A/C why not

[band1t]

I was just wondering what people were thinking in the 60s and 70s
when they bought a car and they didnt want A/C?
yes I know its a power killer.
But damn its still hot outside even with the windows down.

[73z-6sp]

gbhnj

[wmhjr]

How many homes had AC back then?

AC was a pretty pricey option.

Times change.

[1red68]

it wasn't that big a deal up north. we only have 2-3 months of nasty heat... it was by far a bigger concern on how good the heater is. we need that 7 months out of the year..... asfor those farther south, i have no idea. it would be crazy!!!

[band1t]

its 102 today in kansas and I wish my 79 TA came with A/C
cause my back was soaked in sweat when I got home

[mplecha]

I wonder about that, myself. My Chevelle has no A/C. I can deal with it, but it's hard to get my wife in the car in the summer.

[novaderrik]

that was when a nicely optioned new car cost $3k, and AC was a $300 option. that's a 10% premium just so you could have the neighbors make fun of you for being a wimp..

also, cars weren't as airtight back then and didn't have as much glass, so the interiors didn't get as hot out in the sun.

[mc84_zz4]

Texas in summer is just plain HELL.
As far back as I can remember we used the AC in every car, except the '71 VW,
which did not have it.

You may survive on those vinyl seats without AC, but you'll need to duct tape the
deodorant to your arm pits, and change shirt 2x day.

I would never consider owning a car without A/C again, ever.
I do not remember seeing any American cars in Texas without A/C, even back in the late 60's.
All of my friends project cars also came with A/C in them, maybe the lower models may have
had an A/C delete, but if it was in Texas and had power something in it, chances are it also had A/C.

[novaderrik]

Texas in summer is just plain HELL.
As far back as I can remember we used the AC in every car, except the '71 VW,
which did not have it.

You may survive on those vinyl seats without AC, but you'll need to duct tape the
deodorant to your arm pits, and change shirt 2x day.

I would never consider owning a car without A/C again, ever.
I do not remember seeing any American cars in Texas without A/C, even back in the late 60's.
All of my friends project cars also came with A/C in them, maybe the lower models may have
had an A/C delete, but if it was in Texas and had power something in it, chances are it also had A/C.

when i had my Nova, i got a lot of parts for it from a 4 door 69 Nova with Texas plates that didn't have AC.. the car was white, so it probably wasn't that bad inside on hot sunny days.
that same junkyard makes runs out to Nevada, Arizona, California, and Texas with car haulers to find solid old cars to sell up here in MN, and a good chunk of the cars they would get back then (about 10 years ago) didn't have AC.

[Steve1968LS2]

Because people today are soft.. ;)

[band1t]

that was when a nicely optioned new car cost $3k, and AC was a $300 option. that's a 10% premium just so you could have the neighbors make fun of you for being a wimp..

also, cars weren't as airtight back then and didn't have as much glass, so the interiors didn't get as hot out in the sun.

Not as much glass???

sitting under the T-tops on my TA is like sitting under a magnifying glass

[novaderrik]

Not as much glass???

sitting under the T-tops on my TA is like sitting under a magnifying glass

my 86 Camaro (t tops, factory non ac car) is the same way- but that's what we get for buying a late model car.. cars of the 60's didn't have those silly removable windows on the roof.

[Vegas69]

I tend to agree with Steve. Back then, it was a fairly new and luxurious option. Today, it's tough to buy a vehicle without it. Once you're spoiled, it's hard to turn back.

[hectore3]

My Grandfather is 98 years old. He just stopped driving at 95 in a car without A/C (1968 Impala 4DR). I asked him the same question years ago, "Why no air conditioning"? His response was that the early units were unreliable,made underhood harder to work on other repairs, and was doggone expensive! We also have to remember that this was the generation that went from horse drawn carriages to interstates in their lifetimes. Not to mention the Great Depression and WWII. My Grandfather I believe was more scarred by the Depression than the Pacific in WWII. Just seeing how he doesn't waste a thing is extremely instructive. He simply doesn't understand the constant trading up on cars every 2-3 years on leases etc. That Impala he bought new and drove up until recently. Just an anecdotal story.

[TT302Z28]

I drove a VW bug then my 68 Z/28 with no air and didn't know any better. When I bought my first new car a 94 Toyota pick up it didn't have air either. Heck, the new truck didn't have power steering but after the Z/28 for so long it felt like it did.

My first car of my own I've built with air was my 70 Chevelle. Since I sold it at the last Hot August Nights, my Wife and Kids won't ride in the Camaro until I put air in it.

[absintheisfun]

Everything said so far has been pretty true. Older cars didn't seal as well and had less insulating properties so a car sitting in the sun got hot, but not like it does today. Also, many had vent windows for that 2-70 A/C!

As far as the North/South debate--many homes up north didn't really have A/C, and many homes in the South didn't have Heat. It isn't really necessary.

The cost factor was HUGE as well....cars with factory A/C standard didn't really become normal until the late 80's, early 90's! Up north, it was a luxury, but down south it is a life-support system!

And I prefer not to think of us as getting "soft"....we are getting better at adapting the world to our standards of comfort.

[thedodgeboys]

My 70 challenger convertible came stock with AC pretty rare for back in the day; needles to say I kept that part during the rebuild.

During the Power Tour Florida to Nashville it worked pretty good until about 1:00 or so but the thin black vinyl top just soaked up the heat and transfers it into the car. It was still nice to have it as it did make a difference and the horse power loss on the new compressors are probably a lot less than the old stuff.

[devwil68]

all i know is the 105*+ heat in killing me!

[79-TA]

I don't have air conditioning. The Mustang's heater core is bypassed, the Trans Am never had it, and the Olds isn't running well.

Just running the vent fan is usually enough, even in the heat of the summer for me. Without the fan and the windows up, it is killer!

The Trans Am on the other hand, not only doesn't have AC, but forces me to run the heater whenever the weather is hot. I just expect to be nice and warm, but I enjoy the car enough to not really notice it.


I was just in Arizona this weekend. If I lived anywhere near, say, Blythe, I don't think I could go without air conditioning like I do in Southern California.