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Technical Air Conditioning

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Sgt. John, Jul 3, 2016.

  1. Sgt. John
    Joined: Nov 23, 2014
    Posts: 206

    Sgt. John
    Member
    from Virginia

    Question is I have a 56 non air Century 4Dr hardtop. My wife said why not put A.C. in the car... Question is HOW GOOD ARE THE UNDERDASH UNITS and is it a strain on the motor I have the alternator conversion and I'm getting 14.1 volts with the Halogen headlights on... And she wants to get it installed for a birthday present so we can cruise in comfort She says I'm getting old I will be 53
     
    Bruce Fischer likes this.
  2. manyolcars
    Joined: Mar 30, 2001
    Posts: 9,176

    manyolcars

    Whatever you do stay away from Old Air Products in Fort Worth or you'll be sorrry!
     
    325w likes this.
  3. Sgt. John
    Joined: Nov 23, 2014
    Posts: 206

    Sgt. John
    Member
    from Virginia

    Okay thanks. HOOAH !!!!
     

  4. 002.JPG Sgt John, 53, your just a PUP.. Wait till you hit 62 like me and you have to take ivpropane with your morning coffee to get moving..LOL. Bruce.WOW that's a old post from me now I am 66 and I take 2 ivpropane in the morning!!!!!LOL Bruce.
     
    Last edited: Oct 25, 2019
    kidcampbell71 and slack like this.
  5. Mr48chev
    Joined: Dec 28, 2007
    Posts: 33,861

    Mr48chev
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Cruising in comfort usually means more cruising and longer road trips. Those Mark IV style under dash units will usually freeze you out when you sit straight in front of one.
     
    need louvers ? likes this.
  6. Sgt. John
    Joined: Nov 23, 2014
    Posts: 206

    Sgt. John
    Member
    from Virginia

    Okay thanks ..I have 2 More years left in the Army National Guard and that will be 22 years and she wants me to retire
     
  7. You guys aint old!! My oldest daughter is 60. And I am still building, thank God.

    Ben
     
  8. Sgt. John
    Joined: Nov 23, 2014
    Posts: 206

    Sgt. John
    Member
    from Virginia

    I here you my friend I told her I'M ARMY. ONLY AIR FORCE USE AIR CONDITION !!!
     
    kidcampbell71 likes this.
  9. 1-SHOT
    Joined: Sep 23, 2014
    Posts: 2,693

    1-SHOT
    Member
    from Denton

    That's how you know the Air Force is coming, the air conditioners arrived in the first plane. I seen it happen many times.
     
    kidcampbell71 likes this.
  10. so_dak_kid
    Joined: Oct 12, 2010
    Posts: 324

    so_dak_kid
    Member

    1shot and Sgt. John, that explains why the army and marines never liked us Air Force guys, lol! Thank you for your service!
     
    kidcampbell71 likes this.
  11. dan griffin
    Joined: Dec 25, 2009
    Posts: 505

    dan griffin
    Member

    Make sure you run a engine driven fan with a shroud and buy a wide tall condenser. Box the condenser in so most of the air has to flow through the condenser. This will give you cold air at idle.
     
  12. Sgt. John
    Joined: Nov 23, 2014
    Posts: 206

    Sgt. John
    Member
    from Virginia

    Okay I was going to let an radiator place look at it also I have the ORIGINAL RADIATOR WITH THE SHROUD or will thenjoy radiator have to be changed.
     
  13. jimmy six
    Joined: Mar 21, 2006
    Posts: 14,802

    jimmy six
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    You may want to try it first if you have a rad in good condition. US radiator in Ca. can make you an Excellant one for AC. I believe they make 4 different grades for our older cars. Make sure it's copper/ brass. Good luck.
     
