has anyone here smoothed off the firewall for underhood room (and looks) and just ran a aftermarket AC system?


i just picked up a vintage air unit off ebay and im kinda looking forward to it..... i measured and this one should fit without too much issue...

anyone else here ever done anything like this?

 

i have not seen anyone do that , but what else goes with the ac , i dont know how they work , do you still run a pulley under the hood or is it totally electric.

 

the compressor is still on the motor...

i have a LS1, so the compressor is down low and out of the way (almost out of sight).


you still need hoses and stuff, but when routed carefully, it'll be out of the way.


mostly, i just HATE HATE HATE that huge AC box most of us are stuck with. i think its totally uncalled for. it takes up 1/4 of the entire engine bay!.

 

I know exactly what you mean about the AC. I totally see why you would go with aftermarket unit. I once wanted to do that too but vintage air only had applications for 1stgens and the price was nearly $1,000. From what I hear the units are alot smaller, efficient, and work very well and cold.

I hope you go through with this and don't abandon project. Id really like to see this done.

 

MrDude...I have also wondered if it was feasable to run a vintage air system in these cars. Seems like a fellow could make it work without too much hassle. The hardest part would be getting the custom lines made...but if you know someone with a hose crimper it would be cake. Good luck with the project

 

We put a couple of them on older cars and they work great just rented a hose crimper off a friend would be a good idea on a thirdgen.

 

I have installed a few aftermarket AC units (three Vintage Air and an Airtique), but in older cars. I'm planning to use Vintage Air on my 87 TA to get rid of all the bulky hardware under the hood. Don't let the lack of a specific kit hold you back; most of them are designed more for ease of installation rather than looks, so you can make your system look much nicer for just a little more effort.

 

i was planning on using this "Vintage Air" setup too but man it gets pricey. They one you got is it vintage air brand for a mustang or is it a vintage mustand air conditioner? I already ditched the stock AC and think that I might just get a mini heating unit similar to the mohave found in JEGS, Summit, and JCWhitney. it will definitely make the firewall a lot cleaner with just nipples sticking off of it.

 

Has anyone done this yet? I was thinking of doing something simular .
Kory

 

I'm also interested in this & if anyone has pulled it off yet. I too hate the size of our bulky AC setup!

 

I will definitely be installing a vintage air unit once I get to the assembly of the car firstly because my car never had A/C and this retro fit seems easier and also because I'm having the firewall smoothed out (well, I'm still not sure what to do about the wiper motor...) and would like to keep things clean. I will also be going the gen IV small block route, so I'd love to see how your install works out MrDude. Once you get the project underway, be sure to keep us informed!

 

I agree the stock stuff is too bulky. When I eventually go TT I'm considering doing something like this but I haven't looked into it yet (kinda far down the road for me). The pass side downpipe on banks manifolds go really close to the stock A/C equipment. Please let us know how it went MrDude!!

 

no one mentioned that the stock AC system in our cars is pretty pathetic... besides being huge..

 

Huge? Yes.

Pathetic? Not mine. Mine blows colder than all of our new cars, I just got mine recharged so that may be why, I don't know.

And does vintage air require R-134 or R-12?

 

Wow.. colder?

Neither of my two cars blow hardly at all. They certianly not <i>that</i> cold and when they are on max, I can't even feel the air on my face. And this is with new blower motors. I envy people with cold air.

 

hey Sonar - just got my AC fixed up and sitting still inside the shop it's putting out 32 degrees fahrenheit air. Sitting still with the rpm at 1000....30 degrees

This is on a converted R134a system. My secret? adjustable orofice tube and a modified cooling setup that kicks my secondary fan on when the A/C needs it (its set for when the condensor hits 160 degrees)

Just thought I'd give ya a hard time because I know how hot Houston is this time of year.

 

i have the AC unit under the dash.... i just havent gotten around to setting the rest of it up... been busy playing with more fun parts of the car..

 

I hate you Jon...

I don't have dual fans on either of my cars

I have heard adjustable orifice tubes dont work all that much. I am thinking that I will probabally need to pull the evap coil and clean it out. I guess 20 years of use will probabally make it pretty clogged up. Maybe that is why I get absolutuly no air flow.

 

They are set up for R134.

 

Mine still has R12 from many years ago and is plenty chill.

 

Exactly... Your gonna need a new condenser as well because that is the reason that there is hardly any air flowing. Exact same problem as mine. New condenser and now I'm chilly with it on max.

 

I have smoothed out my firewall. I live in Boston (never too hot) so I plan on putting in that mohavee (sp) that jegs sells. nice and compact. Maybe vitage eventually for the couple months while it is really hot. Anyways. keep up the good work and lets see the smoothed out firewalls inthe mean time. Check mine out and tell me what you think. Def not pro, but it works. check out my profile

 

this sounds like an AWESOME idea, and definitely makes plugs 6 and 8 a LOT easier to get to! a lot of the reason our A/C's become so "pathetic" is because they ARE 13+ years old, and some parts ARE worn out/clogged up. with all new parts they would put out more than a broke hooker...

Josh

 

hahaha, good point. There is allways the "roll the window down" option. I guess thats all I ever need living neer Boston.

 

bringing a thread back from the dead. did anyone successfully do a custom vintage air setup yet? if so, let me know!

 

yeah, we need pics!!!!

 

TTT

I need A/C!

Haha, that rhymes...

 

Can't you just use the 2-45 system?

