A/C and Heat

[jocko]

rbar - I really like the direction you're going with this. I also want to keep my dash lookin real stock. Which Vintage Air unit is that in the pic? What are you planning to put in the spot to the left of the radio where the factory had the sliders? I would be very interested in seeing a full build thread (or somethin like that) on your a/c plan and install as it progresses. THANKS for posting! (sample factory set-up pic attached)

OH YEAH - and where did you find the center a/c vents you mentioned? Luck swap meet score?

[rbar]

Jocko, I got the center vent with the factory AC unit that I bought from a guy locally. I saw just the center vent sell on ebay for $77 a couple of weeks ago. I was tempted to buy it to replace the one I took from the system, but I didn't. I am going to leave the factory sliders in on the left side and perhaps use one for a choke or just leave them all as an original look but not hooked up. The unit I bought was Vintage Air Gen II compaq. I have had two people, and a distributor, and the body shop it's at now, and Vintage air, all say that it both heats and cools very well. I asked alot because I had read a few statements from people saying it won't heat well enough. The body shop owner has experience with them and says they work great. I posted another thread that shows I had to repair the AC center vent and rechrome the balls, but I'll put that picture here again along with the knobs I bought. I bought the control pod which I can remove each rubber knob control, put each one where I want it, and change the knobs to the aluminum that looks similar to factory.

[jocko]

that's great, thansk very much rbar!

[TR65]

SFT,

Here are some pics of the Vintage Air Gen IV Magnum in my 65.

It is a big unit and I mounted it as high and as far to the left as possible. It does not interfere with the passenger foot box and is not very noticeable sitting in the truck.

Most of the glove box is used up and I believe it would interfere with the radio if it was in the stock position. My radio is mounted in the channel for the vents. My objective is not to modify the dash.

The controls work really well, you can put air anywhere you want it in whatever quantity you want.

The heater works very well. I am mounting the condenser currently so the air conditioning is not working yet.

TR

[TR65]

Here are a couple of more pics.

The solenoid valve on the firewall side is to cut off the hot water when using max air conditioning.

TR

[TR65]

In addition to Vintage Air I like these two vendors for various AC parts:

Nostalgic Air Parts

http://www.nostalgicairparts.com/

Doc's Blocks

http://www.docsblocks.com/default.asp

TR

[SFTorange]

Thanks!

Your installation work is fantastic! I read through your engine swap thread and was blown away.

The solenoid valve is a great idea. I've always thought it would be a perfect way to keep the heat out of the truck during the summer. It looks like you kept plenty of room on the passenger side. Do you think I might be able to mount it a bit more towards the passenger side to allow clearance for the factory radio and still keep my kick panel vent? It looks like a pretty involved setup, but looks to be worth it.

[TR65]

SFT,

You can move the unit to the right some and probably clear the radio and the manual vent. The issue is where your bulkhead is going to go. I used the existing hole for the original heater (minimum modification to the truck). The hardest thing about the whole install is connecting the hoses from the bulkhead to the evaporator unit. If you have room to hook the hoses up it should be OK.

The Vintage Air controller controls the solenoid valve to cut the heater off. They send a vending machine valve with the unit that I didn't like. So I bought the one you see in the picture on Ebay (need high temperature seals and a normally open valve).

Thanks for the kind words.

TR

[jocko]

TR65, that's a great looking Gen IV setup you have there, thanks very much for posting.

Is that kit specific to your 65 model year (or 63-66 I suppose) or is it a 67-72 kit that was adapted?

Also, did the mounting strip that holds the vents come with the kit or did you fab that up? Either way, looks great. Thanks again.
jocko

[Heater63]

Originally Posted by jocko

TR65, that's a great looking Gen IV setup you have there, thanks very much for posting.

Is that kit specific to your 65 model year (or 63-66 I suppose) or is it a 67-72 kit that was adapted?

