I have inherited my father's '39 Ford Deluxe Coupe, and it's time to get it back on the road where it belongs! It was actually his daily driver for a number of years. The 'ol flathead is still good (I believe it was 'recently' overhauled before he passed). If I were to "put an LS in it", he would crawl out of his grave and strangle me, so the flatty stays! (and I love it anyway!) I'm a cold-weather person (originally from MN), so I NEEEEED cold air!! I've seen air conditioning/alternator adapter brackets out there, and I guess Vintage Air may have a 'Universal kit' that I could adapt (?), and there's plenty of room on the firewall! Suggestions/guidance anyone ?? Side question: CAN the old flathead drive an AC unit? (and not 'only going down-hill' LOL)
Buy the biggest condenser you can stuff in front of the radiator, you can never have to much condenser.
The bracket that holds the compressor and alt. has very little belt wrap around the alt. pulley. This will cause belt squeal when a load is put on the alt. A larger diameter pulley on the alt. will help.
I have seen electric a/c units. So you don't need a compressor on the engine. The electric compressor can mount in the trunk. So the whole system can be completely hidden. Glad your keeping the flatly. Way more cool than a regular junk yard LS.
Generic A/C units might be difficult to fit in a '39 Ford. To followup on GIMPYSHOTRODS for the compressor mounts, consider getting the other '39 Ford specific parts from Vintage Air. This link on condensers will get you started. https://www.vintageair.com/search-results/?sqry=1939 condenser Russ
I've looked into the electric compressors as well. Most draw 60-80 amps. So you'll need a good 150+amp alternator. Good idea to have an electric radiator fan(s) too. Glad to hear you are keeping the flatty! I'm looking into electric power steering for my 59 right now.
THANKS, guys !!! Ummm ... I see "Defrost Ducts"! Have any of you put these in an early Ford. Kinda 'hate' to hack into the dash (but I'm sure I can make it look nice), and ... defrost WOULD be nice. Is there room for the ducts behind the dash a my '39. Anybody DONE this mod??
Electric compressor ... INTERESTING !! I'll look at that as an alternative. Yes, I already planned on a BIG alternator and electric fans. It already had the 12v conversion.
I designed this all electric self-contained roof mounted A/C unit for the Canadian military back during my days at Mobile Climate Control. Needed a 140A alternator, but they (Western Star) didn’t listen and several trucks caught on fire due to high amp draw resulting from the low voltage caused by the original 90A alternator. They eventually switched out all their alternators. You need huge wires to run such a thing, and we eventually had to make an electronic controller to limit motor in-rush current. I think it had a 3 hp motor (12VDC). It used a belt driven Delphi V5 variable displacement compressor. As you can see from the size, it was rather large, and was just barely able to keep the driver/passenger cool in the former Yugoslavia. My advice would be to stick with a conventional belt driven arrangement.
I had a/c on my 40 coupe worked really well till I got in traffic on a 90 degree day, then it would overheat, so I removed it, still had the overhearing issue found out the rad was plugged but didn't reinstall the a/c. I used the Old Air Products heat/cool defrost hurricane cap 1000/3000 unit that looks like the original type heater. In my 39 coupe it has a Ford 302 in it, I have Vintage air generation 2 mini unit that fits behind the dash but you don't have a glovebox any more. PM me if you need any more info on the 39 install.
Throwin' shit against the wall: Maybe something sticks. For some of us, or our wives, AC is a must have, tho not trad. The example of the electric compressor used, is way, I say 'way larger, heavier' than usable in a coupe. Pondered the possibles many times. The first edition of a later day, foreign make that claimed hi mpg wound up in my hands. I found that when starting out on a hot day ( actually any day ) that when the compressor ( engine driven ) was switched on, the engine didn't change pitch. The tach read the same,and the cool air came along after traveling 3 miles. ( Not the typical jerk of a load on the motor, a change in idle speed, and instant 40 degree air at the vents ) Once cooled the car stayed cool. By the 'puter read out, avg mpg was 41.
My flathead has ac, but I never use it. I've done so just to make sure it works, and it does. Mine's newer of course, amongst other changes, but here's setup:
Last year my friend Gary was trying out a 39 coupe and it had air and just had a simple Mark IV style under dash unit. I have used the VA style Air/Alt mount from Alan Grove and it worked good.
The variants: http://www.alangrovecomponents.com/Ford_Flathead.htm Vintage Air seems to source from Alan Grove. I have an Alan Grove bracket on one of my Fords, and it is identical to the one that VA sells.
There is a guy in Minnesota that has a '40 coupe with a blown flathead and has a/c. I have seen him drive around Back to the 50's with windows rolled up and a/c on a hot day. The car has been together for ever.
Now that was funny Flathead Dave! Could work though! My personal experience with AC in a 38 Ford Sedan with SBC was less than 100%. It worked okay on the highway in 90 degree weather but the the engine would warm up in traffic in town. Recently drove my buddies 40 sedan with SBF under similar conditions. It did okay for awhile but eventually started getting hot at mid 50's MPH drivig. I would not even try it on my 40 coupe with FH power. The cooling with the FH is just to marginal in my opinion. I know some guys will come on here and swear their FH powered car can pull mountains in 100 degree weather and sit at big city stop lights by the hour and the car and passengers all stay cool. I have accepted that I may just lack the talent to make mine do that. My recommendation is to not install AC. How do I enjoy my cars in the summer? Well I try to plan my driving times for early mornings or evenings.
THANKS for all the QUICK responses!! What a great group! The knowledge and experience is impressive!!! I think A/C will be a phase-2 thing. I'm going to get it running again in it's current config. I DO intend to put a new "pretty" aluminum radiator in it for phase 2, and the biggest condenser I can fit. I don't want to bite off more than I can chew initially - it needs paint and interior first. And I need to find all the things my Dad "fixed" hehe
And ... a story to add: Back in the late 70's, the exhaust system was about rotted out. We went to the original owner "back in the woods", and we were just talkin'. He says "wait a minute ... I might have ..." In the rafters in his OLD shop, there was a FULL exhaust system - front to back - WITH STICKERS ON IT !! Holy Crap! He says "I guess I could have given you that with the car ... it's yours". One old hot-rodder to another! As a kid, I played in an old Woodie he had "back in the woods".
Just because a radiator is aluminum and new doesn't make it better than the old copper radiator. Be aware that many flatheads have cooling problems on their own, caused by lots of rust/gunk in the water jackets of the block. You putting an aluminum radiator, with a giant wall of condenser in front of it, might throw it over the cliff. Also, be aware that a 39 deluxe will probably require a specific bracket set for your compressor. It's kinda an odd fit, not like a common 40 Ford. And don't be fooled that an electric fan would be the cure-all for any overheating or spacial problems.
If you've never spent much time in the car, I suggest fixing it so it will drive. Maybe, just maybe, you will enjoy it for the old car it is. Don't expect it to be a new Honda or Lexus.
Here is the install I did on my Dad's (now mine) '39 Deluxe CS. The compressor mount was from Mark at MCF. I did the rest. I was able to hide the heater hoses pretty well but not so with the A/C hoses. As was stated above I don't think the juice was worth the squeeze. It works ok cruising, but not great in traffic. It also really takes away from the clean under hood look of the car with the compressor and Alt sitting up top. This being more of an OT street rod example vs. a traditional hot rod.
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