Technical Traditional Air Conditioning

Very nice and a good job my friend!Bruce.

 

That's what it's for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Looks great! Been looking around, have about decided to go with a heat and cool unit for my car since the original heater is shot.

 

When I was a kid in Nebraska, our traditional a/c was roll down the windows and go 80. That's as old school as it gets.

 

Frigette underdash AC were built in OKC. Being in Oklahoma I have been accumulating a few of them. Tonight going to look strato V like squirrels at the beginning of the thread. I have one very similar already it maybe a later version controls are a little different. These look really at home in pickups.


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Grabbed some old Mark IV s too. Knobs were disintegrating but got some replacements from nostalgic air.




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I had to do a double take on this thread when I was scrolling through the replies and saw a reply from Falcon George I realized the thread is about 5 years old. HRP

 

yeah, I sold the suburban 3 years ago

 

When I find an old evaporator unit that looks good I'll be in touch guys to pick your brains. Missus hasn't ridden in my avatar since I bought it, says got to have aircond first.
Got all the rest off the motor donor vehicle.
Australia is a pain, got to pay for regass can't do yourself and it's pricey.

 

isn't it cooled off down there enough for her by now?

 

Ya did good.
Been saving an old sears unit for the same thing.

 

Any car I part out I pull the ac . This old parkomat came from a 58 ford ranch wagon, even worked when I put the juice to the fans
I’m guessing those grilles were white new?
Think with a mig welder and some 20 gauge scrap one could make some new ones.





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Another Frigette I pulled from a 55 Pontiac. It cleaned up nicely


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1958 Impala air conditioning
Hello,

Having looked at add on air conditioning units under the dash and on the floor, they were not good for us. It took up too much room in the 58 Impala and some of them had an unusual odor that came out when the motor was turned over. Perhaps, it was mold or clogged with dirt for the used ones.

So, we thought the best way for air conditioning was to roll down all of the windows, turn in the small wind wings and open the lower air vents under the dash. That cooled us off from the summer heat in So Cal and when that cool air blew into the interior, it was just right. But, when we took the Impala to the beach several times, it just needed something else. So, my brother got a couple of wire mesh back coolers from Pep Boys.
Pep Boys special
Those wire back seat cushions made the air flow around the backsides and cooled everything off.

Jnaki

It did not help matters that my brother and I had Sure Fit, Zink Corporation clear plastic seat covers on the interior seating areas. But, our friends did not have to ride around in the 58 Impala if it was not pleasurable, despite those clear plastic seat covers. At least, we had the cleanest interior of all of our friend’s cars.

Over the years of daily usage, those wire mesh seat back cushions did their jobs, but had to be replaced many times over, in mild weather to hot weather of So Cal.

Plus, the extra A/C belt or pulley did not rob the valuable horsepower so we could not be competitive at Lions Dragstrip with the 1958 Impala. Every ounce of horsepower was necessary to win in the A/Stock class.

 

the one on the brochure looks just like the AC that came in that 58 Chevy wagon I used to have.

 

Did it cool down the whole wagon? I have a 58 wagon as well I thought about hanging The old 5859 model Mark four in it. I think after bench testing them all that one actually put out the most fan speed


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This one isn’t the cheapest one but I have dealt with these guys before. I actually put a sandon compressor on my 95 Chevy work truck to replace the pancake compressor. It works much better.



https://nostalgicac.com/complete-ac...niversal-a-c-system-select-an-evaporator.html


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The old add on underdash AC doesn't really cool down an old car, especially a wagon, very well at all.

The 67 plymouth wagon with factory AC we had when I was a kid, had a rear ac unit across the ceiling, behind the rear seat. The AC hardly ever worked, but when it did, it would cool the whole car ok. Then quit working. But this was in Tucson, maybe it doesn't get so hot in OK?

 

Oklahoma summers are usually brutal. Hot and humid +100's from end of June to Labor day weekend. I had been thinking about that shower curtain idea behind the back seat. Of course insulation in the roof and floors to boot. Of course door seals, window rubbers can make a big factor as well. Did the AC in the suburban do well on the highway?

 

The suburban ac blew cold air, too cold for many situations, and the air wasn't distributed well. We were a lot less picky about HVAC in the 1950s and early 60s...by the mid 60s, factory installed systems were pretty decent. when they worked.

 

This is a really good book on the history of automotive air conditioning.


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I'll guarantee you R-12 cools a lot colder than 134 or the newer shit. Lippy

 

Can those cool cushions with the square felt strips between each long coil spring still be found ? My Uncle, a bus driver in San Antonio in the late '50s, had a couple that the covers came off and you dipped the spring/felt assembly in water or squirted it with the hose, shook it a bit, and replaced the cover. When the wind blew through the cab, your back and butt stayed cool.

 

Hello,

The local auto parts stores usually carry them in the accessories section. But, these pandemic days you might try Ebay or Amazon. It is fast and much safer. (Under: wire cool cushions…” I found tons of them on amazon and the same thing with Ebay. Just make sure the sellers have over a 90% rating. They have improved the original ones we bought at Pep Boys back then when we were teenagers.

Jnaki

They worked and people laughed when they saw them in our cars. (58 Impala, 40 Ford Sedan Delivery and 65 El Camino) But our cool backs were the goal. All of the windows and vents were open. If you did not want them open, then just the wind wings angled toward you was the low cost, working air conditioning.

 

A fella gave me this unit and compressor that I think he said he took out of a 58 Chevy. I could be wrong about that. It’s huge and I’ll probably never use it, but I hate to see old stuff like that tossed in the scrap.

 

ronzmtrwx,

If you aren't going to use that, I've been looking for an A/C unit for my '56 pickup!

 

that is what they used for dealer installed AC in 58 chevy cars, also for a few years after that (at least through 1961). They also started using it in Chevy trucks starting in 1959, the 59 shop manual supplement has all the info on how to service it. I was going to install mine in my 59 truck, but decided against it.

 

@ronzmtrwx, see above post 56.

Phil

 

I like the old units. I googled under dash AC a while back and found hundreds of units of all shapes and sizes. With guys wanting “built in” look of today with painted or upholstered panels under the dash it’s ez to see one of these plastic units fitted to do it. The 2 vent MarkIV’s were always my favorite but are a little bulky. I installed one in our 65 Chevelle and it cooled great. Some of the slimline one for pickup trucks of the 60-70’s look great but nothing as nice as Jim’s.

 

That's a nice looking under dash unit!