I bought Old Air Products from Ft Worth too. It wouldnt fit my 57 chevy even though they claimed it would. It didnt cool well at all. I recommend everyone stay away from Old Air
David it actually is doing very well. Glad I made the swap. In hindsight I should have started out with underdash. Thanks
I used an old Mustang under dash unit and mounted all the other items and then took it to a local guy for g***ing and wiring up. Not too costly that way and you can chose the quality of your parts. This was my 3rd home installed unit and I've never had a problem with any of them and cooling was always great. Just make sure you have a decent radiator and fan with shroud etc.
I have two vehicles I put original 60's underdash A/C units into. Both cool great, using R134a instead of the original R12. Sure the TXV (thermal expansion valve) is not exactly right for R134a, but it is close enough it works fine. Biggest thing with R134a is you need to use one of the newer style serpentine condensers as used on R134a newer cars. The old R12 tube and fin type condensers just do not remove enough heat to work optimally with the R134a. It is not an evaporator issue, those old underdash units can make plenty of cold air when supplied refrigerant as cooler liquid at the TXV. Don't forget to make sure the condensate drain is clear and connected up. In humid climates that underdash unit can create a lot of water. Soaked the floor in my old COE when it leaked.
Nothing wrong with mounting a air conditioner below the dash, That was the norm when cars & trucks were purchased and then air was installed later. Back in 1975 I used a add on unit from 1968 Ford in my 1940 Ford sedan and it worked great. HRP
I have a knee-knocker in my 56 Olds that the previous owner installed. The inside of the car is big so it won't freeze you out like a modern car where you eventually have to turn the air down, but it will certainly make the inside of the car very cool and comfortable. We went out last weekend in 95 degree weather and cruised very comfortably in the a/c, a true luxury IMHO. Having the air blow directly on you is key to the A/C really working to cool you off.
Love this vintage air mark IV, usually on low in 90+deg. weather. In a 55 wagon ! Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
In your picture of the compressor mounted on the small block Chevy. You have it mounted so the hoses exit down. They recommend that they be mounted with hose outlets no more than 90 degrees down from vertical. Call Cl***ic auto Air or Vintage Air for their opinion.
Obviously people in front will be cooler but does it get to the people in the back? Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Thanks for the heads up on my compressor orientation. It is a bad pic really, as it was never finally installed that way. Now the outlets are pointed up and the previous pic's were taken during making the mounts. For the record, the compressor outlets need to point upwards from what I know to prevent loss of oil that is contained within the gas system for lubrication. With outlets pointed up rather than down the oil will always run back down and remain in the compressor body. In hindsight I probably should not have even posted those compressor pics as I would not want to give a newbie the wrong idea...
Location of the under dash evaporator box make a big difference. This car has a small footwell and the box is mounted to the right (p***enger side) of the shift lever (in 3rd gear). Yesterdays test drive proved that this location does a great job of cooling my right ear lobe. Ideally, center mount the evaporator box, both driver and p***enger get an equal shot at the cool air. In this case, the shift lever is in the way, I will have to twist the box toward the driver - still pondering the "how"... Air conditioning is 10 # of "stuff" in a 5# sack. This is the smallest evaporator box (from a vendor that I trust) in my searching. https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Speedway-Universal-Under-Dash-A-C-Cooling-Unit,50705.html Made in Texas, for Speedway, by Victory Climate Systems.
Nothing recent but back when I bought my new 66 Chevy Impala Super Sport it came without air so I had the dealer install an air kit that came with a MK 4 under dash unit and it would freeze your **** off. (so to speak)
Yeah, I had a 1967 GMC C10 like that. Great pickup and a/c but boy I could use it as a refrigerator or even freeze at times. No place for a Scotsman...
Back in the dark ages when I put an underdash unit in my '47 Plymouth, I cut up the piece under the dash that held the ignition switch and other controls and brazed that onto the top of the a/c unit. It worked good but the condensation drain tubes were too high to let the water out. There is definitely a reason why those underdash units are adjustable for tilting.
This old wards was missing the switch. I hooked it up on high to test the fan. It pushes air well. Switch, new expansion valve and clean up be ready to go. Looks like the frigiking units in comparison Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I’ve bought 2 of those one nice than the other but don’t put out as much air as some other Mark IV. I want to use them too. From what I’ve read Mark IV used same fans in all there units. . Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I've heard you can change the fans and motor out for a newer one that vintage air sells but mine blows just as good as the new ones (which I've installed) but is a bit louder
It does quite well, the whole wagon cools down. I'd compare it to a 6000 btu room air conditioner! Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Friend of mine gave me this artic kar. He said it was in a 63’ Cadillac he****. Looks good when I put it in my 57 Pontiac. Tested the fan it’s smooth. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
A few years back I installed an entire Vintage Air under dash kit, in a customer’s ‘70 351 Ranchero. Other than having to custom fit all the hoses, all the engine and cabin parts worked great. Looked 70’s perfect and blew ice cold. Tech department very helpful too Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
It’s that time of year. It got to the 100’s before June 15th. I have acquired a few evaporators and have been test fitting them in my parts car 58’. I will probably use vintage air products from firewall forward, with everything it still adds up in $$. On the evaporator I will use the 3m cleaner to clean the coils.
Those under dash units will indeed freeze you out when you have them set up right. I stuck one in my 69 Cutl*** that I pulled out of an old Rambler Wagon that my mother inlaw gave me after she got a newer car with factory air in 1969. That was cold air, Had a 59 El Camino with a 235 that came with one that we used to have to turn down because it got that elkie so cold inside that you could chill beer in it. They work great but do take up some room . I posted this diagram out of the Vintage air instructions on another thread but if you missed it here it is again. It might help a bit with figuring it out.
I cheated, I wanted the under dash vintage look but I needed heat, cooling and defrosters in my 41 PU. I didn't want to use the plastic vents that vintage sells so I found this Merc grille on the HAMB. I built a shallow box for it that I had a black wrinkle powder coat applied. It is hooked up to the vintage air compact AC evaporator under the dash. I welded up the switch plate to hold the fan, heat, defrost and AC temp controls, it will get a cool faceplate. It looks right and does a nice job of hiding the evaporator as well as moving the switches off my dash.
This is one found at a swap meet, an old style unit that had a lot of copper etc. in it and it was NOS. Used a Sanden 508 compressor (like yours i think) and the thing would freeze ice cream. Suggest if you can find one that has this type guts, that would be the solution. I'm looking for another one now.
One thing to keep in mind is that these small under-dash units have about half the capacity of a “modern” OEM system. OEM systems, and similarly sized aftermarket systems will have anywhere of about 20,000 Btu/hr - 30,000 BTU/hr.
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