to A/C or No A/C

[Baggerjohn]

My 67 was gutted by the previous owner. It was an ac cab. There is no ac or heater defroster. Thinking of installing a vintage ac unit but not sure if it is strong enough. Im running a 292 with a 5 speed trans.Its my grocery getter daily driver. What problems if any will I encounter? Thank you for your help.
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[MidLifer]

When you "strong enough", do you mean the engine or the AC unit? From everything I've read, people love Vintage Air. I have no personal experience, but I would assume that your 292 has plenty of power to run it too.

[mmiddle]

As long as the 6 banger is in good shape, I see no reason why not. The modern compressor robs way less HP than the old A6 system.

[Lou Boffa]

Here is my Vintage Air. I'm in S TX so 100+ is the norm here in the Summer. Works great. They used the old bezel with new electric switches..way better imo and cleans up the bay and firewall.

[67ChevyRedneck]

You'll freeze your ass off with the VA system. Love mine.

I can't vouch for it on my truck (never had factory air), but I had a factory system on my 65 Mustang. I could actually feel the engine power drop, especially at idle when the compressor kicked on. It died, and was going to be $ to fix, so I trashed it and installed a VA kit in the mustang. Both systems drop the RPMs a bit when the clutch kicks on, but I don't feel a power loss with the Sanden compressor.

Click the "vintage air install" link in my signature to see what's involved in installing it.

[67ChevyRedneck]

I have to ask... why did you mount your dryer on the firewall?


Also, since you're in the project planning phase, you might was well add 4 row radiator to the list. My brand new 3 row couldn't keep up with the A/C, 700R heat, and cool the engine in 100 degree temps sitting through 2 or 3 Greenville light cycles at a time...

[Lou Boffa]

seemed like a convenient spot at the time.

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by Lou Boffa

seemed like a convenient spot at the time.

I just had to ask because the hoses and lines, etc. that come with the kit are meant to work with it on the condenser.

[Lattimer]

I did a Classic Auto Air system in my truck. It works well, very cold air. My only issue is the vent placement in these trucks. I like the air blowing right on me, and you just can't quite get that. Otherwise, its good.

[stexag]

I'm from 3 hours SOUTH of Lou Boffa and I absolutely love my Vintage Air unit. I beefed up the insulation in the floor and on inside of the firewall and I don't know if it was necessary, but I do think it paid dividends.

[Lee H]

I love the AC in my truck, but then I use mine as a daily driver. I have VA and have no regrets. Works way, way better than the original system. My old system was in good shape but I could not bring myself to installing all the old technology under the hood after I freshened it up last fall.

[Laidbackrecreations]

If you need any help getting into a vintage air unit let me know I can help you out.. You won't regret going with vintage air best on the market..
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[JointTech]

is it just a better compressor? what of the old AC system is not good and VA is better at? My factory ac is torn out right now but its hot in socal so Im going to put it back with a new compressor.

[Murphy IRE]

Hey 67 ChevyRedneck, My factory compressor died. So I've been told to go with the 10 valve offered by LMC ($475 plus install). I do like the looks of the Vintage; it it small and clean. Is the Vintage more or less than the $75. I remember my friends old Chevy back in the "70's would freeze your bu** off. It's next year's project, I've already spent enough this year (I just got her painted)!!! So I have plenty of time to decide which one would be better.

[mmiddle]

The original compressor is an "A6". It is rated at 2.5 tons. Way bigger than needed, but at the expense of HP. the VA system uses a Sandin Swash-plate compressor that is way more efficent. The VA system is better because it uses modern technology to produce the same results. Less HP and space.

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by Murphy IRE

Hey 67 ChevyRedneck, My factory compressor died. So I've been told to go with the 10 valve offered by LMC ($475 plus install). I do like the looks of the Vintage; it it small and clean. Is the Vintage more or less than the $75. I remember my friends old Chevy back in the "70's would freeze your bu** off. It's next year's project, I've already spent enough this year (I just got her painted)!!! So I have plenty of time to decide which one would be better.

