air conditioning
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 58,061
Likes: 7,145
Army
There is no equivalent in price, ease of installation, or, quality to Vintage Air Gen IV.
None - don't exist.
Here is my '63 last Saturday after an hour on the highway in 93* with Vintage Air A/C with just a heavy duty fan clutch and over-sized radiator fan (no electric fan and stock radiator). Note the temp gauge and note the thermometer in the vent (excuse my gnarly feet)
And yes that's 175* coolant temp and 41* coming out of the vent
None - don't exist.
Here is my '63 last Saturday after an hour on the highway in 93* with Vintage Air A/C with just a heavy duty fan clutch and over-sized radiator fan (no electric fan and stock radiator). Note the temp gauge and note the thermometer in the vent (excuse my gnarly feet)
And yes that's 175* coolant temp and 41* coming out of the vent
Last edited by Frankie the Fink; Sep 9, 2015 at 07:16 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 58,061
Likes: 7,145
Army
There are some in my other posts on A/C....
FYI - the vents on each side of the center console are pretty much stock and non-directional but they blow hard. The outboard A/C nozzles for the mid-years are in plastic housing that span a short distance under the dash (as shown)...you can see them on the floor and then installed in the attached photos. On a '63 the LH nozzle doesn't go completely to the left unless you shuffle some things around so my positioning is a compromise that I'm fine with.
I toyed with some other nozzles that just hang down with hoses directly attached and no plastic housing but they looked no better and routing the hoses was problematic (I should have known Vintage Air had already figured it out)
FYI - the vents on each side of the center console are pretty much stock and non-directional but they blow hard. The outboard A/C nozzles for the mid-years are in plastic housing that span a short distance under the dash (as shown)...you can see them on the floor and then installed in the attached photos. On a '63 the LH nozzle doesn't go completely to the left unless you shuffle some things around so my positioning is a compromise that I'm fine with.
I toyed with some other nozzles that just hang down with hoses directly attached and no plastic housing but they looked no better and routing the hoses was problematic (I should have known Vintage Air had already figured it out)
Last edited by Frankie the Fink; Sep 10, 2015 at 09:10 AM.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,170
Likes: 342
From: boulder,colorado
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 3,022
Likes: 94
From: Texas
I guess I 'm in the minority on the clock hole vent....it really looks outa place to me. Ruins the asthetics of the whole clock console imho...(bugeyed sorta?...no offense meant to anyone, just my preference) So much so that I spent a bunch on having my original gauges restored and/or updated to preserve the original appearance...including the clock and tach.
The dash and stock old school look on the C1's instruments is one of the most pleasing parts of the C1's to me...just beautiful.
However those center side console vents look like they wouldn't detract much from the instruments or dash vintage look ...if they could be made to fit.
Stan..
The dash and stock old school look on the C1's instruments is one of the most pleasing parts of the C1's to me...just beautiful.
However those center side console vents look like they wouldn't detract much from the instruments or dash vintage look ...if they could be made to fit.
Stan..
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,939
Likes: 199
From: Palm Bay Florida
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 10,560
Likes: 439
From: Wellington, FL
St. Jude Donor '11 thru '25
There are some in my other posts on A/C....
FYI - the vents on each side of the center console are pretty much stock and non-directional but they blow hard. The outboard A/C nozzles for the mid-years are in plastic housing that span a short distance under the dash (as shown)...you can see them on the floor and then installed in the attached photos. On a '63 the LH nozzle doesn't go completely to the left unless you shuffle some things around so my positioning is a compromise that I'm fine with.
I toyed with some other nozzles that just hang down with hoses directly attached and no plastic housing but they looked no better and routing the hoses was problematic (I should have known Vintage Air had already figured it out)
FYI - the vents on each side of the center console are pretty much stock and non-directional but they blow hard. The outboard A/C nozzles for the mid-years are in plastic housing that span a short distance under the dash (as shown)...you can see them on the floor and then installed in the attached photos. On a '63 the LH nozzle doesn't go completely to the left unless you shuffle some things around so my positioning is a compromise that I'm fine with.
I toyed with some other nozzles that just hang down with hoses directly attached and no plastic housing but they looked no better and routing the hoses was problematic (I should have known Vintage Air had already figured it out)
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 2,562
Likes: 657
From: Virginia Beach VA
C2 of the Year Finalist - Modified 2020
C2 of Year Finalist (performance mods) 2019
The Old Air System was in my car when I bought it 4 years ago. I replaced the rebuilt GM compressor this year for the new version. The system works very well and I run it all summer with the top down. The front seal on the compressor started leaking. When temps get in the high 90's I put my top up enjoy the cool air. I have had no over heating issues with a factory cooling system.
You basically have a choice between the VA and Old Air. They both use the same compressors. Forum members favor the VA system for some reason. It would be interesting to get an opinion from someone who has both.
You basically have a choice between the VA and Old Air. They both use the same compressors. Forum members favor the VA system for some reason. It would be interesting to get an opinion from someone who has both.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 58,061
Likes: 7,145
Army
Well - if Old Air had their installation manual available on-line a cursory comparison could be made.
I know a bunch of top restorers and none of them use anything but the V/A system - so not sure who has experience with both systems.
I did have Nostalgic A/C in my '67 Chevelle and it was ridiculously lame....air flow weak, temps not optimal, controls half-assed.
Sooo - I'm a little leery of anything but what the majority of users have had good luck with.
If O/A had performance equivalent to V/A and still preserved the glove box entirely that would be an advantage.
Maybe you can post a pic as I did to see how the system performs in the real world...
I know a bunch of top restorers and none of them use anything but the V/A system - so not sure who has experience with both systems.
I did have Nostalgic A/C in my '67 Chevelle and it was ridiculously lame....air flow weak, temps not optimal, controls half-assed.
Sooo - I'm a little leery of anything but what the majority of users have had good luck with.
If O/A had performance equivalent to V/A and still preserved the glove box entirely that would be an advantage.
Maybe you can post a pic as I did to see how the system performs in the real world...
Last edited by Frankie the Fink; Sep 11, 2015 at 08:51 AM.
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 4,424
Likes: 619
From: northern CA
Reading through AC posts over time when they came up and user experience threads convinced me to go with Vintage Air.
The later VA kit with electronic controls and stepper motors is a nice touch. No mechanical push-pull cables with the Gen IV system.
Installation can be a bit of a bear, especially the under dash work. VA also provides customer support. Inquiries and/or questions are promptly replied to. One part in the system I received had a defect (buggered up threads). VA promptly sent out a replacement.
Complete and ready to go, system up and running, having AC in these old cars makes the driving experience all that much better. Actually, a bunch better.
Spoiled? . umm........could be!
John
The later VA kit with electronic controls and stepper motors is a nice touch. No mechanical push-pull cables with the Gen IV system.
Installation can be a bit of a bear, especially the under dash work. VA also provides customer support. Inquiries and/or questions are promptly replied to. One part in the system I received had a defect (buggered up threads). VA promptly sent out a replacement.
Complete and ready to go, system up and running, having AC in these old cars makes the driving experience all that much better. Actually, a bunch better.
Spoiled? . umm........could be!
John