Thought I'd share this... it's Fiero-interest / not directly related. I've been seeing (for a few cars), that a company GPD (Global Parts Distributors) are offering "upgraded design" A/C compressors for cars. They don't offer anything for the Fiero... yet... but the company is starting to make the rounds and several cars are now being offered with improved / upgraded A/C compressors that look essentially the same as stock, but have completely redesigned internals.
In the Corvette Community, the C3-C4 Corvettes (early to mid C4 Corvettes and all C3s) use what's called the "R4" compressor. It's this big beast of a compressor that they call a pancake compressor. There's a slightly newer one being offered called the "LTR4." This is basically the same as the R4 compressor, but is the new "lite" (LT) version of the R4. I'd compare it with say, the original DA6 compressor to the newer replacement HR6 compressor.
You can see what that looks like here (LTR4 shown):
Now, the company GPD is offering upgraded versions of the older-style compressors. The "newer" version of the LTR4 compressor looks like this:
Ok, so what's the difference? They're designed and made in Hong Kong, as you can guess... but the newer "Upgraded" version (that's all it says on Rock Auto, for example), has completely different internals. Instead of a
PISTON-style compressor, it's a
SCROLL-style compressor. There's almost no documentation about these anywhere, but they've started popping up for different GM and Ford classic cars. The scroll-style compressor is more akin to the V5 compressor used in the 86-88 Fieros, and is effectively more efficient and causes significantly less load on the engines.
I'm going to be installing one of the upgraded ones (as shown above) ... or I should say, my daughter will be, on our 84 Corvette. I've asked around on the Corvette forums, but most of them are a different bunch than those of us on the Fiero Forum. Most Corvette people do not do their own work, so no one really has any thoughts on it. I thought I'd share... I'm going to keep watching to see if GPD ends up offering one for the Fiero. It would make a nice upgrade for the V6 cars, and the early L4s so we don't have to put in the effort to upgrade to the V5.
