Air Condition on a 66 stepeide?

[The Hogdoctor]

I am retired and one of the projects that I am working on this year is a 66 stepside.This truck has been in my family and has only 70000 miles on it but they are hard miles.I have bought a 1978 Chevrolet with a 350/350 turbo,air,power prakes and cruise control for a doner truck.
My question is could I remove the heater box from the 66 and install the air condition cold box with heater out of the 78? Or would it be cheaper and simpler to go to Vintage Air.
I have plenty of time on my hands to do this.Has anyone ever tried this?

[jgrh64]

I was wondering about that myself mine has the underdash hangdown unit now and I'd rather incorperate it.hardest part would be all the air doors and updating the levers from vert. to horiz.

[Woogeroo]

http://woogeroo.home.mindspring.com/autolinks/ac.html

links to sites that sell a.c units for old cars/trucks.

Vintage air... and one of the other ones linked there... I think... sell a kit that fits under the dash.

The Automotive Air Conditioning Information Server - linked at url above... has a forum for all kinds of ac/heater questions, plus tech articles and stuff. If it can be done, I guess they would know about your more specific questions... from your post.

20. 1964-66 Chevy / GMC truck:
Complete System:
Evaporator kit:
Condenser kit:
Uses original heater control panel. Please state standard or deluxe (3 lever) control.
Options: Polished stainless condenser trim kit.

that is from this place:

http://www.classicautoair.com/perfect-fit.asp

Another place to check if you want a kit... nothin' wrong with makin' yer own.

Good luck.

-W

[jgrh64]

Well $1000 may not seem allot to some of you but it's a fortune to others.If sombody knows about using junkyard parts I'd be curious to see what they did.

[Vaughn]

The GM A/C units are increadibly bulky. You could do it with one of them, but you would have to hack and slash to do it.

If you want a junkyard setup, think about using an A/C unit from a compact car (I've heard of someone using a chevette A/C) or from a Jeep. The Jeep cherokee unit is fairly compact and reliable, but a fresh air intake would need to be adapted up into the cowl panel.

GMC Paul has Old Air complete A/C units on sale for $865 which is a good price. If you do buy a kit, buy your own Sanden A/C compressor - this is what they overcharge you on. Vintage Air has theirs listed at $400+, when you can get one from the parts store for $150 or so.

[Woogeroo]

A thousand bucks is some cash to me... my '65 doesn't have AC. However, you get what you pay for... a thousand bux for something that continously works anytime it's hot outside and the engine is running...

So... it's what it is worth to you...

-W

[coolair]

Vaughn - VA has there compressors for $400.00+??? You need to check your facts --- $199.00 - $249.00 polished with a year warranty - 3 year warranty with complete kit!! Prices available online @ www.vintageair.com.

I am bias because I work for VA but I would rather have a new kit with a warranty that works than make something work from a 78 pu that didn't work that well when new or one from a Chevette?? We offer a system designed for the truck for $1095.00 NEW w/3 year warranty or you can do a cool only hang below the dash for around $800.00. In my 65 CPU, I'm going the custom route and installing a Gen II Compac and plan on routing the lines in the fenderwell to keep a clean engine compartment along with modifing the dash for the controls and vents - so a custom system would cost a little more depending on how fancy you want it.

If anyone had any question about A/C systems or what your options are - contact me and I'd be happy to go over your options.

Sorry, didn't want this to sound like a VA ad but just wanted to get the facts straight.

Mark

[decodan]

Hey,
Just My Two Cents...
I have installed several VintageAir units. Even if they do not have a unit specifically for your truck you can get one of their Gen II units and make it look factory. I have cut holes in the dash and installed their louvers and it looks like a factory unit with nothing hanging on the dash. I would go the VA route too. Dan

[jgrh64]

if it was a daily driver maybe I could justify the expense,but not for a toy.I've worked enough on older systems and they are pretty simple,I don't mind tweaking things every now and then especialy for 1000 hard earned bucks.

[zenish]

take some pictures as you do it.

[Vaughn]

All I can tell you is what I was quoted by VA, coolair.

I'm sure that you do your best to provide a good product, installed correctly by competent people. I am not trying to flame you personally, or belittle the company you work for. However, I will never buy from VA. Every time I have talked with a VA rep I have been treated badly and have received (what I believe to be) inflated quotes.

For example, I asked one of the VA reps when they planned to include a fresh air system with their A/C units, and the answer was blunt and rude - Never.

Fresh air might not be important in Houston, but during freezing temperatures it helps to remove the frost on the windshield. Outside air is nearly devoid of moisture during cold weather/high altitude, and inside a vehicle there is a significant amount of moisture because of the warm air and humans exhaling. The fresh air system helps eliminate frost quicker. Sort of important in colder climates.

There are quite a few people out there that will never buy from VA because of the attitude displayed when people were talking to VA reps.

[The Hogdoctor]

This truck will be driven only on weekends or maybe to a local car show when I am finished. I might try to make the 78 air work on the 66 first and if it looks like crap I will buy Vintage air.
Thanks for all of you alls comment and info.

