add air conditioning ? 1972 C10
 

Any suggestions, advice for adding air conditioning to a 72 c10 currenty without...preferable on the least expensive side...


and don't say roll the windows down...lol or chop the top!

Re: add air conditioning ? 1972 C10
 

Start piecing it together from junk parts here and there? (ebay)

Re: add air conditioning ? 1972 C10
 

gather everything you need and then cut the firewall and weld in a ac panle and then cut the holes in the dash

Re: add air conditioning ? 1972 C10
 

Buy a $500 donor truck with AC...take off what you need and scrap it out. You will get most of your money back. You will probably find though once you piece it all together, weed out the bad stuff and juice it...You will be withing a few hundred dollars of a new systyem that will be right! A generic under dash unit may be your cheapest route!

Re: add air conditioning ? 1972 C10
 

There's a whole setup for sale on the parts board right now:D

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=449337

Re: add air conditioning ? 1972 C10
 

I put a factory system in my 71 last year, mostly using parts I bought from the forum, but a new compressor and condenser from Vintage Air. It works well, and there's no way to tell the truck wasn't A/C when it was built. But, it was not cheap! About the same cost as an aftermarket kit.
IMO, it comes down to whether you want fresh air (none of the aftermarket kits have fresh air intake; all factory set-ups do) and whether you care about the way it looks.

Re: add air conditioning ? 1972 C10
 

just bite the bullet and buy a vintage air unit

Re: add air conditioning ? 1972 C10
 

I'm looking at doing this in the future ( since it hits 115 degrees here in the summer), is it worth swapping it all into a non a/c cab or should I watch for a reasonably priced complete cab?

Re: add air conditioning ? 1972 C10
 

If the factory look isn't important than go with a aftermarket unit. JMHO

Re: add air conditioning ? 1972 C10
 

Yeah. I use Vintage Air (Because I've had good luck with them. And because my mechanical skill is limited to following directions...slowly). But for budget's sake, and if I were a better wrench,
I'd be all over the one on the parts board. That looks like a great deal.

Re: add air conditioning ? 1972 C10
 

The PO put a 1994 350 from a GMC Sierra into my 72.
Had the OEM Compressor, Woiring Harness, everything.
I had to buy a new Head Unbit, Rebuilt Compressor, (My Cab was already AC).
I had a professional do mine.
Final bill was about $700.00.

Re: add air conditioning ? 1972 C10
 

paying the premium for a new modern system will end up cheaper in the long run

40 year old ACsystems drain ALOT of power and gas mileage compared to the newer modern systems of today

Re: add air conditioning ? 1972 C10
 

I'm pretty sure it cost about the same to rebuild old stock stuff as a new vintage air setup. Alot less hassle and looks cleaner to just get new stuff.

Re: add air conditioning ? 1972 C10
 

The BEST thing you could do is go all OEM. Piece it together and just graft the firewall portion from a donor truck. Very little fabrication needed. The only real cutting is for the ball and upper center vents which, you would have to do anyway using the cheesy plastic louvers supplied by the after'mkt folks.
It will work better and you will be much happier....trust me I have been there and done that! If you do go with the original POA system (which I strongly suggest you do, DO NOT remove the POA in favor of the "El Cheapo" **POA Eliminator** kits that you have seen. Re-calibrate the POA to 27PSI for use with 134A (if you go that route) and get a good pump. I am using a Sanden 5-cylinder unit myself but if you want to keep it OEM'ish you can get a good dual-lipped front seal A-6 compressor or the new style The Pro6TEN Compressor which utilizes all of the OEM hoses in the stock location. Get a good parallel flow condenser with the maximum surface area as you can stuff in there. Some of the after'mkt folks have these in the correct size and configurations. Put all of the factory components in right down the the cowl flapper. This will put you way ahead of the rest of the pack (with the exception of this author :)) and you will be glad you did. None of the aftermarket suppliers will give you the fresh air blending option like the factory "Four Season" system had and you will be stuck with a system that is sub-par (in my opinion) for your application.

Your dollars, your decision.


Bud

Re: add air conditioning ? 1972 C10
 

This is your solution if you go all OEM. I used this compressor and it works fantastic.

Re: add air conditioning ? 1972 C10
 

Awesome! thanks again guys!

Re: add air conditioning ? 1972 C10
 

Stupid question time... what's the difference between fresh air... and non-fresh air? Never been in a situation where I've thought about fitting AC to a car/truck that wasn't fitted that way and I'm not sure of the difference.

Re: add air conditioning ? 1972 C10
 

When the switch/lever is on fresh air it is bringing fresh air from outside the car whether it be hot or cold. When it is on recirculate, it is just recirculating air from inside the car with none coming in from outside. This is the nice thing about OEM systems. On most underdash units, there are no provisions for bringing air in from outside. All air is just recirculated. The system I have been looking to use is pieced together using a 1999 compressor, 1975 Cadillac condensor(huge), and an older underdash unit. Don't know how this is gonna work together just yet, as I have not gotten to that phase just yet.

Re: add air conditioning ? 1972 C10
 

http://www.nostalgicairparts.com/air...system-351.php

Bought a '70 with one of these. seems to work well, but no hot weather yet!

Re: add air conditioning ? 1972 C10
 

[QUOTE=TobyArnot;4534587]http://www.nostalgicairparts.com/air...system-351.php

This is exactly the same one I am installing in my truck. It appears it requires a small modification to the heater box.

Re: add air conditioning ? 1972 C10
 

I'm doing the donor cab thing, I think I'm going serpentine settup. The parts will mostly be over the counter if I'm on a trip and things go south. I'm gonna adapt the new compressor and lines to make it over the counter-non special order parts. The only thing is in old cabs, is the Cond., Evap., and lines need to be cleaned(Rx11 flush) and pressure checked(nitrogen not air)and maybe replace TXV to go with 134-A. Just remember compressed air is almost putting water back in the system. Just a thought.

Re: add air conditioning ? 1972 C10
 

I agree, I have done several A/C installs. I like Classic Auto Air. ICEY COLD when done.

Re: add air conditioning ? 1972 C10
 

Posted by BOZO:
Did you get any kind of manual or parts list with this unit? I have tried e-mailing twice with no response. I'd love to have copies of any literature.

The PO installed the unit and kinda went over board on cutting the ductwork. I was able to repair the over-kill and get everything working O.K.

Good Luck!

Toby

Re: add air conditioning ? 1972 C10
 

Oh yeah, run the vacuum pump till it stops the girgling noise. If it still makes the girgle sound, you probably have a leak.

Re: add air conditioning ? 1972 C10
 

Sorry, no info. Bought mine from an individual. The complete setup I bought was originally for a 6 cyl. I have the 6 cyl. brackets and and older (upright) compressor and a rather small condensor that came with it that I am not going to use. I'm like you, I would like to have a little more info about this underdash unit before proceeding.
And to the fellow who started this thread, I apologize. It seems I/we highjacked your thread. I didn't intend to.