47-55.1 ac kits

[hotrodelrod]

Looking for recommendations and experiences with ac kits for 47-54 trucks. Mine is a 54 and will be running an LS engine. I do have the factory compressor and lines that came with my LS3 from a 2011 Camaro

[Ziegelsteinfaust]

Originally Posted by hotrodelrod

Looking for recommendations and experiences with ac kits for 47-54 trucks. Mine is a 54 and will be running an LS engine. I do have the factory compressor and lines that came with my LS3 from a 2011 Camaro

I would seriously consider getting a heat/ac unit as they save some room, and should offer better performance.

Plus depending on how you do up the kit. You can even have dash vents, and functional defrost.

A friend did one in a 50? F1, and he did a great job. While not stock it almost had a 50's Custom look to it. He was running a 302 or 5.0 truck engine serpentine set up. Plus he made the dash himself since it was a shell when he got it.

[joedoh]

you need to be careful, most aftermarket HVAC (really HAC because I havent seen many with a fresh air option) systems have the evaporator and the heater core in the same air pathway, but GM V8 engines arent made to have the heater lines turned on and off.

On GM engines since around 1991, the heater core and AC evap were in different air pathways, there was always flow through the heater core but the airflow was directed around it. if the heater core and evap are in the same air pathway, you would end up with warm dry air instead of cold air.

what that means is, if the HVAC system comes with a vacuum or mechanical heater line valve, when you shut it off (during AC operation) air will collect in the line and the suction line of the heater will keep trying to pull. on older engines the heater line was a secondary loop and could be shut off without problems.

why GM did this is speculation on my part, maybe they saw heater cores rotting out faster in warmer climates (from disuse) or maybe adding that extra couple quarts of coolant to the system was beneficial, or maybe the reverse flow system worked better with the unblocked lines, who really knows though.

you will need to replace the shut off valve with a BYPASS valve, they are about $100, and it will divert the flow to the suction line, without passing through the heater core.

[65blackfleetside]

I am running a 2004 LS 1 Gen 3 and I went with the Hurricane from Old Air out of Texas. What I like about this system is it utilizes the factory radio speaker grills in dash as 2 large AC vents. I then opted for 2 small 2" round chrome looking under mount vents that mount on bottom of dash below head light switch and one on far passenger side. 4 vents total. plenty of cooling power . Most important for me was I wanted-Everything is hidden under the dash. I went with mechanical controls that can barely be seen. The AC compressor mount bracket was a whole different story.( I finally went with ICT online for accessory brackets) I bought 3 different set ups for my accessories before I found something that would fit correctly. Make sure that you use the small sanden compressor. (I forget what model?) your challange with the LS will be your accessories clearing the fenders etc.

Here is a link to Old Air:

https://www.oldairproducts.com/produ...omplete-system