This may be slightly O/T, if so please forgive me... I am looking at adding AC / Heat / Defrost to my 1962 Olds F85 2 door hardtop. Currently, I have a broken heater core and 4 roll-down-windows. As I want this truly to be a daily driver, (except in the salt) I would like to make it comfortable. It seems that Vintage Air is the most popular of add on units in most cars I've seen. Looking around, there is also Old Air, Southern Air, Rod Air, and maybe a few others. Does anyone have any opinions of what they've used before or have installed? Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks, Andy
I have used and would use again the Vintage Air pieces..IMO think they have about the best/largest selection..good tech..
Another vote for Vintage Air. The owner is a HAMB member and Vintage Air has been in the A/C business a long, long time. Others come and GO ... but Vintage Air stays in business because of good units, great service and repeat customers.
The search function can be your friend. Go read this thread ... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=384713&highlight=southern+air&showall=1
Vintage Air or don't bother. Really. Do it once, do it right. I've done a lot of others and would rather not ever again.
I know a lot of folks like the Vintage Air conversions, but I really don't like the fact that it eats into the available glove box space. I have a 1962 F-85 wagon and I've done a lot of searching for a nice HVAC conversion. It turns out that most newer cars use HVAC "modules" that contain all the heat and A/C elements in one "box". I just happen to have a 1990 Grand Am parts car, and the HVAC module for that car sits right behind the center of the dash, the same way the stock air distribution box sits in the F-85. My plan is to use the stock heater blower motor and ducting on the engine side of the firewall, remove the stock heater core, and mate that to the HVAC module from the Grand Am under the dash. It also appears that I can adapt the Grand Am control head to be operated by the stock F-85 heater control levers (maybe with an additional switch to turn on the A/C). The other beauty of this swap is that I got the Grand Am for free, instead of paying $1000 for an aftermarket air unit.
It matters more to the expansion valve/oriface tube and condenser unit than the evaporator, but a 1990 Grandamn is going to have an R-12 system, and the line pressures, control system and cooling efficiency of an R12 system is terrible when used with R134a. If you are doing what is essentially a new system, get components that are all designed for R134a or you aren't going to get good results.
I have a Vintage Air A/C ... in my 32 3W ... with the factory glove box intact Not too many vehicles with a dash smaller than a 32 3W Ford
Funny, because that Grand Am has R134 in it now and it's a meat locker in the summer. Same with three other 1980s vintage vehicles I have. Well, your 32 isn't a 1962 F-85. I can tell you that the Vintage Air system won't fit like that in the Olds.
Vintage Air do a nice under dash unit that looks period correct for a dealer add on A/C or you could have a trunk mount unit....
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