Also, did the mounting strip that holds the vents come with the kit or did you fab that up? Either way, looks great. Thanks again.
jocko

Yes, TR your work is immaculate, and we really appreciate the pictures. You certanily inspire me! You must be an engineer/aerospace guy/something special to have developed your electrical and plumbing fab chops.
I have decided the Gen IV is the way to go. Im with jocko in wondering about that particular evap unit and the fitment. I notice they make the Gen IV to fit several cars in addition to the truck, I wonder if they all use the exact same evap box? It would be nice if there was a version about 10 or 15% smaller. I think I will call "coolair" at the Vint Air office tommorow and see what he recommends for my 63. I don't mind losing the glovebox, but I want a radio in the stock location I think.

[TR65]

jocko Re: A/C and Heat

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TR65, that's a great looking Gen IV setup you have there, thanks very much for posting.

Is that kit specific to your 65 model year (or 63-66 I suppose) or is it a 67-72 kit that was adapted?

Also, did the mounting strip that holds the vents come with the kit or did you fab that up? Either way, looks great. Thanks again.
jocko

Thanks Jocko. They don't have a Gen IV kit for our trucks. I just bought the universal Gen IV evaporator kit and a control kit. The rest I put together to suit. The mount for the vents is just a piece of 2-1/2" aluminum channel that I fabbed up.

Heater63 Re: A/C and Heat

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes, TR your work is immaculate, and we really appreciate the pictures. You certanily inspire me! You must be an engineer/aerospace guy/something special to have developed your electrical and plumbing fab chops.
I have decided the Gen IV is the way to go. Im with jocko in wondering about that particular evap unit and the fitment. I notice they make the Gen IV to fit several cars in addition to the truck, I wonder if they all use the exact same evap box? It would be nice if there was a version about 10 or 15% smaller. I think I will call "coolair" at the Vint Air office tommorow and see what he recommends for my 63. I don't mind losing the glovebox, but I want a radio in the stock location I think.

Thanks Heater! Yep, nerd engineer.
I think all the Gen IV Magnums are the exact same evaporator box. "Coolair" recommended the Gen IV to me because of the controls. It is a nice unit.

Here are a couple of pics of how I mounted the evap.

I mad the two standoffs that mount to the existing heater box bolt holes in the firewall. I made a third standoff from one of the bulkhead mounting bolts. Then I beefed up the factory mounting bracket as you can see. So there are three solid mounting points in the rear. Then I mad the bracket to mount from the front factory bracket to the upper part of the dash. No modifications to the truck were required other than the bulkhead mounting holes. It is a very solid mount.

TR

[SFTorange]

Thanks TR!

Your work looks great. I'm glad to see that a couple of people have done this install before. Mark (coolair) has been a big help to me as well. Did your front brackets mount to existing holes in the dash?

[TR65]

SFT,

Yes, the front mount attached to two existing holes that mounted the glove box insert on either side of the latch.

So the only modification to the truck was a couple of holes to mount the channel under the dash and the 4 holes to mount the bulkhead plate.

TR

[SFTorange]

Thanks for the great info! Can you fill me in on how you made the standoffs? Your modified brackets are just aluminum angle, right? I like the idea of keeping truck modifications to a minimum for mounting. I am thinking of bringing the a/c and heater lines up under the inner fender and bringing the lines through holes drilled in the firewall (with grommets) to dispense with the bulkhead setup.

[Clyde65]

can you tell us about the valve you got for cutting off the heater in summer? how did you hook it up, right now on my Old Air setup I use manual valves because the "electroni" ones OAP sells dont work well.

[TR65]

Originally Posted by SFTorange

Thanks for the great info! Can you fill me in on how you made the standoffs? Your modified brackets are just aluminum angle, right? I like the idea of keeping truck modifications to a minimum for mounting. I am thinking of bringing the a/c and heater lines up under the inner fender and bringing the lines through holes drilled in the firewall (with grommets) to dispense with the bulkhead setup.

