to do all of this, I took off the following parts (not all necessary, but made it easier):
-airbox
-both IC pipes
-both fans
-coolant resevoir & coolant resevoir/airbox bracket
-both radiator brackets
-bumper
-hood
2. The radiator now gets direct airflow through the lower grille...until I stick a MAM FMIC in there.

 

[Black Majik MSP]

Not that it will matter (because I'm getting a FMIC), but taking the A/C condensor out not only gives the radiator direct airflow, it also eliminates the bracket that blocks the top 1/4 of the SMIC. For anyone running a SMIC (stock or aftermarket), this would probably help out since the bumper beam blocks the middle 1/2 of the core.

 

[Matthew]

why did you remove your power steering?

 

[low_psi]

are you gonna put the AC back in for summer? like Matthew said, why'd ya do it?

 

[Black Majik MSP]

are you gonna put the AC back in for summer? like Matthew said, why'd ya do it?

I live in FL & most people think I'm crazy for doing it, but I almost never use the A/C. I either put the windows down or turn on the fan for a bit. Originally I was going to take the A/C & PS out to make it easier to install my FMIC, but I did it because I also wanted to save weight & eliminate the parasitic drag. To answer your 1st question...NO.

 

[Aricjm15]

make sure you loop your power steering lines together, it will make it easyer to turn

 

[Matthew]

**** no power steering. AC i can live without, but not PS.

 

[Black Majik MSP]

**** no power steering. AC i can live without, but not PS.

When I first drove it, I was ready to put it back in right away. I've driven it for a few hours on the highway & around town now & it's not that bad. The only things that really suck are sitting still & U turns. Of course, you can't turn the wheel as fast as before, but I did swerve to miss something on the road without any problem. One-handed steering is gone too, but the steering has a nice feel to it. The wheel always returns to center now & you can feel the road a lot more...I'd say the steering is more direct, just not as easy to do. The car also feels WAY smoother in the way it drives.

 

[low_psi]

**** no power steering. AC i can live without, but not PS.

its funny to see my buddy get out of his car in the summer w/ a sweat band from his seatbelt lol
I feel you though ryan, i hardly ever use my AC know that I think about it...

 

[ELEmental59437]

Hey man, PM LinuxRacr.. He might want to buy some of your A/C pieces...

 

[Matthew]

yea, screw that. espeically with how much i have to turn to get out of places not to rub my lip.

 

[Black Majik MSP]

make sure you loop your power steering lines together, it will make it easyer to turn

I asked around for help & info with the removal before I did it & searched for threads on here & Club Protege. Since I wasn't able to find anything useful (besides thread jacking the WOMP S/C thread), I relied solely on the Factory Serivce Manual. If you could go into further detail about what you said, I'd really appreciate it. I'm not putting anything back, but anything I can do to make turning easier would be great.

 

[Aricjm15]

**** no power steering. AC i can live without, but not PS.

what? big strong military man cant hadle alittle extra wheel effort? (stash)

 

[Black Majik MSP]

yea, screw that. espeically with how much i have to turn to get out of places not to rub my lip.

Everyone misses out on the opportunity to work out while they drive. The more turns you make, the bigger your arms will probably get.

 

[Matthew]

thats why i do PT for the army every day of the week.

 

[Black Majik MSP]

what? big strong military man cant hadle alittle extra wheel effort? (stash)

HAHA, I'm not even that big, but I can tell that it gets easier with time.

 

[Aricjm15]

I asked around for help & info with the removal before I did it & searched for threads on here & Club Protege. Since I wasn't able to find anything useful (besides thread jacking the WOMP S/C thread), I relied solely on the Factory Serivce Manual. If you could go into further detail about what you said, I'd really appreciate it. I'm not putting anything back, but anything I can do to make turning easier would be great.

the two lines that go to and from the pump to the rack, loop those together, I'll see if I can print up some pictures at work to show you what I mean

 

[changedman]

hahhaa


that really opens up the engine bay!

 

[SpicyMchaggis]

A/C I can see taking out..but PS? Why? That doesn't even make any sense.