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Vintage air with OE dash trim and vents
Is anyone using OE dash trim on the passenger side with all 4 factory air vents instead of the cheap crap that comes with the vintage air kit?
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Re: Vintage air with OE dash trim and vents
Interested in this, I was going to pick up dash trim from the junkyard. Are the vintage air vents really that bad?
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Re: Vintage air with OE dash trim and vents
The kit comes with a new dash trim piece? I thought you had to cut out your original one with templates?
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Re: Vintage air with OE dash trim and vents
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Bad picture but what I did to keep uniformity was for the passenger vents I just trimmed the vintage air bezel (the long black piece) and make it mount behind the dash. So I had oe woodgrain then the dash, then the plastic which held the vintage air vents and all I did was drill 3 holes for the woodgrain threads to go thru and screwed the sandwich together.
Hopefully I explained it well enough but it came out pretty good and junkyard finds were in crappy shape and new ones were expensive. |
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Here is my factory non ac with the va add in vents that come with the non ac kit
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Here is it before I added in the vents. Sorry for all the posts. For some
Reason I can't upload more than 1 pic a post on my iPhone. Hope this helps! |
Re: Vintage air with OE dash trim and vents
That really looks good!
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Re: Vintage air with OE dash trim and vents
Im curious as well. been thinking about upgrading the oem a/c down the road. I have all new GM a/c vents sitting in a box so I`d hate to not be able to use them. Anyone know about running the vintage air set up for oem a/c trucks?
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Re: Vintage air with OE dash trim and vents
I thought so and I really wanted to match all the vents and the new ones seemed good enough for me. I just had to get creative for the passenger vent setup bc I love the woodgrain oem dash insert and va black plain insert looked cheap.
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Re: Vintage air with OE dash trim and vents
If your truck did not have factory air they include a reproduction for the passenger side and aftermarket vents that you cut into the instrument cluster. These do not fit the original ac cluster holes, you would need original vents for that.
If you have a factory air truck the kit has adapters to use the original vents. You can get the adapters from them if you install all or any of the original vents in a non air truck. |
Re: Vintage air with OE dash trim and vents
I would prefer to use all OE panels and vents. I just didn't know if the ducting will all mate up.
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Re: Vintage air with OE dash trim and vents
Duct hose is the same from the unit to the vents. You will just need the adapters that go on the back of the original vents to connect the duct hose to.
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Re: Vintage air with OE dash trim and vents
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Install instructions for a 73-80 factory air truck: www.vintageair.com/Instructions2013/904184.pdf Install instructions for an 81 to 81 factory air truck: www.vintageair.com/Instructions2013/904185.pdf |
Re: Vintage air with OE dash trim and vents
I don't know....these trucks are still so common that IMO I'd overhaul a factory unit and install it in a non-AC truck before going a VA route. Knowing how tight it is behind the ashtray/radio area, I don't like the idea of octopus ducting running everywhere. And there's some definite deviations from the factory climate control wiring as well. VA has a place but I don't know that the 73-up trucks is one of them....time will tell tho.
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Re: Vintage air with OE dash trim and vents
The only good reason I see to use the V.A. kit in a 73+ is for bagged applications where the tire and AC box are trying to occupy the same real estate. That's why it's in the plan for my 75. I guess the engine compartment is a little less cluttered too. Otherwise I agree, the factory AC is a good option.
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Re: Vintage air with OE dash trim and vents
I have been trying to work out this idea in mind that u have had for a while. On my crew cab, I want to take a suburban rear ac unit and fabricate a new enclosure for it that would mount it under the truck like outside the frame rail under the passenger seat or something. And then running nice looking /hidden duct work up under the dash to allow for like a dual zone climate control, or, run it out under the front seats facing rear for like a rear ac like the new trucks.
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