OLD AIR vs VINTAGE AIR

[66BowTieBoy]

I haven't purchased the A/C System for the '66 C-10 yet and thought I might tap the Experience Barrel here on the forum.

Personally I like both the OLD AIR & VINTAGE AIR systems and can see each offers different perks, but I don't always see the detail stuff and as they say "Two Heads Are Better Than One".

So if ya have some hands-on experience or inside info, share it with me...!

Thanks in advance for any info or insight.
66BowTieBoy

[jason65]

I don't know, but I'm interested. I'm gonna start getting serious about some a/c soon.

[killer71]

i've had each and both were good quality and each had great customer service as well. There are several aftermarket a/c companies but i would definit recommend either of those places.

[Throwback]

Don't know if your interested but this kit is HALF the price of Vintage Air and they have awesome customer service. Just ordered one for my 84.
http://www.southernrods.com/categori...duct-2138.html

[sixtyfour]

Does anyone have pics of these systems installed? I'm thinking of installing the "OLD AIR" system.

[70 Suburban]

i am just goin to retrofit mine... if not that then I have a couple of under dash units i was goin to put together to use.

[joe231]

Originally Posted by Throwback

Don't know if your interested but this kit is HALF the price of Vintage Air and they have awesome customer service. Just ordered one for my 84.
http://www.southernrods.com/categori...duct-2138.html

last i checked the Vintage air sure fit for our trucks was just under $1000
the kit you linked to is almost $800 and appears to be a universal kit

for $200 dollars more I would go with the custom fit kit .....my $.02


coolair on here is a tech for Vintage Air, if you have any specific questions, I'm sure he would be more than happy to help out

[markeb01]

I can only speak regarding my own experience, and I would not use Old Air again. I bought their custom fit Hurricane system for my 1960 GMC about 7 or 8 years ago and had nothing but trouble with it. It fit perfectly and was reasonably easy to install, especially the firewall pass-thru and the receiver dryer lines. However:

1. I live in the Northwest where it's cold 6-9 months of the year and the heater was completely ineffective. It wouldn't even defrost the windshield in the winter.
2. The flap diverter that controlled airflow between the windshield and floor was a defective design and "latched" in one position or the other, and could not be budged without getting under the dash and forcing the lever by hand. After breaking the original dash controls, I utilized and t-handle choke cable until I pulled the handle off the cable. I discovered much later the rubber material had been incorrectly attached to the metal pivot parts causing it to catch inside the plastic housing.
3. The first motor assembly burned up and filled the car with smoke and electrical fire smell. To their credit, Old Air offered great customer service. They sent me a new motor assembly right away. About 2 months later the replacement motor did the same thing, and filled the cab with electrical smoke. At that point I was afraid my truck would be burned to the ground, so I pulled the Old Air fan assembly and after much research, installed a GM fan motor out of a Fiero. No more fire problems after that.
4. I was working to build to a street rod level back then, and the clutter on the fender panel was a mess and difficult to clean. I started weighing the benefits of the limited use with the mess under the hood.
5. The "system", or the compressor (I never knew which) emitted a loud shrieking noise at certain rpms. I had 2 different A/C shops check it out and never could find the problem. With no other place to turn for repair, the shrieking noise finally did me in and I tore the whole system out and threw it in the garbage.

Old Air must make good products, a lot of people buy their stuff, but other than great customer service my experience was a $1,000+ waste of money. I like the fact that Vintage Air has the climate control option. If I had it to do again I'd keep my original heater (because of where I live) and hang one of the 60's style knee freezers under the dash.

I don't have any good pics of the system when it was installed, but the following show that it fit nicely, but the hoses and wiring added a lot of clutter. The last pic shows how much cleaner it looks without A/C.

URL=http://img188.imageshack.us/i/ac02.jpg/][/URL]
URL=http://img401.imageshack.us/i/ac03.jpg/][/URL]

[sixtyfour]

Thanks for the info and pics!

[coolair]

Old Air makes a good product but I don't feel the air flow is as good as the VA unit - true, I am slightly biased. We offer our Short-pac that is the same design as Old Airs Hurricane and I never recommend it for anything unless it is the only thing that fits. I also have a friend who purchased a finished 66 Chevy truck from BJ Auction with an Old Air unit in it, after riding in my 65, he is going to replace it with a Gen II Compac. This summer, I have been driving my 65 almost daily and we have had 100+ degree days for the last 50 + days and I never had my fan higher than Medium with 40 degree air out of the vents.

True, VA is more expensive than the others but as I have learned with almost everything in life, you get what you pay for. With things the way they are, I totally understand price makes a big difference as we are not in an inexpensive hobby so it all adds up, but if you can afford a few extra $$'s, in the long run, it will be worth it.

I see you are in the Hill Country, if you ever make it down to San Antonio let me know and I'd be happy to show you my AC set-up and see how it works - if you can make during the week, come by Vintage Air and will give you a shop tour (invite is open to all).

Also, do a search for "Coolair" or "AC install" and you should be able to see pictures of my install.

If you have any questions, call me @ 1.800.862.6658 ext.111 or email me @ tech@vintageair.com

Thanks
Mark

[joe231]

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=242738

[MacAttack]

That's it Joe, that's the set-up I want for both my 65' Schlong and Chevelle.

[coolair]

Joe - thanks for posting the link to the thread I was referring too.

MacAttack - We have just come out with the new GEN IV Sure-Fits for the 64-72 Chevelles - they ROCK!

Mark