VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Radios, Tools, Accessories Swamp Cooler (Air Conditioning)

I have an old Sears swamp cooler I want to use on my '38 Chevy. I realize this is out of the norm but being a member of VCCA, I thought I could get a little help. The cooler is in excellent condition but appears to be missing a bracket. The cooler has 3 clamps that hold it on to the window and it has a bracket on the tank just below those clamps. The bracket is a small distance out from the tank. There is a 1"x1" bare square on the bottom of the tank. It appears there may have been a bracket spot welded to these two places, at the bare spot and between the upper bracket and tank. Does anyone out there have one of these that they could draw an end view diagram of and show the dimensions of the bracket if in fact there was one? Any help on this will be greatly appreciated.

Beamer, I'm also from Rochester and had a Sears swamp cooler several years ago - kind of a light green in color. As I recall, it had two brackets for the window mounting and a support rod that went from the underside of the cooler to the door. The 'cooler' only lasted for a couple of weeks because it didn't work too well and drove my wife nuts (short trip!!). The cooler worked fairly well when you were under way (above 40 mph), but when you slowed down or had to stop, the humidity that the unit put into the passenger compartment, along with the windows being rolled up, was intolerable - like being in a steam bath. It also blocked the passenger side window, which was not good for the passenger or for the driver, for that matter. Those things might have worked in the arid desert country, but it's way too humid in New York for them. The only thing they're good for, IMO, is for attracting mild interest at the local cruise-in. Mine was sold on Ebay and I was glad to be rid of it. -Bob

Hey Bowtie Bob! I have a brand new one in the original box if you want to try swamp coolers again. Ha ha!

Actually, you don't put water in the swamp cooler.......you use beer instead with a long straw going from the swamp cooler to the driver's seat. "Sip as you drive". Ha ha!

Dang!! I wish I'd thought of using beer instead of water. I'd still have gotten hot, but I wouldn't have cared!! -Bob

Dang, I am glad I used the beer to cool the innards of MrMack rather than the air!

Ya, in Macky Wacky's case, there would be a lot of "hot air" floating around inside of the car, so a swamp cooler would be right up his alley.

Bowtie Bob: I stopped using beer in my swamp cooler and I graduated into vintage wine instead! Also, I now keep slices of exotic cheese on the seat next to me, so now I can "sip and dip" at the same time! It works for me!

Ain't swamp coolers great??!!