I’m getting older and I’m really missing the the AC that my newer truck offers. Has anyone added AC to their non AC yota? How bad was it? Buy a new truck or what? Lol
First of all, I'm a little curious why you posted an AC question in the Wheels and Tires section... The first thing I would do is call Cabe Toyota in Long Beach, CA. They sell a lot of obscure NOS parts from the 70s on up and who knows they may have a NOS factory AC kit collecting dust in the back. There may be other dealers with NOS parts closer to you as well. If not, I'd try your local junkyard and try to find the same year truck with AC and take those parts.
I am pretty sure any new parts from a dealer would not be cost efficient, as there are many. Next any AC parts from a wrecker may or not be useless . I have a full custom truck, which I replaced all the parts on my stock AC , all were from aftermarket suppliers online The condenser, evaporator, parts inside the evaporator, dryer, & had custom hoses made, & a new pump. I also changed to 134. In doing all this you must vacuum the system & use gauges when charging the system. I will add you still need the brackets, pulley , tensioner & belt.
I know that this is kind of an old thread. And it looks like the original poster has made a decision. But I figure what I have to say may be of some use. Anyway, I feel that it would be best to piece together a system with OEM and/or OEM replacement parts. For basic AC components, such as the compressor, evaporator, condenser, etc., new is best. Luckily, these parts can be purchased for a fairly reasonable price at sites like Rockauto. This is true even if you buy OEM quality parts, such as Denso. By buying new parts, you avoid problems such as trashed compressors and condensers that have been contaminated by metal shavings from trashed compressors. You know that you will have a system that will run for years to come. Other parts can be purchased used from salvage yards. These include such things as the compressor mounting bracket, evaporator box, any wiring subharness, switches, or other bracketry. You could also even buy hard lines used, as these may be difficult to impossible to find new. Fortunately, these can easily be flushed of any contaminants (unlike a condenser or evaporator). You might also want to convert to an electric radiator fan. The stock fan doesn’t work terribly well at low speed. And consequently, AC performance will suffer while still. An electric fan will work better under these conditions.