  14. Sgt. John
    Joined: Nov 23, 2014
    Posts: 206

    Sgt. John
    Member
    from Virginia

    OK thanks alot
     
  15. Ben, GOOD for you I am glad to hear that! Bruce.
     
  16. dan griffin
    Joined: Dec 25, 2009
    Posts: 505

    dan griffin
    Member

    That is why I joined the AIR FORCE.
     
    belair likes this.
  17. BumpTrunk
    Joined: Oct 24, 2019
    Posts: 6

    BumpTrunk

    My wife asked me the same, if I wouldn't love her, I would never do that, by me, it was okay to drive without A/C. I found a garage that could make this customization to my old '59 Chevy. The guys from https://www.socool.sg/ made quite a good work, now I admit that it is way better to drive the car than before.
     
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2019
    Ron Funkhouser likes this.
  18. raprap
    Joined: Oct 8, 2009
    Posts: 768

    raprap
    Member
    from Ohio

    Go with a Vintage Air system. They are easy to install and great products! I put one in my '40 and never had a problem.
     
    olscrounger likes this.
  19. southcross2631
    Joined: Jan 20, 2013
    Posts: 4,413

    southcross2631
    Member

    Vintage air is my go to for the people that want or need a/c and come to my shop for install.
    Adding an electric fan helps at idle or in slow traffic to keep the cockpit cool. At least down in the Florida summers it did. 2015-04-22 20.11.41.jpg
     
    olscrounger likes this.
  20. OLDSMAN
    Joined: Jul 20, 2006
    Posts: 2,422

    OLDSMAN
    BANNED

    Use vintage air, that’s what I have in my convertible. They have great products and tech line, I would never use any other brand
     
    olscrounger and j3harleys like this.
  21. jnaki
    Joined: Jan 1, 2015
    Posts: 9,295

    jnaki





    Hello,
    I have seen a lot of different A/C units in old hot rods. Before Vintage Air came to be popular, there were home set ups that worked well. (utilizing GM parts and hose kits for our 327 motor and others.) There were a lot of installers that did all kinds of A/C units. When the rotary compressor motors came out, the installs were much easier to set up and made the motor compartments much cleaner.

    In your photo/install, would it be possible to move or rotate the compressor motor to a lower area out of sight? Or at least , if not, rotate the compressor so those lines come from underneath to connect. In some of our old A/C compressors, it was possible to move or rotate the actual compressor as much as it could for clearance, as long as the belts aligned correctly. The hoses did not hinder the sight of the motor or valve covers. So, it looked like a much cleaner installation.

    Sorry, if this was a preliminary set up photo and the final install moved the hoses lower or somewhere else. If so, could we see the final installation photos? Thanks...

    Jnaki
     
  22. belair
    Joined: Jul 10, 2006
    Posts: 9,013

    belair
    Member

    I wish I had had air in this one. The hang-down will be all you want, and probably a simpler install in the car. Vintage Air is the best. If you go with the more expensive,(and better looking imo) complete AC/heat/up under the dash unit, they are more work, and will eliminate your current heater set up. Hang down is traditional and period-correct, although there were Buicks out there in 56 that had factory air.
     

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    kidcampbell71 likes this.
  23. Gman0046
    Joined: Jul 24, 2005
    Posts: 6,256

    Gman0046
    Member

    Vintage Air is the only way to go. They've been manufacturing A/C components for about 40 years. Tech support is great.

    What ever you do don't buy Southern Air they are garbage.
     
    olscrounger likes this.
  24. Sgt John , you aren't old wait till you hit 66 like me.You will start waking up saying HEY that didn't hurt yesterday.LOL.Bruce.
     
  25. demon452
    Joined: Dec 23, 2007
    Posts: 391

    demon452
    Member
    from Michigan

  26. Thanks for your service and congrats, you should be retired by now !
     
  27. southcross2631
    Joined: Jan 20, 2013
    Posts: 4,413

    southcross2631
    Member

    Finished product. The customer didn't want to pay enough for me to hide everything. One bracket for A/C compressor and Alt. Clean enough for the customer. 2015-09-17 12.54.59.jpg 2015-09-09 11.15.21.jpg
     

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