SFT,

The standoffs are machined from 1-1/2" aluminum round bar, drilled and tapped to 5/16-18 on each end. You could use 3/4" or 1" bar and just drill and tap each end. I just happened to have the 1-1/2". The third standoff is just some 1/2" round bar drilled and tapped on each end to serve as a nut for the bulkhead. I put a piece of threaded rod in it with two nuts to exactly clamp the bracket. The bracket mods are just 2"X1/8 angle and 2"X1/8 flat bar.

TR

Your method of running the lines should work fine. Might be easier to hook up than mine.

[TR65]

Originally Posted by Clyde65

can you tell us about the valve you got for cutting off the heater in summer? how did you hook it up, right now on my Old Air setup I use manual valves because the "electroni" ones OAP sells dont work well.

Clyde,

The Vintage Air controller manages that valve. The relay you can see in the glove box is used for that valve. Running Max air conditioning closes the valve. Vintage Air includes a cheap valve with the evaporator kit, you can see it in the picture below. I wanted a threaded valve I could mount solidly and I didn't want a plastic one. My valve even draws less current than the vending machine valve. The viton seals can handle the hot antifreeze.

For reference the valve came from:

http://cgi.ebay.com/1-2-Electric-Sol...item43a3881ed7

They changed the seals to Viton for free.

TR

[rbar]

Hey TR, I like your choice of the valve over the plastic one. Did you think about putting in inside the cab? Would there have been enough room to do that?

[TR65]

Originally Posted by rbar

Hey TR, I like your choice of the valve over the plastic one. Did you think about putting in inside the cab? Would there have been enough room to do that?

RBAR,

I think that I could have. If you look at how I had to use two street ells to route the water inside the cab I could have put the valve after the last ell. I would have to assemble it and then feed it in thru the bulkhead hole but I think that would work.

I know a lot of guys want the engine compartment to be real clean. I like to see stuff like that so I didn't consider putting it in the cab.

TR

[SFTorange]

Hi All,

I thought I'd update this thread to let everyone know what I decided to do. After extensive consultation with Mark from Vintage Air (coolair) and calls to Vintage Air dealers, I finally made my purchase. I ordered a complete Gen IV Magnum system. The evaporator unit is the universal kit, but the condenser is specifically designed for my '66. Mark also set me up with the needed parts to use Vintage Air's cable converter setup which will allow me to utilize my original deluxe controls. It'll be some work to get everything set up (the cable converters are actually designed for a '69 Camaro), but I'm sure I'll be able to figure it out. I should have some progress on the installation soon, so stay tuned to my build thread.

By the way, after calling a bunch of dealers for quotes, I placed my order from Curt's Rod and Custom in Lake Park, MN. He quoted me great prices, AND free shipping. I had my a/c setup direct from Vintage air in exactly one week.

[burbluv]

Hey SFTOrange,
Congrats on the purchase. What made you go with Vintage Air over Classic Auto Air?
Thanks,
AJ

[SFTorange]

Thanks,

For me, the decision came down to what was the best performing, most modern unit for the money. I'm confident that the Gen IV magnum setup is just that. It will take more fab work to install this setup, since it isn't specifically designed for the truck, but I'm in a position with my frame-off that I can take the time and do it right.

I received great service from Classic Auto Air as well, and I think they would be a good choice if you are looking for a system that is easier to install.

[jocko]

Congrats on the purchase. I agree, doing a frame-off makes it a little more doable to install a custom set-up. Can't wait to see the install pics!

I found this pretty cool looking electronic control for 64-66 at Old Air - they also make kits that work factory non-a/c controls. Just posting for others' SA.

[SFTorange]

That is a neat kit for installing an electronically controlled setup in the original dash location. From what I've heard, one definitely wants to stick with one of the custom designed kits unless they have the time and ability to do some custom work. I'll soon find out if I have the ability, I think I have the time.

FYI, I was able to get my entire setup for about what it would have cost me to have the CAA system shipped to me. (I saved about $90 on shipping).

[aspiringthomas]

This is I the type controls I would like to use to put A/C in my 65 chevy truck.