I noticed the AC compressor wasn't kicking in so checked the gas - none present! So, took it to get re-gassed, but the compressor still wouldn't kick in. Poked around for a bit and discovered the compressor was seized
Took all the gas out again, and went back to the workshop to swap it over.
Its a piece of cake on the V8 - three bolts and it drops out of the bottom. Not so on the V6 - the oil cooler is in the way
Oil filter off and AC hoses removed. The oil cooler coolant hose also has to come off so the coolant needs draining too
Ideally the cooler would come off too, but since its not leaking and I don't have a spare o-ring its staying put. That makes this bolt rather tricky to get to
The compressor just fits out between the cooler and chassis leg
Cleaned up the space it came out of
All back together ready for regassing a second time
Since I had the coolant out its a convenient point to swap out some compromised cooling system components. The expansion tank was broken at the top vent pipe
The T-piece was also cracked and leaking
As was one of the heater bleed valves
The vent hose is attached right down here and was also leaking
Turns out the clip had been mashed up so the hose just pulled off!
This was quite a mess
Conveniently I have a V6 donor car (not Big Red!) which relinquished a perfect set of replacement parts
I also replaced the radiator vent hard-line with the very last one ever, as these became NLA after I ordered this one
This might be something else I need to re-engineer in a different material.