gutting a/c?

[stricular]

Can anybody offer any tips on gutting the a/c on a 3sfe?

It has never worked(in the five or so years we've had the car), so I just have to assume that all the freon leaked out long ago.

I'd also like to shed any dead wieght, however minimal. I figure the whole system should wieght a good 30 pounds or so. After that I'm taking out that soundproofing crap from under the carpets, which should be another good ten pounds.

I am familiar with taking this stuff apart, but is there anything I will need to do to the wiring system in order for the enigne to run right? Will I need a different ecu or anything?

[HomeGrown]

Have you tried recharging the A/C? I just fixed the A/C on the wagon, total cost was like $40 for a kit I got at Wal-Mart. Had the unit recharged in like 10 minutes. Would be a MUCH easier solution than removing the compressor. I assume it had been out of commission for a long time, as the car has 365k miles on it, and had never been retrofitted for the "new" refridgerant. It's been over a month, and it's still working great. I'd encourage you to give it a try.

I don't think you'd need a different ECU or any such thing. The only electrical involved with the compressor is the electric clutch, which you'd simply unplug from the compressor. If the compressor runs off a dedicated belt, it should be really easy to remove it. If it runs off a belt that also runs the alternator, then you'd have to get a belt for a non-A/C equipped model, if that was even available.