VCCA Home Forums GENERAL DISCUSSION General Discussions Air Conditioning

Has anyone installed a Vintage Air (VA) air conditioner on their old Chevrolet?

I would be interested in knowing because my driver 41 coupe is a candidate for some cool air. I have decided against a "swamp cooler."

Information on fitting a VA on an otherwise unmodified 1941 with the 216 engine would be most helpful.

Best,

Charlie

BTW: I have no financial, benefit or gainful interest whatsoever in the Vintage Air company. I would like to be cooled by cold air though. It may get hot down here again.

Hi Charlie,

I meant to respond to your post last week and got sidetracked. My apologies.

I completely understand your desire for AC especially living in North Carolina. It gets hot enough here in Iowa that there are times I will not drive the '37 and we do not have the humidity that you do. I agree that a swamp cooler will not work in your location.

Just like any project we discuss on this forum, I know that AC could be added to your '41. The real question is whether or not it is worth the effort, much less the cost.

Just do a Google search on "Add AC to a 6 volt car". There will be more than enough information to help you determine how to proceed.

Even if you stay with a 6 volt system, I expect that you will need to increase the electrical capacity. You need electricity to engage the compressor clutch, run the interior blower fan, and probably an electric fan to pull air across the condenser. All of those components will have to operate on 6 volts.

If I remember correctly Packard first offered AC in 1939. Both of the heat exchangers (evaporator and condenser) were mounted in the trunk. The driver would turn the system "on" by installing the drive belt to the compressor under the hood. There were a few GM cars with AC in the early 50's.

Keep us updated on your research.

Hi Charlie
I just looked at the Vintage Air website.
Are you sure they make anything to fit your car?
All I'm seeing is kits going back to 1947 vehicles with a V8 swapped in.

Ole,

No I'm not sure. I have been encouraged by a friend who has them mounted in his Chevrolets 51 pickup and 57 BelAir. You are right about them all having been modified with LS engines, etc. He assures me that they have a kit would work or could be modified to work. If I were to go for the kit, I would have to convert to 12 volts, I think, and that is not something I would want to do but would for the sake of comfort. That would be the first step on a slippery slope.

Anyway, I have to do a lot of research on it. It ain't gonna happen soon.

The initial post was to see if anyone on the chat had any experience or information about adding the VA on a 41.

Thanks for your post. It will be helpful in the decision making.

Best,

Charlie

Good plan Charlie!

I expect that it would be a custom job. I do think there are lots of components and accessories out there that would help.

For example, the interior portion could be very similar to what Vintage Air sells for people to put into 40’s Chevy’s. The condenser would be one that fits in front of the radiator like they do on the V8 conversions. Those are available with electric fans that push air through them

I would look at the air conditioning compressors and pieces that Chevy used with 6 cylinder engines over the years. That would help you determine how to mount and drive the compressor.

It can be done. And it would be a fun project as long as you take your time and enjoy the challenge.

I am not a professional in this field, so I can't help you with a proper answer to your question. Anyway, there are a lot of companies specialized in aircon repairing services. Check it out on the internet. I am sure you can find something. When my aircon broke, I got in touch with some guys from marvellous.sg. They made an aircon chemical overhaul, and my aircon started working as it was new. Check it out by yourself.

I have seen brackets made for those engines so it should not be too hard to do.

Charlie: Don't know about Vintage Air but do know when I was stationed in Beeville, TX, I installed an aftermarket, under the dash AC, in a'60 235 Brookwood station wagon. The compressor was old type that looked like a one cylinder air compressor. The system came out of a wrecked '52 Chevy so I had to upgrade it 12 volts. So you should be able to find something that will work on your 216. That big compressor was mounted right above the generator which is in the same position as the generator on your 216. The belt tension pulley was mounted on the other side of the engine and I had some alignment problems with it as it kept chewing up belts. The '60 did tend to run a little warm in 100 degree weather but did fine as long as I monitored the temperature. The only problem I've seen with Vintage Air is that the heat exchanger is mounted on the firewall and requires the removal of your heater, whereas, an under the dash unit only requires holes for the coolant lines and a drainage hole in the floorboard everything else remains intact.. Gene can probably quote you some names of those after market systems. I ran that station wagon for about 3 years and recall having to service the freon every year but that was common practice back then.