Yet another M30 sanden bracket design (flat tab wingcell to 508)

[Federico]

So, after rebuilding the HVAC in my 528i (https://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?f=3 ... 0#p1477240), it didn't take long for the wing cell compressor to start leaking from the shaft seal. It also continued to vibrate excessively, so instead of throwing more money at it I decided to buy a chinesium 508 and try to figure out a way to hang it from the block.
Also, my compressor has the 2 square tabs for adjustment and its corresponding aluminum support, therefore the available bracket on a bracket solutions would not work. I also wanted to keep this cheap btw.
Thus, after several days of tinkering with pencil & CAD (cardboard aided design) I came up with a simplistic solution that might just work.
The bottom mounting holes on the factory bracket have the same diameter as the sanden, so I needed to fashion an 8mm or 5/16" spacer to get the pulley aligned.
Anyway, I decided to combine the spacer and adjuster into 1 piece of the appropiate thickness, as per the photos:

OG bracketry:









I ended up with these designs in Autocad, and had them laser cut



Front spacer/adjuster in place. I still need to source a 19mm spacer for the rear mount.



This connecting tab will get welded to the adjuster to tie it to the bracket







I designed this last piece for convenience. A locknut for the adjuster will get welded to it so it doesn't spin.
This should allow me to stretch the belt with one hand and lock the compressor in place with the other.













So all that's left to do now is to buy or have someone turn me a rear spacer, weld the tab and then mount everything on the car.
Total cost for the laser cut parts is less than $15 (in argentina) and I will need a shop to make a couple new hoses for me.

[Mike W.]

Nice work, but it looks like a lot of work. The last sentence is what I was looking for thru almost the whole post, the cost of laser cutting. Who did it, a regular machine shop, a specialty one or who? I realize the cost here would surely be much higher, but it was low for you so it might not be entirely out of line here.

[Federico]

Nice work, but it looks like a lot of work. The last sentence is what I was looking for thru almost the whole post, the cost of laser cutting. Who did it, a regular machine shop, a specialty one or who? I realize the cost here would surely be much higher, but it was low for you so it might not be entirely out of line here.

Thanks! The laser cutting was done by a company that specializes in that and water jet.

I did spend quite some time planning and sketching, but I'm happy that the finished adaptor will be simple. Last thing I want is a bunch of parts all bolted together.
Also, stuff like the LCW adapter are too expensive for me, particularly because the alloy factory bracket is not easy to find here & I would have to pay for shipping and duties for the whole lot.

[Federico]

I finally finished the bracket. Still need to have the hoses made for the 508, but so far everything seems to spin happily with the belt mounted.
This setup utilizes the rear groove on the 508, and thus the clearance between it and the front crossmember gets a bit tight (about 1/2"). There's still the option of using a shorter belt and new motor mounts if more clearance is needed.

[Federico]

I was able to finish the conversion this week, and I'm happy to have ditched the wing cell in favour of the 508.
My new compressor produces some NVH, but it was the cheapest 508 clone I could lay my hands on.
It does pump really well and makes the ac blow colder than the wingcell, even at idle which is nice.
Apparently, braze on beadlock fittings are not a thing here, so I spent some time finding new barbs and having them brazed on to the old lines, test fitting everything and then having an ac shop crimp the ferrules.
My Volvo V50 donated the corrugated insulation from one of its old heater hoses. It was a perfect fit.

[demetk]

Nice work.

I have noticed that noise from a couple of installs was due to not using enough oil. Now I measure the oil that I put in.

[Federico]

Nice work.

I have noticed that noise from a couple of installs was due to not using enough oil. Now I measure the oil that I put in.

Thanks for the tip! It might actually need a little more oil. Even though I measured it, Dupont states that for my refrigerant & oil combo (MO49 and mineral) some systems may have reduced oil flow. They recommend adding a small amount of POE to get the oil flowing and back to the compressor.