[coolair]

Sorry you feel that you have been treated badly or quoted inflated prices. Maybe you didn't get the answer you were looking for??? but I can KNOW you were not quoted anything other than list price and prices can be verified by looking @ our price sheet that is sent with every catalog and is down-loadable from our web site (maybe they quoted a compressor w/mounting bracket??). Our Authorized Dealers on the other hand can sell our product for what-ever price they want, be it under, same as, or over suggested retail price.

As for the answer to the "fresh air inlet" it is "never" for several reasons. This and every other aftermarket A/C system, was originaly designed to be used in street rods/customs that were never designed to have A/C in the first place, with very limited room, thus the evaporator had to be very compact/small to fit behind a dash of say a 32 Ford/50Chevy/etc - so to make the sytem work properly (38-40 degree vent temp) we have to use inside air (re-circulate) so you don't have to constanly remove heat from hot, humid air. On all newer cars/trucks that I know of - "Max Air" is recirculated air and typically blows out 10-20 degree cooler air than in the normal outside air mode. On later model vehicles such as our trucks, there is a cowl that you can draw this fresh air in from but on a 32 Ford (or any other street rod), where are you going to cut a hole to duct this air into the car?? There isn't any. Also, most of our customers do not want to "see" the unit either under the dash or in the engine compartment as they want a clean, custom look with a smooth firewall, not a big ugly plastic box in the engine compartment or an air inlet.

You are absolutly correct on the defrost and how fresh air effects clearing the W/S. This is why on all of our systems we turn the A/C compressor on in the Defrost mode to help remove the humidity that a human body produces. A system with a vacuum HCV is harder to control and can fog up the window in extreem conditions of CO. This is why the universal Gen II systems with adjustable HCV valves work much better than some of our Sure-Fit kits with a vacuum valve in the defrost mode. The new Gen IV systems will be even better in this area.

I guess the bottom line is 90%+ of our customers do not install our systems in thier daily drivers or at least put them away when the snow flys. Vaughn, it sounds like you drive your truck year around in a very cold climate and am sorry you are not happy with the defrost performance of our system in your truck/climate, at this time I do not have a better answer for you. However, I'm guessing Hogdoctor living in AL, will not have such extreem conditions and was looking for info on A/C and not that concered with defrost (at least what I read into it). This all started because I didn't feel it was fair to throw out a very false price of an item from a specific company (VA or anyone else) just because you have had a bad experiance on a totaly unrelated topic than what the Thread was originally started.

Again, if anyone has any questions/problems - let me know I'd be glad to help anyway I can, including you Vaughn.

I will get off my soap box now.......Thanks, Mark

[coolair]

Sorry you feel you have treated badly or quoted inflated prices. Maybe you didn't get the answer you were looking for??? but I can KNOW you were not quoted anything other than list price and prices can be verified by looking @ our price sheet that is sent with every catalog and is down-loadable from our web site (maybe they quoted a compressor w/mounting bracket??). Our Authorized Dealers on the other hand can sell our product for what-ever price they want, be it under, same as, or over suggested retail price.

As for the answer to the "fresh air inlet" it is "never" for several reasons. This and every other aftermarket A/C system, was originaly designed to be used in street rods/customs that were never designed to have A/C in the first place, with very limited room, thus the evaporator had to be very compact/small to fit behind a dash of say a 32 Ford/50Chevy/etc - so to make the sytem work properly (38-40 degree vent temp) we have to use inside air (re-circulate) so you don't have to constanly remove heat from hot, humid air. On all newer cars/trucks that I know of - "Max Air" is recirculated air and typically blows out 10-20 degree cooler air than in the normal outside air mode. On later model vehicles such as our trucks, there is a cowl that you can draw this fresh air in from but on a 32 Ford (or any other street rod), where are you going to cut a hole to duct this air into the car?? There isn't any. Also, most of our customers do not want to "see" the unit either under the dash or in the engine compartment as they want a clean, custom look with a smooth firewall, not a big ugly plastic box in the engine compartment or an air inlet.

You are absolutly correct on the defrost and how fresh air effects clearing the W/S. This is why on all of our systems we turn the A/C compressor on in the Defrost mode to help remove the humidity that a human body produces. A system with a vacuum HCV is harder to control and can fog up the window in extreem conditions of CO. This is why the universal Gen II systems with adjustable HCV valves work much better than some of our Sure-Fit kits with a vacuum valve in the defrost mode. The new Gen IV systems will be even better in this area.

I guess the bottom line is 90%+ of our customers do not install our systems in thier daily drivers or at least put them away when the snow flys. Vaughn, it sounds like you drive your truck year around in a very cold climate and am sorry you are not happy with the defrost performance of our system in your truck/climate, at this time I do not have a better answer for you. However, I'm guessing Hogdoctor living in AL, will not have such extreem conditions and was looking for info on A/C and not that concered with defrost (at least what I read into it). This all started because I didn't feel it was fair to throw out a very false price of an item from a specific company (VA or anyone else) just because you have had a bad experiance on a totaly unrelated topic than what the Thread was originally started.

Again, if anyone has any questions/problems - let me know I'd be glad to help anyway I can, including you Vaughn.

I will get off my soap box now.......Thanks, Mark

[jgrh64]

:hj: