Does your a/c really work?

[Dan Sherwood]

Maybe it's just me (or summertime in the Phx area?) but even with dark tinted windows, when it gets in the 90's this vintage a/c unit does'nt put out enough cold air to make driving really comfortable.

Where I actually live in NE Az, the nights are still in the 40's and the heater don't quite cut it either.

Alot of $ for boderline performance IMO!!!!

[TonyL]

are you sure its filled properly? too much or not enough refrigerant can make all the difference.

Does the condenser have adequite airflow?

[camaro608]

hell yah it does i love R-12
but i dont have a vintage air system just stock

[BonzoHansen]

I am not familiar with the vintage system, but does it recirculate the air? If not, the air won't get too cold.

[Yenkostyle]

I had that problem when in FL on one of my cars (67 Camaro) and found out that if I sealed all the holes that go through the firewall it made a world of difference. You wouldnt think that a few little holes for wires and such would rob that much cool air but in my case it did.

Just food for thought. Good luck!

[Jagarang]

I'll let you know soon I hope. I got the Supercooler which Frank has tried to wedge between the trans tunnel we modded for the 4L80E and the under dash air unit.

To quote Frank...

"Heres the pics of the BIG UGLY M F'ER"

I hangs below the dash and is as ugly as my old chow chows starfish, but it's a sacrifice we decided to make for function. I've heard the same cooling complaints with the compact units and decided to give up some foot space and aesthetics for what we hope will be adequate cooling performance. I live in Florida also, and don't relish the thought of spontaneous human EVAPORATION!

[Dan Sherwood]

Mine is a

[Dan Sherwood]

Mine is a compact unit, and I believe all the items mentioned have been checked, but I'm getting ready to do it again.

Certainly not impressive at this point.

[jamesg602]

Do you have the surefit Kit? I am also a local with the surefit kit (68 Camaro in progress) and the thought of a $1K system not blowing cold is a bit worrysome...

[ProTouring442]

We put one of the Vintage-Air units in my Mom's '57, and frankly it couldn't keep up. I think the evaparator is too small. When we built my Dad's '57, we used an evaparator from a GM A-Body so it would be nice and large. This didn't leave a nice claen firewall, but it sure blows cold!

Shiny Side Up!
Bill

[Alan Johnson]

Maybe it's just me (or summertime in the Phx area?) but even with dark tinted windows, when it gets in the 90's this vintage a/c unit does'nt put out enough cold air to make driving really comfortable.

Where I actually live in NE Az, the nights are still in the 40's and the heater don't quite cut it either.

Alot of $ for boderline performance IMO!!!!

The compact unit may have trouble initially cooling the car but should catch up within minutes. Normally in a car that size , a super cooler is over kill when at highway speeds and the interior is at the desired temperature. It will cool the car faster to start with and cool better at an idle but you will have to turn it down to a comfortable level. What are you using for a condenser? The condenser should be sized to the unit. Is the condenser mounted properly? It should have 1/2" to 3/4" of space between the condenser and radiator. Are the lines entering and exiting the condenser properly? Does it cool better at highway speeds than sitting still? As others have already stated any open holes should be filled and the correct amount of refrigerant should be installed. Have you installed any insulation in the car? No matter what size correctly working a/c unit you have it can't compensate for a lack of insulation. We have had good results with Dynamat and Lizard skin. The Dynamat is much heavier and does a better job of sound insulation. The Lizard skin is very light, does a great job as a heat barrier but doesn't do as well in sound dampening. We normally spend more on insulation than what the complete a/c system costs. I have had no problems with Vintage Air systems .Hope this helps

[73z-6sp]

I had the super cooler in my 73. I wanted it to COOL. Granted I never took it on looong drives but 30-40 miles and it never got my car cold. It was definitely better than no air, especially in the AZ desert, but Im not sure you can always beat the heat here. It just gets too hot!

[zuess4u]

James, Dan....I am also a local...or we I should say representing the Paradise Valley High school 67 project.

Without re-naiming the brand you purchased...for fear of being called a basher.....

we have done exstensive research....lol and have found many alternatives...maybe be better performers....

The company we are considering at the momment is based out of Florida. They run seperate coils in their units, which one is for heating and the other is for cooling.....most other companys use one coil for both. Though we have not tried this unit yet...I have a feeling it may perform better.

I will post up here tommorow with a little comparrison and the name of the company.

I just hope it doesnt get deleted... but yes there are alternatives...to all the companies that spend a lot of money on advertising.

[USAZR1]

I have a VA Gen II set-up in my 69 and it doesn't cool the car like I want,either. However,to be fair,my car right now has little to no insulation,especially on the firewall,and that is almost certainly the problem. As soon as I can get my new Arizen seats installed,I'm going to insulate & sound-deaden the whole interior which should make a huge difference.

[TonyL]

just hope it doesnt get deleted...

Posting of alternitaves to our sponsers is allowed, if asked for. I wont delete the info. it is illegal for the vendor you are referring to to post info or ads HIMSELF. or posing as someone else asking about his product. (we can tell.)

Out of respect for the sponsers that make this board possible, just do not post pricing info. Let the member find out pricing on his own.

