Need A/C advise

[djk1566]

I have a 70 ls5. The car did come equiped with A/C which was long gone when I puchased the car. I'm looking to add A/C back to my car, aftermarket of course, but I have been told by other big block owners it really does not work that good. In the FL heat anything cooler would help. Can anyone recommend a company that could give me what I'm looking for for my type of application. Thanks

 

[JohnZ]

Talk to the guys at Classic Auto Air in Tampa - their C2 system is excellent, and they may have a similar bolt-in system for the C3.

 

[redvet]

I agree with John Z. Also check out Vintage Air and Old Air Products.

 

[vett79]

I just completed a Sanden conversion using Hotrod Air bracket and 508 compressor. I used existing evap and condens coils and new accumulator and orfice tube. It will freeze you out and looks cool too.

Just another option.

 

[bossvette]

I just completed a Sanden conversion using Hotrod Air bracket and 508 compressor. I used existing evap and condens coils and new accumulator and orfice tube. It will freeze you out and looks cool too.

Just another option.

Welcome to CAC neighbor.
do you have part numbers and sources I would like to get the air working in my 76 also
Craig sr.

 

[djk1566]

Good stuff. I just picked up a system from Classic Auto here in Tampa. I plan on installing it this weekend and it seems fairly easy....i hope. They did say this should keep things VERY cool even with the heat from the headers. I;ll let you know how it works out.

 

[vett79]

Bossvette...........I'll dig the stuff out tomorrow and put it on here.

vett79

 

[vett79]

Bossvette...........the part numbers from Hot Rod Air are 13-4509 for the Sanden 508 compressor and 10-1130 for the bracket. I ordered custom hoses from Rays Auto Air and Heat (rayeveritt.com) and I got a replacement accumulator and orfice tube from Advanced Auto. I replaced the pressure switch as well. I think I mentioned earlier that I used the existing evap and condensor coils. The compressor comes with oil so it just had to be charged with 2.5 lbs of R134A.

Sounds easy but the whole thing only took 3 weeks in the evenings.

 

[Willcox Inc.]

We just did an install of the Hot Rod Air on a 69 conv. I agree with the post above.. It will literally freeze you out of the car. The only issue’s we had were two brackets were missing from the kit when we got it. The right dash pad is very tight to install when this kit is put in. But overall, this was the best kit we’ve ever installed. We have installed just about every type of a/c conversion kit there is. We have not had any luck with any of them until this one.

We were very apprehensive about installing this kit but the customer insisted he wanted to try it.. We made sure before we ever started the install that he was aware that it might but end up like other kits and not blow ice cold.

Down falls to this system for a non AC car.. It relies on a singe fan drive pulley to power the ac compressor. With some mod’s you can alter this with a few pulleys to drive like a factory air car using both the fan and the crank pulley. A single fan drive pulley for this compressor is an invite to a screeching belt when you turn the ac on.

We had a no ac car that we converted. The Hot rod Air kit tells you to use the factory “wiper plate” to run two of the hose’s to. Doing this would only blow air towards the center shifter plate and not on the driver. You can modify this by using the wiper plate form an original AC car. All you do is remove the butterfly from the back and attach the two hoses from the diverter box to it. This give you two dash vent deflectors that will blow just as an original kit ….BUT HARDER….

The controls…. I’m sure if given enough time I can make them work with the factory control.. But this was not our objective on this install. The only place you can mount them with out ruining a shift console or some other part is in the forward shift console extension.

I have some pictures of this install, but I don’t know how to get them on here. But anyone that want to view them can email me and I’ll send you what I have.

End result… 90 degree days with 50 percent humidity and the customer was cold as could be driving this car…

W

 

[bossvette]

Wilcox Install

Wilcox sent me these pictures by e-mail with these notes, looks like a clean install since they are a supporting vendor I posted the text in full

here is the e-mail
I have more of them, but this is the main configuration.

In the dash picture, you'll notice we mounted the controls for the unit on the console extension out of the way. If I would have had enough time, I would have made the controls function from the factory controls in the dash consol. But this customer did not car where the controls were he just wanted the a/c to work.

