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I used to think that A/C in a classic car was for wimps.

Started by Kern Dog, June 18, 2017, 09:50:12 AM

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Kern Dog

Now I am rethinking my position.
Not that I live in Phoenix or Georgia but I think I'd enjoy the car more with a properly working heater and A/C system. MY 70 Charger is an original A/C car but ever since I bought it in 2000, the heater has not worked, the A/C stuff was pulled and tossed when I installed the 440 in 2001 and it has been a Spring and Fall car since then.
I used to see cars at shows with the hood up and be disappointed to see the big A/C compressor and lines in there. The beauty of these older cars includes the uncluttered engine bay free of the mile of hoses and other stuff newer cars have. Lately I have considered how I would drive this car more if I was not limited to just a few months per year. It has never been an issue of the cost. The "Vintage Air" and "Classic Auto Air" kits are around $1500 from what I see. In November 2015 I put in new Dakota Digital gauges and Neon SRT 4 seats. OEM stock has not been of interest to me so an aftermarket A/C system with a different control panel is fine by me. I'd enjoy the ability to drive comfortably in 100 degree weather like I do in my 2007 Ram or the Wifes car.
I know that will have to call he companies direct to know for sure but in the meantime, I have a few questions that maybe can be answered here.
Are there provisions to fit a replacement system in an original A/C car that eliminates all the vacuum controls to simply run with electrics? I'd prefer to be all electric because if I want to run a bigger cam one day, I'd prefer to not have vacuum be a consideration.
I also wonder about where to mount the compressor. I recall seeing them mounted below the alternator before in some cases. I like the idea of tucking it out of sight but I don't recall how the hard lines were routed. I have 2" TTI headers that could pose a clearance problem. Would the hard lines run through the fender apron and come back into the engine bay near the firewall? Thanks for the help.

cdr

LINK TO MY STORY http://www.onallcylinders.com/2015/11/16/ride-shares-charlie-keel-battles-cancer-ms-to-build-brilliant-1968-dodge-charger/  
                                                                                           
68 Charger 512 cid,9.7to1,Hilborn EFI,Home ported 440 source heads,small hyd roller cam,COLD A/C ,,a518 trans,Dana 60 ,4.10 gear,10.93 et,4100lbs on street tires full exhaust daily driver
Charger55 by Charlie Keel, on Flickr

BDF

Same issues / thoughts here (except I do not have 2" headers).
Will be watching this one  :popcrn:

M5Ivan

Kern Dog - I had the same thought last summer when I left it at home too many times when it was too warm out. I bought mine to drive it!
I installed the majority of my Classic Auto air system over last winter. I have a factory a/c car and everything in the engine bay had been removed at some point and all that was left was the box under the dash, the controls and the valve at the firewall. The CAA system eliminates the vacuum controls and replaces them with electric controls that mount in the same spot. The hard lines aren't hidden in the CAA system and at some point I'll work on cleaning up the lines, but it doesn't bother me.... I'm too busy enjoying my ice cold a/c  :icon_smile_big:
I think the Vintage system hides some of the lines, but I'll let others chime in who have experience with it.


alfaitalia

If it hasn't got air con...I dont drive it! Even in cold damp GB we get hot days...well over 80 today for example. Although in reality I use it for demisting the car more than chilling it!  On Charger the it will be an issue though....too many other things being belt driven...but, money permitting, it will have AC when its finished.
If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you !!

Mopar Nut

Don't be a sissy Greg, roll down the windows and let the air blow.   :icon_smile_big:
"Dear God, my prayer for 2024 is a fat bank account and a thin body. Please don't mix these up like you did the last ten years."

69wannabe

If I had a factory a/c car I would have it working for sure at this point but my car is a non a/c car and after looking at the aftermarket kits and seeing how you have to butcher the firewall just to get it in there I decided to leave mine alone. I got three jeep grand cherokee's with working a/c so if it's too hot I will just drive one of those.

polywideblock

aussie air cond , all windows down and don't drop below 45 mph  :rofl:


  and 71 GA4  383 magnum  SE

Bronzedodge

I like having my AC on, especially at full throttle.

Mopar forever!

krops cars

Vintage air has a kit a friend of mine put in. The kit hides the hoses. It looks really good. The hoses I believe run in side the fender well.

Todd Wilson

Quote from: Mopar Nut on June 18, 2017, 10:57:09 PM
Don't be a sissy Greg, roll down the windows and let the air blow.   :icon_smile_big:

HAHA!   I remember as a kid in the 70's going on family trips. All day long hundreds of miles with the hot wind beating in on you thru the open windows.  You were dry and numb by the time you got to where you were going! Fun times!


Todd

BrianShaughnessy

Just had a Classic Air kit dropped off at my door for Sinnamon.   :2thumbs:
Black Betty:  1969 Charger R/T - X9 440 six pack, TKO600 5 speed, 3.73 Dana 60.
Sinnamon:  1969 Charger R/T - T5 440, 727, 3.23 8 3/4 high school sweetheart.

Offblue

I too had the AC ripped out of my 68 before i bought it, i live in the city and the drive to the highway is excruciating, the heat through the firewall could cook an egg, same issues with my friends 67 mustang ... needless to say i will be putting a modern AC unit or the like your looking at.


morepower

yeah no a/c plus vinyl seats equals a sweaty mess. i'd be okay putting a system in my car that did not require the factory huge a/c box.
1968 Dodge Charger 496 Sublime Green 3.91 torqueflite. Built to drive. Best ET 11.73 at 117

2010 SRT Dodge Challenger 6.1 Hemi Orange 5 speed automatic. Daily Driver. Best ET 13.4 at 105

JR

Mine was a factory AC car, but the previous owner removed the underhood stuff and left the box.