[ProdigyCustoms]

It is usually insulation and seal void issues. we have done straight installs in otherwise stock cars and they do not work as well as our foiled / FatMated / insulated builds. We have had the opportunity to install a couple other brands, none are better then another in stock applications.

Clint is correct, pad the firewall, seal all the voids, and things will improve to the best they can with the size evaporator that will fit

[zuess4u]

Posting of alternitaves to our sponsers is allowed, if asked for. I wont delete the info. it is illegal for the vendor you are referring to to post info or ads HIMSELF. or posing as someone else asking about his product. (we can tell.)

Out of respect for the sponsers that make this board possible, just do not post pricing info. Let the member find out pricing on his own.

Wasnt trying to be a butthole yesterday, just didnt want anyone getting upset.

So then here goes: I spoke with one of the owners of Classic Auto Air yesterday. I also did a random call to a tech, and sales person. Just asking general questions. This is my way of doing a small screnning of what to exspect in the cutomer service department.

Anyway, I approached Classic Auto Air for a sponsorship for our high school project. In that discussion Al, explained to me some of the differences between them and the other companies, if it wasnt a pitch (Idont thoink it was) the differences are night and day.

I then explained to him some of the problems people are having with the other brand. He said they get people all day long complaining and looking for an alternative. I told him about the web site, and asked him if they would be interested in doing a GP.

Al, stated they did do a GP on Chevelles.com and got 35 orders in one month..and only had one complaint on an install, (read directions).

Bottom line is.......visit their site, call and research, compare the unit your looking at to Classic Auto Air....Im almost certain you will decide to go with one of their systems. They REALLY have been in the business for 29 years.

Keep this thread going, and when the time is good I will activate the GP for yall.

P.S. also let them know what site you read this thread from.

[Chris442]

Dan, I know it's not just you. I was out driving my '69 442 yesterday, and it would just not get that cool. I have a Supercooler on it. Now, I have no tint and the car is a convertible, so that doesn't help. I think that I might be a touch overcharged though, since it seems to blow colder at idle than when I am on the freeway. Even on new cars, if it hits 110 the AC just doesn't work that great; I guess just the price we pay for winters here in Phoenix.

zuess4u, sounds like a nice high school project car. I went to a regional rival a few years back, and our autoshop amounted to work on your own car using your own money at your house for no credit. I spent many afternoons when I was in high school working on my 442. These days I am helping my Dad build up a '68 Camaro, so I'm interested to see what the results will be with the AC in your '67.

[KUL FIR CHICK N]

An A/C system works by removing heat from the cabin via the evaporator, and dumping it outside via the condenser. In order for the system to cool the vehicle, it must remove the heat from the interior faster than the heat is entering. Heat load is composed of engine heat passing through the firewall and floor pan either by conduction or convection, heat from the roof and doors passing through the headliner and door panels, air leaks through your door seals, convertible top, or any other holes in the car, especially the firewall, and sun load through your windows. Air leaks are especially hard on the system because they bring in humidity, which increases the load even more. This is why it is manditory that you insulate and seal the car before installing the air.

Separate coils don't have anything to do with cooling capacity of the system but in some designs they have an advantage. Dual coils are advantageous in a "re-heat" system like almost all current production vehicles. A re-heat system passes all flow through the evaporator first, then diverts some of the cooled air through the heater coil, and the rest bypasses the heater alltogether. This allows you to change temperature instantly with the temp. blend door. Re-heat systems also flow more air in A/C mode because the restriction of the heater coil is removed. The capacity is determined by the size of the coil and the air flow volume through the coil. Assuming you have a large enough compressor, and condenser, and enough air flow through the condenser, and the proper charge, the larger unit (combined coil size and air flow) will always win. The compac was designed to fit in a car where a supercooler will not. You always want to choose the largest evaporator you can fit. Most aftermarket evaporators are tube and fin construction, which is old technology but offers the advantage of being able to be configured in shapes not available with the newer plate and fin technology. This is why they are used in the Gen 2 series evaporators, which are combined heat/cool coils and are shaped to fit in tight spaces. The best (most efficient) evaporator designs currently available are plate-fin designs, which are used in all current production vehicles.

If your Camaro is properly sealed, insulated, installed, and charged, the Compac should be able to cool your vehicle, but a sure-fit system has a larger coil and higher air flow. I have tested the other mentioned system, and it has about the same air flow as the Compac, but they divide it among four vents, which will make them feel weak.

The Vintage Air "Gen 4" systems are re-heat systems, all electronic with no cables or vacuum, and utilize a plate-fin evaporator and a brazed brass heater.

By the way, Vintage Air listens to all your concerns and is constantly working to improve all of OUR products. If you have a VA system and are having issues, call the tech line, or if you are still not satisfied, PM me.

Ryan

[justanova]

are the gen 4 systems listed on your website? or are they a new product?

The reason I ask is I am about to make an order with one of va's vendors for a system for my 70 chev. impala, which is a big car and I'm going to paint it black and I live in arizona. If the gen 4 would be a better choice then I may need to change my order.

Also I have considered doing a dual ac system like putting another one in the trunk to cool the rear seat passengers, what would I have to do to do something like that?

I am replacing all the weatherstripping and I plan on using dynamat extreme because I will also be doing a custom stereo install.