I've insulated the hell out of my car. I added underdash A/C. It's still not enough. I wish I had one higher fan speed on the A/C and then I think it'd help. I was thinking of finding some 12v fans and hooking them up behind my dash maybe to get some airflow going. Do any of you all have some tricks besides the vent windows or air boxes? Actually I have an extra electric cooling fan or three I could mount somewhere. I saw an old Buick at the junkyard and it had a fan in a shroud underneath the driver's seat. That doesn't seem like a bad idea, and not much different than the air conditioned seats in the '09 Cadillac I rented! I've saw a couple small electric fans on the condensers of late models at the junkyard, that might work and keep the noise down to a dull roar! Anyone? Or am I the only wussy that can't take the heat?
fans will move air....cold or hot...if you're suffering from high temperatures, all a fan will do for you is evaporate your perspiration, which is what cooling feels like, but it's still shoving hot air around (a procedure with which I'm quite proficent). Only way to beat the heat is A/C....or, just enjoy driving with windows open and vents pointed inward. It is 105° here all week long. I take the roadsters out in the am only....getting to old to running around after the noon hour. dj
Can you check the A/C to see if everything's working right? I had an A/C unit at my shop that came charged from the factory. We set it up and released the coolant but it just didn't seem like it was cooling right. Turns out it still had room for a couple more cans of refrigerant. We sucked it down and topped it back off and man... What a difference. Might be worth trying to add a couple more cans to the car as well. I run A/C in everything I build. When you live in Texas it's just not realistic to think you can enjoy a car when you live in a state where it's 100 + degree's 5-6 months out of the year. Traditional Nazi's will say they didn't have A/C in cars back in the day. They also didn't have all the traffic we have now and you couldn't get caught in a sea of tractor trailers and Hyundai's on an overpass at 3pm when it's 104 outside. Like it or not it ain't 1950 anymore...
Thats why I went oldie old, with the cranky out window, open that sucker up wide, have to wear glasses for J. Law.
Take a 2nd look at your a/c unit, as it sounds like something is not doing its job right. Maybe the gas or the thermostat???
I am assuming that the car you are trying to cool is the '51 Ford mentioned in your profile. While bigger than a roadster, they are really not that big inside and an underdash A/C unit should more than adequately cool her down. I would definitely get the unit serviced before adding more "stuff" to the ride. I am a minimalist...
Get yourself a small thermometer like this and check and see how cool the air is comong out the vents. The Vintage Air unit in my 32 Ford 3W coupe blows 45 degrees My 2009 Silverado blows 39 degrees If yours is not blowing at least 60 ... you have a A/C issue. Also ... I have found ( that for me, anyway ) if the vents do not blow air onto your face and upper body ... the A/C seems ineffective. Other factors such these also affect the A/C 1 ) insulation in the vehicle 2 ) weatherstripping ( it keeps HOT air from getting in the vehicle ) 3 ) tint on the window glass 4 ) the firewall/floor insulated to keep heat/noise out
I had a under dash a/c in a 53 Olds that cooled it great,one satuday it was in the 62 Olds in a junkyard and by sunday it was in the 53. I liked riding around with the air on with the cracked windows as I had some strange looks from people at lights probably thinking I was nuts and how could thet POS have a/c,lost that effect when the car was finished and new windows.
I actually had it unprofessionally serviced by me, yesterday. I pulled a vacuum and recharged it, I'll put the gauges on today to see what they have to say. Shoot I can't find my thermometer but my face meter says its pretty darn cool. I think I just can't get it on my face/chest and that's what I'm fighting against. Maybe that's why underdash ac units went out of style?! ;-) I definitely need to get some upper body airflow! That's exactly what I'm trying to tackle. Oh and yes, its my 51 Ford, I forgot to mention. Thanks fellas! If anyone else has any idears I'd love to hear how you dealt with this.
Maybe put you one of those little "trucker" fans, on the hump, pointing up at you. That might blow the cool air in your face. Good luck
No joke... Those little things work great, especially in a larger car like a sedan or whatever. We had a wrecker when I was a kid that had factory air with a big block. That thing would still be warm with the air full blast. Bought one of those fans and hooked to a switch just to move some air around. Worked great and even had an oscillating feature.
With that little thermo stuck in a vent you should be able to get down to 45 degrees on most systems in about ten minutes, or something is wrong.
Weather stripping made a HUGE difference in my car, same as you I wasn't feeling it, once I sealed it up better it got much colder, I can get 40 degrees at the vent and it stays in the car. Close a dollar bill in the door and try to pull it out, if it comes right out you need better sealing, I made sure you had to really PULL the dollar bill.
Jhonny1290; If the line coming off the compressor should be HOT to the touch, and the fitting at the expansion valve frosty cold, . You should be able to get 40 degree air out of the vent right by the dash. If not, something is wrong; improper service, worn out compressor, clogged receiver/dryer, low airflow over condenser. Sorry I ain't closer, we'd have it figured out in a few minutes. If the guy serviceing it knows how to read the gauges, at the completion of the service procedure, he should be able to tell you if all that stuff is working. If he can't he's in the wrong vocation.
I am looking at air for my 60 olds I cant aford the nice stuff so what results will i have with a newer 134 pump and hardware, while using an older under dask unit. our summers up here range from 95 to 115. thanks Bob
Those old underdash units work great. Use 134 in them, no problem. I'm running junk-yard donor components. The most expensive parts are the hoses, fabbed at local napa with fittings crimped on. My Evaporator is an 80something out of a jap car, the blower is VW, the receiver-dryer is generic,New-Vintage Air, the condenser was in a pile of aluminum at the salvage yard, I asked if it leaked could I bring it back, he said no!, but it only cost five bucks scrap price. The compressor is '02 Saturn. Total about $150, including freon134 and a set of Harbor Freight servicing gauges. Hook up each component to air pressure, leak test, and hook it all up. blows 36 degrees at the mouth of the evaporator.
Get one of these.... Buddy of mine had one... made summers feel better wearing a vest/uniform around all day. Get them here-->http://www.coolcop.com/cc01.html
I've done a lot of too-warm cars over the years and recently completed a small glass coupe that had all the makings of an oven. I Insulated nearly 100% of every interior service carefully with that thin extreme insulating mat and the car is pleasant at 90 degrees even with no vent windows. My plan B if it was hot was to double insulate the floor and maybe the floor pan underneath. That's where the heat comes from. In the past, cowl vents have helped a lot. I think it's the warm floor and hot feet that makes things feel worse. I also wear leather tennis shoes so my feet can breathe. In 45 years of trying, the above has worked the best for me. Good luck.
Floorboard heat can be deflected from the interior of the vehicle by putting a stainless steel deflector plate above the mufflers with an air gap between it and the floorboard. It worked for me.
I remember those hot summers at Castle AFB you could fry an egg on top of the B52. No fun dripping fuel tanks in the summer.
Ha, Ha! Function over form. The "cop" in the pic, he'd be cooler without the "rug' also. But seriously, I hate/can't stand the heat either. I went to college in Texas, and bought a new Chevette for just that purpose, but it did'nt have A/C. The ventilation on that car was'nt too good, so I made some "air scoops" out of clothes dryer outlet "flaps" that I would place on the side windows, roll the window up, and the channel on top would help to hold the "scoop" in place. It worked, just not too well. So, I bought one of those "trucker fans" also. All it did was move the hot air around. So, dig deeper into your A/C problem, fix it right, and don't try other add-ons to compensate. Butch/56sedandelivery.
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