55-57 a/c

[57 3100]

guys,
do any of you have pics or info on your a/c setup for your 55-57 ?
im looking at a vintage air kit, complete. in the coming months and doing a little home work.
just curious on your install, easy or hard ? pics would be great.
thanks much.
leonard

[renegade6]

I went with Vintage Air but, did not get the direct bolt in kit as I wanted the electronic controls. Even with it not being a direct fit, installation wasn't that bad. I did have to get some fittings (2X 180 degree) that didn't come with the kit but, they weren't that expensive. The bonus of what I did is electronic controls and the unit is a bit smaller. Only used this a couple of times but, it worked great.

Pictures are on my build thread.

[57 3100]

Originally Posted by renegade6

I went with Vintage Air but, did not get the direct bolt in kit as I wanted the electronic controls. Even with it not being a direct fit, installation wasn't that bad. I did have to get some fittings (2X 180 degree) that didn't come with the kit but, they weren't that expensive. The bonus of what I did is electronic controls and the unit is a bit smaller. Only used this a couple of times but, it worked great.

Pictures are on my build thread.

thanks for the info brandon. you got a great looking truck man.
curious, what year is your engine ? i want to swap my alternator to the drivers side like yours, so i can run the compressor on the passengers side so the lines wont have to go across my engine. is yours a long or short water pump ?
thanks again.

[renegade6]

Thanks, spent about two years rebuilding it.

Engine is a 60s(?) 327. Don't know much about it but, it is a pretty fresh rebuild, there was no carbon on top of the pistons. It was set up like that when I bought the truck. I have a short water pump.

Getting ready to get an alternator and PS mount made by the same company that made the AC bracket.

[57 3100]

Originally Posted by renegade6

Thanks, spent about two years rebuilding it.

Engine is a 60s(?) 327. Don't know much about it but, it is a pretty fresh rebuild, there was no carbon on top of the pistons. It was set up like that when I bought the truck. I have a short water pump.

Getting ready to get an alternator and PS mount made by the same company that made the AC bracket.

thanks man.... wow, power steering huh ? thats another thing i want to do one day.... fir the a/c though.
take care

[oletrux]

Vintage Air in mine. Manual controls, not a bad install. Works great!

[tmoble]

check this guys stuff. I've used a lot of it, it fits and works like it's supposed to. practically a miracle in this day and age cheap china junk knock-offs.

http://www.alangrovecomponents.com/index.htm

[57 3100]

thanks for the info guys.. it's is a big help... soon i will be ordering all the components.

leonard

[DransportGarage]

Leonard, This is my first A/C installation. Mike Brown (owner) at Rainbow Products in Charlotte was a big help, as was the tech at Vintage Air. (Danny at Danny's Rod Shop was a problem for me -- price and otherwise -- so much so that I did not buy local.) I'm installing the Vintage Air Gen II Compac evaporator - not the custom one, for reasons similar to yours. However, I called them and got the p/n for the condenser and small lines thru the core support that they put in the custom kit. The brackets are perfect, and this will save you a lot of time on fitment. They also have a "Tite Fit" line kit (no picture) at the compressor that points the lines downward for a clean look (but expensive at around $40).

Pic #1: I decided to run the hoses thru the wheelwell. I used the diamond-shaped bulkhead from Billet Specialties, and it really fits well in the contour of the stock inner fender, below the compressor.

Pic #2: I bought the grommets from Grainger. They're perfect for the AN-6 and AN-10 hoses, (and my NAPA heater hose) but are only are available in quantities of 25 or so. This was a little expensive, but I have a ton of them and have been able to sell a few for a buck apiece to offset my cost.

Pic #3: Here are the hoses under the dash. You have to wrestle with them a little bit, but it wasn't too bad. I mounted the evaporator about as high and to the right as I could. I welded studs onto the firewall to hold it because I wanted a clean engine compartment. I was going to smooth the dash, but the glove box really improves access (and I'm getting too old to crawl around under the dash!)

Pic #4: This picture is a little redundant, but it shows my drier location. Once again, I used studs for mounting. I also went with the trinary switch on the drier.

Hot tip: You can fit a NAPA heater hose into an AN-10 beadlock fitting by using a piece of 3/8 fuel hose as a spacer!

Hope this helps.

[OrrieG]

I am putting in a VA sure fit for the 55-59. I ran the water lines similar to the post above but decided to run the AC lines per the VA installation (come out under the battery tray) so I would not need to recharge the AC if I ever had to pull the front clip. My build thread has some photos of the trial fit and the water line bulkhead install.

[57 3100]

DransportGarage, thanks a ton for your detailed post. i will be bale to come back to this when i am installing mine. i need to get on the phone with VA and ask some questions.
curious, does your unit have cable or electronic switches ? im leaning toward the electric switches.
also, do you have any pics of the dash where the vents are located ?

OrrieG, i will step through your build thread in a bit..... 21 pages.... gotta be some good stuff in there for sure.

oh yea, are the both of you running standard cooling fan or electric ?

thanks for your time guys, i really appreciate it a bunch.

leonard

[renegade6]

I believe my radiator was from US radiator. I purchased it on Ebay and got free shipping. I'm only running an engine fan but, didn't have any overheating problems. Still need to change to a smaller fan and fan shroud.

[57 3100]

Originally Posted by renegade6

I believe my radiator was from US radiator. I purchased it on Ebay and got free shipping. I'm only running an engine fan but, didn't have any overheating problems. Still need to change to a smaller fan and fan shroud.

perfect, thanks for the info.... take care.

leonard

[Hogsophist]

Looking at a va surefit for my 57, complete kit. Can I have it knocked out in weekend? Me and a buddy who actually knows damn near everything about mods and remodels.
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