Vintage air sure fit kit 941164 condenser mounting question on a 66

[msg]

Anyone install the Vintage Air Sure Fit 941164 on a 66 and had to remove the cross bars? I called VA and they werent sure. Im a ways off from buying but wanted to be prepared for what tricky spots I might get into mounting in front of the radiator. I see Ill need to cut a hole for the hard line grommet.

[kberger]

The condenser assembly will fit without cutting the X brace, but I did remove it on my '64 to accommodate an auxiliary fan. I wasn't getting enough airflow through the condenser when stopped.

[msg]

Thanks for the reply, question on the condenser and airflow. Is that something you noticed with the engine temp gauge moving too far to hot? Ive just got the standard gauges in the cluster.

[AcampoDave]

I too had a condenser airflow problem and an overheating problem when I went with a/c. I had to uprade my radiator and fan and also made thin metal baffles to close the gap between the radiator and the condenser which forced the engine fan to pull thru the condenser

[Wrenchbender Ret]

I put their kit on a 70 c10 when I had it. The instructions said to remove the braces which I did. I didn't seem to have any problems from it.
I had the 4 core radiator with a 2800 cfm electric fan & never had o-heating problems.

[jeff_wilson70]

I installed mine without removing the x-braces. But I did upgrade to a 6 blade fan. A well sealed shroud is a must. I have had no overheating issues (1977 Gen I 350).

[verdell]

I installed VA this past September and didn't have to remove the X-brace. It's an awesome kit but be sure to follow the directions to the letter.

[vin63]

Here's how I mounted mine. I did have to mount the drier a little higher than the instructions call for to clear the X brace. The kit does call for cutting a hole underneath the battery tray for the hardlines, but the previous owner had cut a fairly sizeable hole in the radiator support to the passenger side of the battery (I think he had a front wench mounted at some point), so I enlarged and elongated the hole to accommodate the AC hoses passing through.

[kberger]

msg, No I wasn't having cooling issues, I was getting high head pressure on the compressor from too little airflow. The pressure switch was cutting the compressor out.

[msg]

Originally Posted by AcampoDave

I too had a condenser airflow problem and an overheating problem when I went with a/c. I had to uprade my radiator and fan and also made thin metal baffles to close the gap between the radiator and the condenser which forced the engine fan to pull thru the condenser

Lots to think about, the radiator I have I was thinking to have reconditioned (rodded and boiled out) and reuse it. Now Im getting concerned about the overheating. On the baffles you did, I think I get what your saying. Ill have to draft up a solution and see if its what you had done.

Originally Posted by Wrenchbender Ret

I put their kit on a 70 c10 when I had it. The instructions said to remove the braces which I did. I didn't seem to have any problems from it.
I had the 4 core radiator with a 2800 cfm electric fan & never had o-heating problems.

Sounds like you have a way better radiator than I currently have. Glad you never had issues.

Originally Posted by jeff_wilson70

I installed mine without removing the x-braces. But I did upgrade to a 6 blade fan. A well sealed shroud is a must. I have had no overheating issues (1977 Gen I 350).

Im hoping not to remove the bracing, glad you got it to fit. Ill see what kind of fan I have, the guy that did the power steering conversion ended up changing the water pump and the fan. It may be decent, looks out of place as far as its design. Ill try and post a pic of it later. I have the stock shroud I guess, had it sand blasted and I painted it up along with all the other stuff. Ill post a pic..is it not a well sealed shroud you think?

Originally Posted by verdell

I installed VA this past September and didn't have to remove the X-brace. It's an awesome kit but be sure to follow the directions to the letter.

Good deal! I will do my best to follow the directions.

Originally Posted by vin63

Here's how I mounted mine. I did have to mount the drier a little higher than the instructions call for to clear the X brace. The kit does call for cutting a hole underneath the battery tray for the hardlines, but the previous owner had cut a fairly sizeable hole in the radiator support to the passenger side of the battery (I think he had a front wench mounted at some point), so I enlarged and elongated the hole to accommodate the AC hoses passing through.

Thanks Vin for the pics that really helps. Looks awesome! Any overheating issues for you?

Originally Posted by kberger

msg, No I wasn't having cooling issues, I was getting high head pressure on the compressor from too little airflow. The pressure switch was cutting the compressor out.

