Its gettin' hot in here, who will admit to puttin in A/C?

So, my wife is like 8 months pregnant and says lets put air conditioning in the 58 Belair. I figure we'll get to take it out more so why not. It would also a be a good excuse to throw the small block in too then. My question is who will fess up to putting a/c in and which brand did you go with? Ideally I'd like the vents and controls to be hidden since alot seem to look lame. Any suggestions? vintage air, hot rod air, etc...
Thanks

 

I will, someday. You think Denver is hot? HA!
I'm hoping the tri-5 kit will work in a 53. They have the same amount of room and use a similar wiper setup, so who knows?

 

If my 55 didnt run hot, it would have A/C in it, no doubt.

 

Vintage air hands down is the best. They have a underdash unit if you dont want to add vents in your dash

 

Ya'll don't know what hot is, it's been 95 in Houston for weeks and will only get hotter. I've got a original Mark IV from the 60s for the Ugly Truck.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=224969&highlight=underdash

 

my Nova has facory air in it. just got her running, and turned it on. compressor seems strong, but not blowing cold. not sure if i am ready to open up that can of worms at this point.

the car hasnt ran since 1992, so the basics are all i am concerned about at this point. but yes, eventually down the road i plan to make the a/c work properly.

why not?

 

There's a vacuum pump, guages, etc. at my house; Unclee and I just replaced most of the A/C system in my daily driver. Bring some Natural Light and we'll get it going.

 

I've got AC in the Hup. Hot Rod Air system with heat. Underdash unit. The price was right, shipping was fast and tech support glad to answer any questions.

 

I have been scabbing A/C systems from 1996-1997 jeep xj cherokee models. Very compact, parts are dirt cheap and very easy to swap. May be worth the $100 investment I have in mine and its ICE COLD!!!!

Jon

 

Is this a all-in-one unit? Could it be hidden inside a dashboard? How about some photos/details, or even better a Tech post?

 

i have Hot Rod Air in the 51 Ford and i love it! it fits where the original heater box went and i didnt have to cut any extra holes. it even is the same size as the old heater box and i have the vents (like the old chevelle ball vents) mounted under the dash on the ends and the contol panel/vent in the center. i bought the Heat/Air/Defrost version and it will freeze you out of the car if your not careful, and the defrost is sooo nice to have.

you can call me a premidonna but i have to have my creature comforts in my old age...........

 

YES! pics please, I figured it could be done from the junk yard but never seen posts on any forum on a good donor car. Sounds better than dropping a $grand.

 

got some more info on these units? are you running the 134a coolant? that system is old enough it should have used freon right, did you have to convert it?

thanks

 

Vintage Air - Helped the neighbor install one in his 36, worked well - nice and compact - a little rich for my taste, but you get what you pay for.

 

I just got the 17" underdash unit from Lucky's Rod and Custom for ~$600 delivered. He's a HAMB member , you can find his ad in the hambodex. Nice guy, fast shipping. That's $600 for the complete system incl compressor, dryer, hose kit, undersdash, everything. That's AC and heat, and you get 3 vents with two fans. I haven't installed mine yet.

That said, I sure wish I could get my hands on a $100 unit from a dang cherokee!

I know I've seenn some cherokees at pickapart, but I never noticed anything special about their AC setup or what years they were, looked like early 90s to me, my best guess. If anybody can get that to work I'd love to hear all about it!!

 

I plan on running one in my Edsel. Don't have the car running yet, but I can't do another Texas summer without a/c.

 

I had a new heat and air unit I got from Shane several years ago and was too small for the wagon so I used it in the 32 pickup,,,,,mounted it under the seat,,,,the heat works great,,,,the air works fair.

If you take in account the temps have been unusually high here as of late,,,,98 degrees as I type this reply and no interior I can't complain,,,with an interior ,,I believe it will freeze me out! HRP

 

There are tons of the old 50's and 60's style underdash units at the swap meets up here in Wisconsin, like the one Richard D posted. I bought a whole complete system at an auction with compressor and everything for $20. It's from the 60's, it's called the "Cool Car" air conditioner, and I plan to use it in my '60 Fury.

It's way hotter down south but when there's 90% humidity 85 degrees feels like 200. The vintage ones are "period correct" anyway so I don't see why anyone would have a problem with it.

 

Nope...I dont need one.

And I drive a Black Truck in Tucson, Az.


I have a Swamp Cooler in my Shop, but I dont use it because I dont want the Metal in the Shop to start rusting....

 

I have one from VIntage Air sitting here in my office that will be going in the Starliner.

 

I have air in everything I build--too damn hot in Sacramento to run without it--like my wife to go along so the air is a high priority.
Have always used Vintage air--done 5 40 fords and 3 trifive chevies and a 34 woody--all worked well and were hidden as well--only item showing on trifives is center duct under glove box--nothing visable on the others-also no holes/hoses thru firewall on most--have had no issues with Vintage stuff.
See pics of air in 40--stock knobs control it-one duct thru radio grille, other two at corners of dash-unseen--don't care much for the plastic ducts, especially those that replace ashtrays in 40's

 

I put in a unit from Hot Rod Air........mainly for the defroster!! I rarely run the A/C but since I use the car alot I HATE wiping at the windshield with a towel while I'm driving.

 

You want to shoot for a 40 degree drop across the evaporator, general rule of thumb.

i.e., 110 degrees in, 70 degrees out.

 

Vintage air in the 50 Jeepster. Works well in Key West. I'd like some more info on the Jeep units, though.

Bill

 

my 39 pontiac has a hot rod air unit in it......when its this hot (100+) it will keep it about 75-80.....it would be better but this cars has **** for insulation now.thats about to change

 

The guys on the forum over at www.ackits.com try to shave off
those last few degrees on vent temps like drag racers look for ET.
Lots of good info. No AC on my 49 Hudson,but I do have the
elusive two groove crankshaft pulley so I could see it happening
in the future. Present cooling system doesn't have the capacity,
but i'll bet a new rad core and fan would get me there.

 

100's here last week, 96 today and it felt cool...

 

The jeep kit has me really thinking. I'll go look at some tomorrow at work (Tahlequah Salvage), and post results.

 

I'd love to go for some A/C in my shoebox, but I don't know my *** from my elbow on how it works. I'd go for one of those all-in-one kits like Johnny mentioned, but there so much cash. Someone should make a tech post on A/C installs, especially older knee knocker setups.