a/c in a hot rod? Can't we all get along?

Only had a/c in one old car,it was in a 53 Olds and I found a Sears underdash in a 62 Olds in a junkyard and put it in the 53. I am not going to install a/c in my 55 sunliner or my 37 Chevy p/u but considering putting another under dash in my 65 custom 500 daily driver.

 

Having asthma AC is a requirement for me. On hot humid days I get tired just being awake.
So it funny that this thread shows up today, because tomorrow I going to order the AC for my 54 F100 project.

 

Air conditioning is almost more necessary than a heater down here in South TX. Even in winter there are a few days that you could use ac. If it is cold enough for snow or ice it is better to leave the rod in the garage because most of the natives have no idea how to drive in those conditions.

 

If you think A/C isn't acceptable because it's going to tax your motor, build a better one.

I critique cars here on the HAMB when they don't fit. Sometimes I keep it to myself, other times I don't. I critique cars with my dad and my brother when we go to shows, but always in private. I have never walked up to a guy and berated his vehicle. There may be reasons why I don't like the car, but there's no reason to beat up another for his reasons for building it a certain way"""""
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well said, I agree. gary

 

At the last Billetproof a few of us were discussing how our next cars are going to be more comfortable and better suited to long distance traveling. Around town is one thing but with events like Billetproof and Turkey Run being about 250 miles from home a fat fender car with some creature comforts sure would be nice.

The other thing we discussed was how an almost stock engine and drivetrain make more sense in a car like that. I love my stroker with 4.30 gears in back, around town, but hate running at 3 grand at 60 mph for hours on end. My car used to have an almost stock 302 with 3.70 gears, and I never gave two thoughts to driving it long distances.

Maybe part of the reason for us thinking this way is that we are getting a little older. When you are young you are willing to put up with some discomfort in order to be cool, but as the old bones start to protest some of this foolishness, we give in to making some changes. Or, maybe we just get smarter as we get older.

Don

 

I'd probably never put A/C in the hot rod in my avatar. It's just not that kind of ride.

HOWEVER....on a car I was driving all the freaking time in the hot ass summer time I wouldn't think twice about it. When it's 100F+ that ain't no weather to not have AC.

I moved to Fort Worth, TX when I left college and the AC on my daily driver crapped out in the middle of July. That's when I learned how to fix my AC system!

 

If a/c isn't cool then over head valves in a pre '49 rod isn't either?

 

A/C taxing your motor??? If you can't smoke your tires from a 60 MPH rolling start, you need more engine work!

 

I bought a 55 buick 4 door hardtop awhile back with factory option air. It had these long plastic tubes, prolly about 5 inches in diamater that ran from the rear of the car to the front up in the headliner area. I sold the car before I got it working...John

 

Being cool in a true traditional hot rod is Way Cool Indeed.....but in 98* high humidity weather in town on blacktop roads it ain't cool at all......especially if your wife/significant other is with, and not into looking totally cool without A/C...(as in make up running, hair drooping, mad, etc.....
Good thread here....and if others don't like your A/C....ask them if their ride is 100% original parts...ie mechanical brakes ???? Tires and wheels?? and so on...
If you want a 100 point perfect car....join a Corvette group and go their car shows......
Cheers.......

 

Similar situation for me, I used an old aftermarket underdash unit from a 60's Ford. It is in my 49 Ford COE and works great. Used a $5 swap meet condenser, a new Sanden compressor, the biggest expense was getting the new custom hoses. Run it with R-134a and it gets so cold you need to turn it down with the relatively small cab.

Drive 600+ miles across the desert going to Bonneville and you get there without being all tired and beat to shit by the heat and wind. Going to have A/C in my current 53 GMC project working on. I do not care what others think, comfort for the driver makes a lot funner driving time.

 

I'll probably put it in someday. Low on the list right now, but when I do I will hide it as much as possible.

Running it off of the driveshaft? Have never heard of that before.

I will have to admit if it is an open engine car (mine is closed ) it looks kinda out of place...

 

I'm in the process of buying a 56 Lincoln Premiere Hardtop. First thing I'm doing? New tires and Air Conditioning. I've also decided to get Vintage Air's repop Mark IV assuming it's not made in China.

Anyhow, the way I look at it is simple, I live in Jersey so I only need it 2-3 months a year, but if I am driving this baby to work, I can't show up all sweaty... I'm a manager at a dealership and usually have to show up in a shirt and tie. Plus, this thing has a leather interior...

Oh and traditional? Well, you could get factory AC in a 56 Lincoln!

If it wasn't for the fact that AC was so damn expensive back then a lot more cars would have had it, I've seen AC listed as a $500-700 option back in the 50s, that's like $4,000 today. I suppose it's like Navigation today... it's getting cheaper and because of that lots of new cars have it, when it was $3,000 10 years ago only really expensive cars had it, VERY few 10 year old Fords or Chevrolets or Camrys have Navigation.

I'll bet that within 10 years most every car sold will have Navigation. Just like by the 70s most cars had AC.

Bill

 

You are a gentleman my friend.


I think that there is no doubt something that I haven't yet mentioned that is probably worthy of mention. I see no reason in the world why someone cannot have an AC if they want one. Never the less I do believe that there are cars where an AC is not an option.

If you in fact are building to a certain period or building a correct type of vehicle that would not have had an AC then there is not room for an AC on that car.

A lot of us do not build period correct vehicles, we build traditionally styled cars. Some are beautiful cars FlynBrian comes to mind, his cars are not period correct or period perfect they are traditionally styled cars. They are beautiful, well thought out vehicles. An AC would not be out of place on one of his cars.

