Has anyone tried to fit a modern HVAC box into their car?
The increased capacity would be nice in a drafty car like mine , and the package would facillitate a tidy A/C installation.
I know about the aftermarket kits, but the cost is out of my price range, so I'm thinking of junkyard stuff.

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O==\=/==O

"A mechanic is Somebody."
- Jim Preston

It is not necessarily the case that "modern" (newer) car A/C systems have "increased capacity". With a few exceptions, the original Chrysler systems work extremely well when in proper repair. What are you working on? Remember, any A/C system will be hard pressed to do a good job in a poorly insulated and "drafty" car.

Trying to fit a modern factory system in an old car would be a real headache. A/C systems are designed specifically for one model and to try and figure out how and where to mount everything and what must be changed or fabricated is a major engineering challenge.

I installed a Vintage Air unit in my '64 Valiant and the story is found in the articles section on this board. I'm currently installing a similar system in my '73 truck and I'm convinced the aftermarket is the only way to go.

I disagree with you completely, but I'm curious nonetheless: What convinced you?

The simplicity of a system designed to fit more than one model. Before I decided on the Vintage Air for my Valiant, I briefly looked at adapting parts from an F-body. Nothing under the dash could have been used and many, many mods would have been required under the hood.

I once added AC to a truck, using parts and pieces from a stock system with an old underdash factory installed evaporator. It never worked right, looked like crap and took many, many hours to install.

Like most slant fans, I enjoy being inovative and doing things on the cheap, but after going down that road with AC, I'll stick with properly engineered systems.


BTW, the Vintage Air unit in my drafty, leaky Valiant convertible will freeze you out in 105 degree Texas heat, when it's turned on max.

By increased capacity, I mean mostly cfm. The fan in the stock heater is about as good as, to borrow a phrase from Peter Egan, " a hamster blowing through a straw." The air is hot, but there isn't much of it, as compared to the new cars I work on where the volume of air will comb your hair. Hey, that rhymes!
My convertible (64 Dart GT) has factory air, and I plan to retain it on that car, but the three sedans have only heaters. Some of the imports (Civics, for example) have small compressors/condensers/under-dash components that could make for an easy repackaging job.
Of course, any job like this will require fabrication, such as compressor brackets, hoses, and the like, but that's part of the fun, isn't it?
Apparently, I will be blazing a path here, and I'll let you all know if I fail or am successful.

_________________
O==\=/==O

"A mechanic is Somebody."
- Jim Preston

Could you mix and match modern parts with original for a more original look? I pulled the AC from my parts '65 Valiant before junking it and I'd like to keep the condenser and evaporator because they fit so nicely. The compressor is very heavy, so I wouldn't mind getting rid of that. Does the new compressor from VintageAir mount onto the engine with supplied brackets?

No one makes brackets for early A-bodies to use the modern Sanden compressors. I'm told some later slants came with Sandens, but most came with York. I used the York brackets from a '79 system, but had to make two small adapter brackets for the Sanden to fit.

There are aftermarket compressor mout kits for the Sanden compressor, on a slant. They will fit any slant engine, in any year "A" body, that has the alternator on the pass. side.

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Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 170 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170
64 Valiant 4dr 225

Can you guys supply some more info? I'd be interested in adding AC to my 62 Lancer, either stock or aftermarket (preferably stock, but not sure where I am possibly going to find that) and how to do it.

thanks!

read that one already, but like you said i wasn't wild about the console, etc. also saw this same setup installed on overhaulin into lance armstrong's GTO. Also I dont have a center console, so I dont know how I would mount and hide all of this stuff, as well as where I could put the vents.

Now looking for info on the stock stuff and more pictures. Also how much did that end up running you in the end?

I'm not sure, but I think you will find that there was no factory air offered in your model year. To the best of my knowledge, everything was dealer installed in early A-bodies and my '64 has three different systems shown in the parts manual. The evaporator, vents and controls were mounted below the dash due to the limited space behind the dash. I didn't like that look, so that's why I decided to build it into the dash to simulate something that might have come from the factory.

Total cost was around $1,000 plus charging the unit and I think that's farily typical. I just bought a system for my '73 truck and it also came in at roughly $1,000. I did some custom work on it too. I disassembled the aftermarket controls and mounted the switches on my home made control panel that fits in the stock heater/ac control slot.

ah that explains much--i've only seen the under dash venting as well. I guess I could fabricate a center console with my bench seats, but I'm not a metal smith so it would be wood, which would look strange....

But armed with that I'll keep exploring! Where did you stick all the guts?

The Vintage Air units are far less complex than factory air, so there isn't as much to hide. The evaporator tucks up under the dash very nicely and the only thing visible is the control panel. If I had it to do again, I would use the standard control panel with knobs instead of sliders and fit it into the console. They could also be mounted in the dash to look more stock, especially if you replace the Vintage Air control knobs with Chrysler parts.

The vent hoses were the biggest pain...not only because of the total room behind the dash, but because it was difficult to clear the wiper arms and secure the hoses so they didn't interfere with movement of the arms.

The vent louvers come with a mounting shell that lets you mount them under the dash, in groups or on the kick panels, if dash space is a problem.

BTW, my console is made of wood and covered with vinyl and carpet. Only the top is plate aluminum and it's easy to cut and drill for part mounting.