Finished up A/C system today. Friend stopped by with A/C charging equipment. Pumped it down (vacuum) and let it sit for 10-15 minutes NO LEAKS charged with 24 oz of 134a and the temp at the vents drop to 37 degrees.

I collected my notes & pictures and put together a write-up for other to use if they wish.

I am neither promoting Classic Auto Air or saying how it should be installed. Just my experience. Others may have different opinions and you should be the judge.

I suggest you do a search and review other brands and installs.

Click Here for my write-up

George

 

Good work. Thanks for going to all the trouble to document your installation. I have stored the link for when I am ready to install air conditioning in my car.

 

George, nice job, thanks for positing.

 

Looks great! I am in the middle of installing AC as part of a total restoration. I know what you mean about the duct work. I put weather strip around the duct work for the defroster to hide the gaps in the dash. I know it is early in the season, but have you had the car in traffic on a hot day? Does the engine stay cool with the aux. fans? Jerry

 

Great info and write-up, George. I'll be sure to bookmark this one, too. .. Good to hear the install went in fairly smooth. The finished product looks super! ..

I'm another one considering going with air. How'd we do without it back in the day? .. Are we spoiled now ..? . . Nahhhhhh, just kiddin'! .. .. ..

 

We're (for the most part) getting up there in years. Didn't need A/C when we were younger.

 

Looks great and I'll bet it blows some air.

Where are the control ***** on/off etc located?

thanks,

Rich

 

Minimum seat time as it been raining I have to wait for better weather to see how engine temp is.

Controls replace stock ***** in dash:
Fan = Blower speed Low,Med,High
Air Pull Def = Floor or Defrost
Temp control is **** left of console (see pic)



george

 

Thanks for the write up.
Is it reall necessary to put in all the disclaimers? I know we live in a litigious soceity, but has anyone ever been sued based on free advice posted on a forum?

 

Has anyone punched holes in the dash and added a top outlet like a factory model? Any idea if possible to actually route a hose to it? Just wondering....I've seen the parts in Corvette central.

 

Boy do I need a/c in my 58. Nice job.Thanks for the pic. Larry

 

Real nice under the hood!!!!! Added this thread to the FAQ, probably a lot of interest in it. My AC was much easier to install, put the top down and go fast!!

 

Thanks for the great write up and pictures, I'm thinking about putting AC in my 65 Coupe. This gives me confidence in what needs to be done. Did you do any comparison of the different vendor of these aftermarket kits ? Thanks Tim

 

George

How do you gain access to the RH bank sparkplugs?

Thank you for the write-up & nice job.

 

your 58 should be similar to my 62; check the FAQ threads for

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1540091

Bill

 

I have a 65 with factory A/C, and I do the front 2 plugs on the right side from under the car.

 

I did this years ago. Not too hard to do. Be patient and make a Template from and existing car. Any mid-year is fine. Be certain to make the corners rounded out as thats the way they are on factory units. Al W

 

George: Your installation looks good. I installed the same system a few years ago on my Big Block Coupe (it was like driving a pizza oven without the A/C).

I made one additional change to my Classic Air system. The fans are wired to cycle on & off with the compressor. I found that to be a bit annoying while driving since it puts a pretty good surge on the electrical system when they start. I re-wired the fan relay so it is activated as soon as the A/C is turned on and the fans stay on even when the compressor cycles on & off. To do this I had to connect the "BLUE" A/C wire that comes from the switch as follows; it goes from the switch to the micro switch (on the top right of the power pak), from the micro switch to the thermostat switch (on the left of the power pak), from the thermostat switch to the high/low pressure switch (on the receiver/dryer). The schematic shows it to be wired this way, but I found mine to have the thermostat & micro-switch reversed. In any case, I connected the wire from the fan relay to the blue wire between the micro-switch and the thermostat. With it wired this way the fans run all the time while the compressor cycles. I believe this helps cooling a bit better too.

I also did the 12SI alternator upgrade. I can have the A/C & headlights on at an idle with no discharge. With the old 37 amp alternator it had a serious discharge and the lights were dim at idle.

Enjoy your cool Car.
Roy

 

I used to have a non-A/C '65 Mustang when I was in HS and undergrad...that thing was miserable in traffic in the summer. Once you could get moving and kick the wing windows open, it was tolerable.

 

has anyone modified core support on C1 so condenser can sit closer to radiator?