Vintage air or Hot Rod air A/C?

[KTM]

I bought couple weeks ago nice driver condition ´64 coupe. It has nice options (L75, M20, A31, A01, C60, U69 and leather seats). Only bigger problem is that A/C is not working. It came partly in car, partly in box and plastic bag.

My idea is replace remains of factory A/C with new Vintage Air or Hot Rod air A/C, but which is better? Any recomemdations?

And of cource here is picture of my ´64

 

[gmjunkie]

I'm familiar with Vintage Air and like there kits!!

If your car has a Factory unit,I'd repair it!!

 

[61vette]

Nice car, repair factory air,makes car worth more.Ace

 

[dwyoes]

Absolutely beautiful car. Factory or Vintage depends really on what you want the car for.

If you plan to make it a trailer-queen investment, then go factory. If you want to drive it (what it was made for IMHO!) then Vintage Air is the way to go. Vintage Air is a modern 134A system with NO VACUUM CONTROLS! If you restore the factory air, you'll be repairing it over and over again.

How hard is it finding Corvettes in Finland?

 

[KTM]

Absolutely beautiful car. Factory or Vintage depends really on what you want the car for.

If you plan to make it a trailer-queen investment, then go factory. If you want to drive it (what it was made for IMHO!) then Vintage Air is the way to go. Vintage Air is a modern 134A system with NO VACUUM CONTROLS! If you restore the factory air, you'll be repairing it over and over again.

How hard is it finding Corvettes in Finland?

This car is nice driver and I like to keep it like that. Maybe Vintage is correct way to go, but does anybody have any experience of Hot Rod Air?

It is relatively easy find Corvettes in Finland if you like C3 - C6 cars. C1 - C2 are much more harder to find. Myydään Chevrolet Corvette - Nettiauto here you can check availability and prices of Corvettes today. Most really good and rare cars will change owners with out public advertising.

 

[dwyoes]

Vintage Air

No experience with HotRod air. I've installed a Vintage Air system in my Dad's '57 Bel Air and it went in very easily and works great. I'm just now prepping for the install in my '74 Vette, assuming that I get the wiring harness reinstalled in the next several years. ;help

Do your homework when you buy. Vintage Air does not sell directly, you have to go through dealers. eBay is probably the cheapest place to buy, and it really doesn't matter because most of the system is shipped directly from Vintage Air regardless of who you buy it from. (And they all carry the same 3 year warranty) I got mine for less than $1150, and it includes everything except refrigerant, belts, and pulleys. Unlike some vintage systems, it uses the stock Corvette heater controls, and adapts them to electronics that control the servo motors. Pretty slick system.

 

[67vet]

KTM, if you go with vintage air, I would suggest that you keep every part of the original that you remove. That way if you or someone else down the road decides to go back to original you are in better shape.
You have a very nice looking Corvette.

 

[Kid_Again]

yup, I have Vintage Air and like it.

You MAY want to keep the existing AC and convert it over to R134a refrigerant. Since you have to pull out the entire old to put in the new, it's the same amount of work and the car will look better (IMHO) with the factory air.

Yes, yes, people will complain that this won't work as well as a new Sanden compressor designed for 134 but around here, some guys just argue nits to death.

 

[Viet Nam Vett]

I have The Hot Rod Air System... Mine cranks down to 34 *..!!! Plus...it uses the excact same heater in an out lines in the stock location on the firewall. No need to run all four lines thur the blower opening.. That's a big rats nest.

Plus it uses a Dual Spal Fan motor with two cage blowers. I think it's the better buy then the rest. Of course there all still a pain to install. The HRA system uses hard lines under the dash to the main unit . No rubber lines to breake under the dash as with the others and...it doesn't hang down into the passenger foot welll like the rest do.

But as "61 Vette" stated.. I would try and restore and install the fac unit... They worked pretty well. Plus you'll have a neat driver with fac Air..

 

[KTM]

Thank you every one for replys. I cheked yesterday what I have and one thing came out and without suprise: Parts are in car, in box, in plastic bag and ofcourse missing.

Now I have to deside what to do, but your comments has been great help