 

i smoothed out my firewall and cowl. i didnt put any heater or ac back into my car. i used 16 gauge sheet metal and basic cutting tools. check out my car domain site for pics theres a lot on there.

 

Anyone done anything like this yet? I'm torn between a few ideas, and any info would help.

 

umm, yeeea....

i never got around to... you know.. uhh, bolting an AC compressor onto my car.. lol.

vintage air stuff is now sitting on a shelf somewhere... the car has a locker, on/off clutch, loud exhaust and a big cam... it doesnt need AC...

 

Yeah, that's one thing I'm thinking, but my car runs best during spring and summer and it gets soo damn hot in NC without air. Any thoughts?

 

Interested in selling it?

 

From the pictures of ******* twin turbo setup it looks like he is running the Vintage Air Front Runner setup, but I'm not sure if he has the compressor hooked up. Maybe send him a PM?

 

yeah im also into doin this myself, let me know how it gose (((lots of pics))). I always hated how the ac crap looked under our hoods, i have been thinking about doing this for a while, but had to much going on to do anything.My car was recently striped so no time like now to start over.

 

In the November 1988 Hot Rod, in an article entitled Fifteen Week Wonder, Auto Custom Carpet built an 82 Camaro for Power Tour that included a Vintage Air A/C system. So yes, it has been done, although in the pictures they left stock drier and blower box in the engine bay.

I contacted Vintage Air directly and asked about the system used in the Hot Rod article. This was part of their reply:

" THANKS FOR YOUR INTEREST IN VINTAGE AIR PRODUCTS.
Unfortunately at this time, Vintage Air does not manufacture a kit made specifically for the 1982-1992 GM Fbody.
We can, however, provide you with a Universal System using the Gen II Compac HCD evaporator kit, that will perform all air conditioning, heating, and dehumidified defrost functions. A universal kit will usually take a higher level of installation skill as well as installation time. You will often have to perform light fabrication work and (or) modifications to your vehicle's dash, firewall, or under-hood area.

A Complete Universal System includes:

(1) A Gen II Compac Evaporator Kit featuring all electronic operation (no vacuum control) that provides superior performance in all modes of operation. Servo motors control all doors and heater valve to assure "just right" temperatures whatever the weather (your choice of controls and louvers)
(2) A Sanden 508 Compressor (choice of 134A or R12 refrigerants)
(3) A Compressor Mount (made to mount the Sanden 508 to your engine)
(4) A Universal Hose Kit with Drier (cut to fit application)
(5) A Super-Flow Condenser (highest performance design in the industry)
(6) A Binary Safety Switch (protects against system damage during high or low pressure situation)

Depending on options; a Complete System retails in the $1,000 - $1,250 range* plus shipping charges( generally $ 40.00-60.00 depending on distance from Texas ) and sales tax (Texas Residents only)

A Complete System will carry a 3-Year Warranty (optional 5-year protection is also available.)"

 

Ill be using vintage air in my 90 .

 

I was looking at mine this summer, but I wasn't sure if I could build a smaller HVAC box that would still keep the same functionality as the original HVAC system (vent, etc.). Since I had other things going on, it wasn't on the list of things to do at the time. Spdfrk1990... what are your plans with the Vintage Air system?

 

In a lot of the old cars we do we use vintage air and they have a universal kit that goes under the dash. All that comes out the firewall are the 4 lines 2 for a/c and 2 for heat. So I can get rid of most the factory crap behind the dash and just mount the vintage air unit then run the ducts to the original vents. Im sure that what other people had in mind also though. The controls for the unit are also very similar in size to the original hvac controls.

 

Anyone who has completed this please post pics and info... I just refuse to let this go...

 

Still curious...

 

ive been thinking about doing this for some time now as well.
you can get "mini" a/c condensors with a fan much the size of a tranny cooler so people with all the hp can still run around with a/c without having a whale for a radiator.
all my a/c-heat system has been totally stripped for sometime. would be nice to do an underdash model. there are other companys out there that make a smaller unit than vintage.
hotrod air, classic air, and there is one other.

 

I just bought a hotrod air evaperator/heater/defroster kit from summit. It was 430 shipped. I will be installing it in the next couple of weeks. my car presently has no heat/air. Do you guys think that I will need the external air vent or can I get away with running the system set up to recirculate inside air only. Seems to me this would lead to cooler air temps. does anyone have firsthand knowledge about this?
Thanks,
Kory

 

post up pics of the install.
as for the external vent, i dont think is mandatory.
recirculating the air will lead to cooler temps overall, IMO.

 

Well, fast forward 17 years and voila' full ready to go AC kit.
https://vintageair.com/1988-92-chevr...-complete-kit/

 

Which is awesome, but for $2300, I'll crack a window.

 

lol... in Az it hits 110 nearly daily.
crackin a window aint a thing in those temps.
110 outside is like 160 inside.

 

I know it may not be relevant anymore, but I did this back in March 2016.

Filled the firewall

Vintage Air Magnum IV mounted behind the dash

Modified the original plenum (has since been replaced with the adapter kit from VA GEN V kit).

Dirty Dingo Sanden SD7 compressor and brackets

Vintage Air universal condenser

I found this when I was replacing the ductwork. Blower motor was barely hanging off the side of the case.

Fabricated aluminum blower mount/case reinforcement.

This significantly increased the strength of the blower fan mount flange and the plastic case of the VA unit.

The system is working much better than the initial installation after replacing the ductwork and fixing the blower motor damage.

 

Vintage Air even has video of the install now in two parts:
AND