Not quite sure what you're asking? A new complete VA kit is around $1,300. That's EVERYTHING. It completely replaces everything under the dash and under the hood. However, new sanden compressors can be had for around $125 or so. I would actually call VA, tell them you want to keep your factory system but add a new sanden compressor, bracket, lines, condenser and dryer (recommended to run R134) and see how much that is. I don't know what's offered in the LMC kit.

[Murphy IRE]

67ChevyRedneck, thanks for the info! LMC price was just for the compressor. Everything else was checked out, but the compressor lasted about 3 minutes and then died. I'll give VA a call. Thanks again.

[67ChevyRedneck]

Yeah, there is no reason to pay that much for a sanden compressor! (below is just a generic search on ebay.)

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw...essor&_sacat=0

[RichardJ]

67ChevyRedneck, I just looked through your '65 Mustang, Vintage Air installation. I found it very interesting because I just finished installing the same kit in my buddy's '66 mustang. It's even a White on Blue car.

Sure fit my arse. On a scale of 1 to 10, I give it a 2.

I do like the Evap unit. It is a nice compact unit. The stepper motors fo controlling the doors is a nice feature.

If I were installing that unit on my own car I would have ****-canned the kit.
I didn't see on your posts (I went through it quickly) if you had any trouble with the four aluminum connector lines that attach to the evap unit? I had to bend the crap out of the suction line to get it over the blower cage and under the heater lines. The right hand bracket had to be modified as well.

Vintage Air doesn't seem to be aware that in '66, California Mustangs had an A.I.R. smog pump that shares the belt with the AC compressor. That handful of spacers that you got to place behind the unpainted AC bracket are a joke. In your case, those spacers should have been welded to the bracket.
In my opinion, Sure-Fit shouldn't mean universal brackets and evap, plus a pile of parts to make it fit whatever.
In my case I had to machine new spacers, because of the smog pump. New bolts even had to be sourced.
The idler pulley they supplied, had to be modified and mounted differently. The "V" pulley on it had to be replaced with a flat pulley so it could be used to hold the belt under the top radiator hose, with the V belt running on its back.

You said you had trouble getting the wire harness through. How did you route it? It should have gone through the small grommet, next to the large AC grommets. I didn't see it in your photos. I fed a flexible stranded wire through the small grommet from the engine side and it dropped down behind the evap. After removing the circuit breaker from the harness, I taped the harness to my "fish" wire and pulled it through the grommet to the front.

You mentioned overheating. The original Ford AC system used a bypass similar to the one below. The one below says for '69 302. The '66 had a smaller crossover tube and was built more like a Z instead of an H.
Water flows from the intake manifold through both the crossover and through the heater core, then to the water pump. When the vintageAir unit is supplying its maximum cold air, it closes the water valve and cuts off the water from the intake to the water pump.
I installed a crossover pipe the way Ford had it so as not to change the original flow pattern.




If they had not put the electrinic controller and the extra, unneeded 3 feet of harness on the top of the evap, they could have routed the right hand 2 1/2" AC hose over the top of the evap. That would have allowed for a glove box that could have been twice as deep.
That is if they had given you extra 2 1/2" hose. Better yet, they should have supplied 2 1/4" hose and it would have actually fit the evap outlets. I added tie straps to all the outlets, because they fit so loosely.

The only part of the kit that I felt, fit as described was the condenser.

Like you, we even made a trip to NPD (Simi, CA). Seeing as we had the defrost ducts out, it needed a new dash speaker and padded dash. The padded dash was a challenge.

I'm not saying I wouldn't use VintageAir, just not the kit.

[RichardJ]

Too much ford stuff, I'm sure.

For the original question, your 292 should never even know it's on there. Mine is a CCOT setup with Orifice so there is some cycling. It doesn't pull the idle rpm down at all. If it does, I'd have to stare at a tach to see it.
As for power loss, I have no idea. The AC is never turned off.
That's a Sanden 508 from a VW cabriolet in a wrecking yard.