Replacing factory air / LMC

[tj1970cst]

I am going to either rebuild my factory ac with a sanden compressor or get a kit like vintage air. LMC has a kit that interests me part # 32-0579. It says factory ac with cable controls. Is this just a vintage air kit? I have heard the vintage air cable converters are kinda goofy. I was hoping this kit from LMC actually used cables like the original stuff.

For $1199, seems like it might be cheaper to just buy the kit. If I re do the original I know I will need a compressor, condenser, hoses, poa and txv.

Any other input or opinions from people that have done this before or are more familiar with what the aftermarket offers?

[Dr.HairyOlds1966]

I have a vintage air kit on my 67 tempest and am about to install one in a 71 c10. Nothing bad to say about them or the cable converters. They are a complete, well designed kit with excellent instructions.

That being said, for my blazer, I intend to go with the stock system. Saw a guy running a stock system on an LS and I was surprised to hear that he found it cheap to redo the original. Haven't done it myself yet but I hope he's right!

Maybe someone here could supply a parts list for the stock system so we can price it out?

[tj1970cst]

I read an old thread that refers to Carlisle ac in San Antonio. You have to email them to enroll in their site or call them for prices. I haven't pursued it yet. I can't decide if I want to re do the old or be rid of the evaporator housing in the engine compartment.

[Smitty]

The LMC unit is sold by “Old Air”. Have it in my 71. Was originally a non air truck. Customer service has been great. And it was blowing cold yesterday. But the heater on the after market units isn’t as good as the original. You don’t have the lower floor vents. I went with the electronic controls rather than the cable type.

[tj1970cst]

Thanks for the info.

Now I'm thinking about getting new sanden compressor, condensor, hoses and poa update from original air.

[engineer_gregh]

I've redone three factory A/C systems on my trucks. Vintage Air is better than the original systems in that it incorporates a parallel flow condenser. The tube and fin type condenser that is original cannot dissipate enough heat for R-134a at outside temps above 90 degrees. To help with that problem I've added a pusher fan in front of the condenser; that keeps my A/C temps down to ~42 degrees but it struggles to maintain cold temps at idle. I highly recommend not doing away with the POA valve. I did the update kit from Original Air and was not happy with the results. The original systems were not designed to cycle on and off and that's what the hi/low pressure switch (update kit) adds. On my big block 402 truck it was extremely aggravating at highway speeds. I did a write up on this and here is the thread. I hope it helps with your decision.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...=critical+mass

[tj1970cst]

Thanks for the input. Sounds like you had incompatible parts instead of a system. I am comparing the original air system to old air now. Old air uses an orifice tube and accumulator. I like that better.

[clay68c10]

Go original, just send the POA out to be adjusted to 134. Put a condenser fan (or 2) on it and it will cool. This is what I did to my Caddy and it does fine.

If you get ambitious, you can get an ebay parallel flow condenser and just have hoses made. You'll end up needing hoses anyway. That's what I'll be doing to my c10, and if the Caddy ever needs a condenser I'll do the same to it as well. There's a ton of them available in varying sizes for under $75.

[tj1970cst]

Your right about that.

I will definitely get a parallel flow condensor, new hoses, and a sanden compressor.

I am not a fan of txv systems in cars or houses. They are kinda a pain. I know they perform better, but an orifice tube type is much simpler.