On the other had 3WindowLarry builds period correct deuces. If you look at one of Larry's cars they to are well built and well thought out vehicles. An AC would be totally out of place on one of his cars.

Does an AC make you a woosey? No, it just means that you have a convenience in your car that some of the rest of us don't have.

 

That topic has been done to death here...do a simple search and you'll see...

as for what foxspeed commented about john force....x's 2.....i know its the NHRA and all but come on! that aint a hot rod...not even on the same planet!
and as for tri 5's i believe as cool as they are fall into a category that is neither a hot rod or a custom. unfortunately if done a certain way fall into the notorious street rod category....I love them and am planning on owning one in the near future. as to what to call it? i dont know.. I'll call it mine when i have it and badass in the meantime!

 

Having a car the ladies want to ride in? PRICELESS and TRADTIONAL!

 

I would say that a real Hotrod is something make to go fast while sacraficing some of the comfort emenities. We all use the term much more loosely than we used to. Now if you want to call it your Daily Driver an AC would be right at home in it. Maybe a change in terms is more suitable. My Company Car which is a 50 Chevy Sedan delivery with a 401 Nailhead might be called a Hotrod in some circles and its gonna have an AC soon. Guess I'll continue to call it the Company Car instead of a Hotrod. 20 days so far over 100 degree will change the way you look at things and were not into the hot part of summer yet.

 

If you cant stand the heat..........get out of the kitchen

 

It has become hard to determine what to call a car theses days and has been for a very long time.

If you could talk to one of the old timers that were old when I was a kid then yes if had to be a pre war vehicle and for some it had to be pre 35.

Then my generation called anything that wasn't a muscle car and was performance oriented as opposed to being a custom a hot rod. Muscle cars we just muscle cars.

There becomes a problem as to how to pigeon hole a car that is not a custom and not a pre war car. Well it is just another car I guess.


Anyway that is an arguement for another thread isn't it.

 

While it aint my cup of tea, if you want to use a/c , its your business, no one else's. Its like a guy I know that had a hot pink rod, not my cup of tea, but he liked it.I won't change his car color so I won't have anything to do about his a/c. I may rag someone about being a wuzz, but its all in fun, I dont know how hard the heat is on other people.

 

Ok, we've had one day so far in July under 100. I've got ac/heat in my deuce sedan, and I love both. When its 35 to 40 out I run my heat, when its 90 and above I run my air. Nothing pleases me more than being comfortable in my 32 cruzin around. Call me a puss, but when its hot I'm a cool puss and when its cold you can call me a warm puss. ++++ my wife likes it. Know where I'm going here? Now I don't want to here from those guys who say, "I don't give a shit what my wife likes!" Yeah right!

 

A/C is on my list of "Things that would be nice, but are not necessary".

My first list is "Needed Now!"

1. running engine

2. Ford 9 inch rear with highway friendly gears

3. good brakes

4. livable interior

 

if it makes you drive and ENJOY it more...then do whatever THAT is.

A/C is going in the hot rod. And if A/C makes it a non-hot rod in some folks eyes, so be it. I can and will still enjoy it the way I want to rather than worrying about something as trivial as someone elses opinion whether its correct or not.

 

when you work in the kitchen you have to stand the heat, but does that mean you dont turn on the a/c when you get off work?

 

Thats funny, my list of needs is:
1. brakes
2. tune up
3. a/c
4. interior
My girl likes old cars and hates sweating ridin in old cars! But, this is Texas, so sweating is inevitable!!

 

I didn't run ac on my c10 truck and it was ok when I ran around by myself. My work truck ac went down and I held off for awhile, tell I took a look at my younger son..dull red, with his hair glued down with sweat. I'll be running ac from here on out in the family cars...In my 40 ford truck...still thinking about it. Since I own a shop I firmly believe you build a car to your own taste and enjoy it.

Companies like Classic Auto Air and Vintage Air are doing what they can to make the systems discreet in the cab. Here's an Classic Auto system that we just installed in a 55 Ford Fairlane. It uses the original controls and besides the extra vents it barely shows.

 

Im doing it, i'm going the slightly tougher route though. I sourced enough parts for the factory system to work in my 58 plymouth. Im going to cheat and run a sanden on it though, but im using factory controls for the rest of the system so this should (hopefully) work. I need to pressure test my evaporators (scored 2 of em!) though, i have to cut the summer air door out to use them and before i do that i want to make DAMN sure they don't leak

 

iv come to the conclusions humans in general just like to bitch. let me explain. laughs.. before my health went south, i use to be into archery, more to the point.. i built wooden longbows, and recurvs.. also *gasp* referd to as traditional archery. no on ever called it this till the 80s when the compound bows really starting to over come there design issues of the 60s.. and the stick guys were getting lazy and not putting in the practice so they wanted new rules... and we get traditional archery.. before it was just archery.. and for example the guys who wont run a/c in their rod. we have the same kind of people who will only shoot wood arrows.. no never mind good wood arrows are long gone and aluminum or carbon is the most accurate arrow you can get now.. anyhow, i was rereading this thread.. and i just put both my hobbies together and saw a correlation.. and my guess is we all have hobbies we could do this. so my conclusion, no we cant get along and there is always gonna be a loud mouth jerk in the group

chris.

 

I can not understand why anyone would have to think it over or sit around pondering why or if they should have A/C and or Heat in there HotRod and Custom!

Suffer if you want, sometimes this nonsence is just plain crazy.

Do what YOU want, thats ALL that matters.

 

I've never had a hot rod with air.

That was while living a mile high in NM. Now that I've spent a couple of weeks living in Phoenix heat, AC isn't looking too bad. I'm not going to instal it yet, but I fully get why someone would.