By my calculations, the original heat/AC box weighed 495,351 tons, (give or take a few oz.) So I happily removed it and will convert to a modern, electronic controlled unit when the time comes.

The original vacuum stuff seems needlessly heavy and complex.

I can't wait.
70 Charger RT top bananna /68 Charger RT triple green

F8-4life

I bet your 70 charger thinks your a wimp for even considering a/c!

M5Ivan

Quote from: JR on June 19, 2017, 12:44:34 PM


By my calculations, the original heat/AC box weighed 495,351 tons, (give or take a few oz.)

Agreed! I managed to remove mine while my car was in a 10x20 storage unit through a half open drivers door  :brickwall: If I ever have to do that again it will be too soon!

gtx6970

I will not even consider buying an old car if it doesnt have A/C


I built a 1970 Cuda for a guy a couple years ago. We hung all aftermkt ac stuff on it. Works like a charm on 100 degree days.

charge69

I fully understand the need for A/C, especially living down here in SE Texas but ......... what about my car and cars like it? J-code R/T with original drivetrain in it !  As much as I would like to put A/C in it, I just cannot bring myself to do it !

moparchris

Today it's 116 in Phoenix with 120 projected for tomorrow and Wed.  It's to freakin' hot to even drive WITH A/C!!!!!!!!  If you're just driving it's fine but if you park and leave the windows up for more than 10 minutes the inside temp is over 140-150. 
Hence my hemi C500 only gets driven from Oct. to April.  Can't cut that one up for aftermarket air.
:flame:

DeltaV

I hate the engine bay clutter of an air conditioning system. My '70 is a factory original 383 magnum, 4 speed car. In my mind it makes no sense to have air conditioning in this car. The windows are easy to operate while driving since they are powered.

The original owner of my '70 had an aftermarket a/c set-up installed after he purchased the car in New Jersey and moved to Dallas, Texas. Inside was one of those large, ugly units for busting up the passenger's knees. Under the hood was a hideous looking compressor that must be at least three times the size and weight of an RV2 compressor. All of the special brackets to hold the monstrous compressor weigh a ton too.

I removed the aftermarket air conditioning when I lived in Texas and it will not be reinstalled when I reassemble the car. I now live in Georgia where it gets hot and humid, but it is not as hot as Dallas and not as hot and humid as Corpus Christi.
Don't fight a battle if you don't gain anything by winning. - Erwin Rommel

Dans 68

One of the main reasons my newest project is a factory big block 4-speed A/C car. Very cool....   ;)

Dan
1973 SE 400 727  1 of 19,645                                        1968 383 4bbl 4spds  2 of 259

Kern Dog

Sort of a funny thing....
The A/C in my 2007 Ram has been acting up lately. I'm taking it in for repair tomorrow. Driving with the windows down in 80 degree weather is not bad. Doing so on a 100 degree day sucks ass because you are just getting beat in the head by hot air. After even a few minutes I am frazzled and dazed as if I had the radio tuned to some death thrash metal music. Who wants to drive something that beats your senses for every mile that you drive ?
Growing up in the 80s, nobody I knew kept the A/C in their street cars. It was dead weight and looked bad under the hood. The GM cars had that huge compressor that looked like a 2 liter bottle laying sideways. The Ford guys had that square block, the Mopar guys had the RV2 that was front and center like a small fridge in front of the carburetor.
While I never street raced for money, I liked the idea of a low optioned type lighter car. No power windows, door locks, sunroof or huge stereo system. The Charger was not intended to be a daily driver since I work in construction but I did want it to perform well. The Chevys I had before had to be emission tested so anything that added weight would only make the car THAT much slower than it already was.
I had a 73 then later a 76 Camaro, both A/C cars. In 1993 I bought my first vehicle with working A/C and after that, my daily driver always had it.  My 70 Charger now has cloth/leather seats from a Neon SRT 4 so its not as if I'm slipping around on sweat covered vinyl. Still, the smaller aftermarket Sanden compressors seem to look neater and more compact. My car has the ducting in place, the stock HVAC box, vacuum lines, everything except what used to be under the hood.
A Friend from San Jose has a 69 Coronet R/T that he drives MORE than his 2009 Challenger. Rain, 100 degree days and everything in between. He has some aftermarket A/C kit in it and after hanging out with him in Van Nuys, I think I am willing to put vanity aside and choose comfort.

bill440rt

I have a CAA system in my '69, works like a charm. Use the search function for the build thread of my car, the installation procedure is explained. This was put in a non-AC car. The only "hacking" involved drilling 2 holes in the firewall, and removing the passenger side vent box and installing their supplied block off plate using the original holes.
Their system has since been upgraded to all electric, and now uses their own switch assembly, which sorta resembles stock.

I'm seriously considering installing one in my '68, which has a stock appearing engine compartment. Maybe I'll just paint the compressor black or something so it blends in like a stock one.
"Strive for perfection in everything. Take the best that exists and make it better. If it doesn't exist, create it. Accept nothing nearly right or good enough." Sir Henry Rolls Royce