Thanks kberger, so the added aux fan did the trick. Good to know.

[AcampoDave]

I've never seen a metal shroud as an original part for a '66. By then, the full coverage plastic ones were the norm. I'd try to get that figured out and get the real deal so as to improve the fan's air draw with a full coverage shroud. New plastic ones are availabe from Brother's and the like. It looks like you have the right set up for one already under the hood.

[msg]

I was checking out a few and not sure which is right for my 66 if I replace the metal one. Also how much customizing will I have to do to get it to fit vs the way the metal one is mounted you think?

https://www.classicparts.com/1963-66...tinfo/78-921/#

https://www.brotherstrucks.com/1963-...tinfo/FS01803/

[AcampoDave]

You see those two flat metal brackets on either side of the radiator? Right now your metal shroud is fastened to it as seen in post #10, but if you look you can see it has a few factory sets of holes running down its vertical edge. Those holes are where that factoy plastic shroud screws in with hex head screws. The holes are set up in pairs and I don't know why because the correct shroud only utilizes one hole from each pair for a total of six screws. Notice in my second pic that the shroud also has two holes per mounting location which are horizontally arranged. My shroud is mounted with the inboard holes. The screws at the bottom are a bear but easier done with a box wrench. Also the one by the battery is awkward and care should be taken that the vibration from the vehicle doesn't cause it to wear a hole in the battery's plastic case. Although this truck is not air conditioned, you can see that I sealed the shroud to the radiator using an old rear window gasket at the top (and bottom) edges of the plastic and there are factory rubber seals running verically inside the mounting flange. My 66 was missing the vertical seals so i made some out of heater hose and squeezed 'em in there.

[msg]

i really appreciate you taking the time to explain this AcampoDave. The images and the write up are very clear. Ill be putting an order in for some parts and add this shroud to it. I think the Brothers shroud looks the closest to the pics Ive seen so far of the original 66 shroud. I was looking at this thread here and read that I might need to order some clips that allow the bolts to thread through the holes

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=513207


I dug out the painted panels that the shroud will mount to, its been a while since I tore everything down. I guess the staple holes were for a seal strip on the left and right of the radiator. Is there a particular kind I should look for considering the heat that radiator will produce?

[vin63]

Originally Posted by msg

Thanks Vin for the pics that really helps. Looks awesome! Any overheating issues for you?

So far, so good. I switched to a pair of H.O. 12" Derale shrouded fans mounted in my radiator shroud, and they do a much better job than the previous 12" Perma-Cool fans I had. Before, the temps would creep over 200 degrees at idle in traffic even with both Perma-Cool fans on. With both Derale fans running, it will pull the temps down to 160 degrees.

[AcampoDave]

Originally Posted by msg

i really appreciate you taking the time to explain this AcampoDave. The images and the write up are very clear. Ill be putting an order in for some parts and add this shroud to it. I think the Brothers shroud looks the closest to the pics Ive seen so far of the original 66 shroud. I was looking at this thread here and read that I might need to order some clips that allow the bolts to thread through the holes

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=513207


I dug out the painted panels that the shroud will mount to, its been a while since I tore everything down. I guess the staple holes were for a seal strip on the left and right of the radiator. Is there a particular kind I should look for considering the heat that radiator will produce?

Correct, the hex heads thread into clips and the rubber was stapled. Those were the rubber seals missing on my '66 that I replaced by squeezing in a lenth of heater hose. Edit: looking at post 10, I see you are missing the baffle that bridges the long gap beteen the radiator tank and the core support. It also had a rubber seal stapled to it. My '66 had the baffle but not the rubber so I filleted a length of fuel or power steering hose and slid it across. See post 17

[AcampoDave]

Looking at my '66 , you'll see the aluminium radiator that I bought from Speedcooling.com. It's a 2 row but the tubes are fat. You can also see I went with a Flexolite 18" 6 blade fan with a Hayden2747 heavy duty clutch. The new 2 row pulley that I bought is still made by GM and it has a smaller diameter than the original. The mounting bolts were a tight squeeze and I seem to remember creating a bit more clearance on the inside of clutch shaft mounting slots with a round file. All gaps are sealed with rubber and the underneath view shows the light colored sheet metal baffle I used to seal the space between the condenser and the radiator. The bolts you see runing thru it are what I used to re-mount the lower radiator mount cradles. They had to be removed and widended a tad to accomodate the lower radiator tank. Also the condenser mounts slightly left of center so I actually blocked the far right 2 rows of the radiator from direct airflow because they were left exposed. Since i now have cooling to spare, it doesn't hurt to force all incoming air thru the condenser prior to entering the radiator.