The inside shot is less the hoses and the brackets, but it's not that big of a deal. The hole on the left feeds a hose to the driver side outlet ball, the two center holes are for the center dash vent (adapter is included with the kit) and the right hose is for the right vent ball. The defrost and heater is controlled by the side outlet box on the left of the picture. (raised above the four hose adapters).

The compressor picture is as mounted.

Again, we had to switch the pulley on the car to an air car pulley system to make it work better. The single pulley drive off the fan blade is a bad design, but with this car and the stock pulleys we were not left a choice. We had to then go back and replace the pulley on the car since the compressor drag was to much for just a fan pulley.

If you look at the dash, we installed a AC center wiper plate which gave us the liberty of using the center dash deflectors just as an air car used.

Now another mod we made to the system was a step us solenoid for the carb. We used one from a later model car and bolted it to the driver side of the a/c. It, (like all early a/c cars from the 70's) will kick up the idle only when the compressor is turned on.

The car will freeze you out!

Feel free to post these pictures if you like, please include some kind of credit for them. You can post these notes if you like too!


Thank you,

HTTP://WWW.WILLCOXCORVETTE.COM
HTTP://WWW.WILLCOXCORVETTE.COM
HTTP://WWW.WILLCOXCORVETTE.COM
A complete wholesale web site designed for easy use and wholesale prices direct!

Willcox Inc. "For wholesale parts and prices visit our"
123 E. Maple Street "our web page listed below"
Jeffersonville, IN 47130 "All new Corvette parts sold at wholesale"

 

[MichelP]

You might want to check Vintage air systems. They just added a new complete bolt on package for 68 to 76 Vettes the part no is 964173PCU
Heres the link to the on line catalog where I found that.
It's called Gen IV Surefit.
http://www.vintageair.com/catalog.asp

 

[najar28]

We just did an install of the Hot Rod Air on a 69 conv. I agree with the post above.. It will literally freeze you out of the car. The only issue’s we had were two brackets were missing from the kit when we got it. The right dash pad is very tight to install when this kit is put in. But overall, this was the best kit we’ve ever installed. We have installed just about every type of a/c conversion kit there is. We have not had any luck with any of them until this one.

We were very apprehensive about installing this kit but the customer insisted he wanted to try it.. We made sure before we ever started the install that he was aware that it might but end up like other kits and not blow ice cold.

Down falls to this system for a non AC car.. It relies on a singe fan drive pulley to power the ac compressor. With some mod’s you can alter this with a few pulleys to drive like a factory air car using both the fan and the crank pulley. A single fan drive pulley for this compressor is an invite to a screeching belt when you turn the ac on.

We had a no ac car that we converted. The Hot rod Air kit tells you to use the factory “wiper plate” to run two of the hose’s to. Doing this would only blow air towards the center shifter plate and not on the driver. You can modify this by using the wiper plate form an original AC car. All you do is remove the butterfly from the back and attach the two hoses from the diverter box to it. This give you two dash vent deflectors that will blow just as an original kit ….BUT HARDER….

The controls…. I’m sure if given enough time I can make them work with the factory control.. But this was not our objective on this install. The only place you can mount them with out ruining a shift console or some other part is in the forward shift console extension.

I have some pictures of this install, but I don’t know how to get them on here. But anyone that want to view them can email me and I’ll send you what I have.

End result… 90 degree days with 50 percent humidity and the customer was cold as could be driving this car…

W

I have a non a/c 72 350 with power steering and just bought a hotrod air system. Can you tell me what pulleys I need to modify it like your installation.
Also, where did you install the control panel? Did you use the vacumm control area under the stearing columm? If so, where did you relocate that?
Thanks,
N28

 

[TimAT]

I just installed the dash portion of the Classic air system in the 74. Very high quality, excellent fit, and looks great. Added bonus of getting rid of all the junk hanging on the front side of the firewall which will allow great access to the #6 and #8 spark plugs, and also the starter wiring from the top. If the rest of the system fits as well, I'll be grinning like a Possum in a Peach tree.

And another thing- the Classic Air system uses the factory control.

 

[najar28]

Did you install the control panel that comes with the kit or did you modify yours on the console to control the system?

 

[najar28]

Thanks