[The Rocknrod]

A good hood latch seal keeps from loosing air also.

[msg]

Originally Posted by AcampoDave

Edit: looking at post 10, I see you are missing the baffle that bridges the long gap between the radiator tank and the core support. It also had a rubber seal stapled to it. My '66 had the baffle but not the rubber so I filleted a length of fuel or power steering hose and slid it across. See post 17

Is that a part that is available through aftermarket? I have been looking for it under the radiator parts and coming up empty.

Closest ive seen is for a 67 radiator cover

https://www.brotherstrucks.com/67-72...tinfo/RSC72BK/

Thanks for the pic on that, I assume its a long horizontal strip of a part with nothing extending vertically down the sides or anything. I like the power steering hose seal!

Originally Posted by AcampoDave

You can also see I went with a Flexolite 18" 6 blade fan with a Hayden2747 heavy duty clutch. The new 2 row pulley that I bought is still made by GM and it has a smaller diameter than the original.

Was the 2 row pulley needed for that particular fan blade or needed for the clutch part you added?

Originally Posted by AcampoDave

All gaps are sealed with rubber and the underneath view shows the light colored sheet metal baffle I used to seal the space between the condenser and the radiator. .

I should have some sheet metal to do this, I know Ive got some scrap air duct flashing panels.

Originally Posted by The Rocknrod

A good hood latch seal keeps from loosing air also.

Thanks, Ill add that to the list. In fact there is a bunch of stuff Im seeing that I guess I need to buy as well. I kept and organized all the parts as I removed them years back but they are probably in bad shape.

Like the mounting kit?
https://www.classicparts.com/1960-68...ctinfo/78-625/

Lower radiator mount pads?
https://www.classicparts.com/1963-66...ctinfo/78-749/

Of course new hoses and a new cap. I am hoping to have my existing radiator reconditioned and save some money vs a new one.

[AcampoDave]

I had to get the double groove water pump pulley so as to add the additional belt for the AC compressor. You will need a double on the crank as well. (or even a triple if you have power steering like me.) As for the radiator, I reused my same lower saddles and put new cushions. That radiator I bought was pretty decently priced, so I didn't even mess around. My opinion is that the factory radiator, even when new, is still inadequate for an airconditioned V/8 operating in triple digit ambient temperatures....especially in stop and go traffic. Add the extra demand of using it to cool an automatic transmission and you might find yourself shutting down the A/C to keep from boiling over just when you would enjoy it the most.

[msg]

Still waiting for the fan shroud to arrive its on backorder. I have a question on the fasteners Ill need to mount the shroud to the bracket. I assume its a bolt with lock washer and nut. What size/thread should I get? Looks like I need 6 from the diagram I see.

[The Rocknrod]

Where did you get that picture (drawing) of the fan shroud mounting?

[msg]

On page 335 of the 1960-1966 assembly manual

https://www.amazon.com/1960-1966-Che.../dp/B007L4U7EC


Its a little confusing to me the way the manual is set up, I look for what looks closest to what I have. Its scattered.

On that same page is this image also which looks more like what I had with the all metal shroud but it seems its not such a great shroud for air pull.

[cwcarpenter98]

Originally Posted by msg

On page 335 of the 1960-1966 assembly manual

https://www.amazon.com/1960-1966-Che.../dp/B007L4U7EC


Its a little confusing to me the way the manual is set up, I look for what looks closest to what I have. Its scattered.

On that same page is this image also which looks more like what I had with the all metal shroud but it seems its not such a great shroud for air pull.

This picture is for the 60-62 v8 automatic shroud. The picture you first posted is for the 63-66 v8

[msg]

Whew, thanks Christian cause I have already got that one ordered. You wouldnt happen to know the bolt sizes would you?