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For you folks that live in a hot humid climate, or even a "dry heat" do the A/C even work well enough to cool the cabin?
Summer time around here is brutal and A/C in my classic trucks takes a long time to cool the interior enough to really feel it.
These are Vintage units and R134.
Me thinks A/C in the 62 will be a waste of T&M!
I think it would be more a waste of time unless you intend to keep a hard top on and windows up. Vintage Air will cool the air, but if the intake air is hot and the cabin not sealed, it won't be as cold as you probably like. Using a/c will also cause a higher engine temp if that is an issue for you. I have Classic Auto Air in my 65 convertible, but only use it occasionally. It cools you down if you're all buttoned up. Depends on how much comfort you need for the money, I guess. I feel sure someone will post how theirs freezes them out in 100 degree weather, but I have never been able to achieve it. Maybe try to find someone who has it and for a drive would help you decide.
Have factory AC my 327 67 ragtop. It doesn't cool as well as modern AC (what does?), but it makes a clear difference on hot days with the top and windows up; I use it all the time.
My rag top doesn’t fit very well, can’t latch the rear but enough air blows on me to keep me cool on 100 deg. days. Better than nothing! If it looks like hot weather is going to be around awhile, I put the hardtop on.
This is NOT a Corvette, but it is a factory air cond car. I bought it in 98 and messed with the AC trying to get it to cool. It was better, but not satisfactory. Finally (per recommendations from other Chevelle owners) I removed the AC system, sent it to Classic Auto Air in Tampa. They asked if I wanted it calibrated for R12 or 134. I flushed the remainder of the system, dried it, vaccumed it for 18hrs, shut off the pump and let it sit for 6hrs. The gauge never moved. Then I charged it.
I have LOTS of R12, so I had them set it up for R12. It now gets down to 38-40deg at the center vent and cools the car nicely. I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!
This is my rusty ole POS (my very first car). LOTS of rust holes, worn out weather strip on the doors. I installed this air cond in 1966. It's also on R12 and blows cold, although the unit has difficulty keeping up with the heat coming through the holes and worn weather strip--------------------------but it's cold AC and better than all the windows down in the middle of summer.
Air cond in a ragtop???????????? ABSOLUTELY! Some AC is always better than NO AC!
I recently installed a vintage air unit in my 64 convertible. It’s just OK on a sunny 90 degree day. I believe the size and location of the vents limits it’s performance. On the other hand, my 73 Buick with rebuilt factory air (using R12) works great even when the temps are in the 100s. The performance is as good as my modern BMW, except when idling for an extended period, since it doesn’t have an auxiliary fan for the condenser.
Its funny because "back in the day" having both A/C and a convertible top was considered a bit gauche and showing off..
People would ask, "....why does the car have air conditioning when you can put the top down?". Many Cadillacs and Pontiacs would have both and the thin vinyl convertible tops weren't real conducive to keep things icy, but, the cockpit could be made quite comfortable.
In a C1 and C2 the thin convertible tops are offset a bit as you're only cooling a two-seater - not a big land yacht sedan....
Having said that - this non-Corvette ragtop had A/C and was driven regularly in the desert in triple-digits and it did quite nicely..
Last edited by Frankie the Fink; 06-21-2019 at 09:14 AM.
Around town I never put the top up. But on long trips it's mandatory. I just figured out on the last trip how important sealing the cabin is. And VA has stressed that over and over.
If you don't ever plan to get caught in the rain in a sub-tropical climate (ANY place along the Gulf coast), then AC may be overkill for a convertible. You will sit in traffic in Houston in only one July downpour, where your choices are roll down the windows and/or turn on the defroster (yeah, the defroster!) so you can see where you're going, to figure out AC in some cases is a necessity. Even if it doesn't cool wonderfully. It all depends on the climate when and where the car is used.
Its been 5 years since I sold my '61 and I now find it hard to believe that I drove that car 'top down' in the Florida summers - sometimes for two hour trips...with just the "cowl vent" A/C and would sit around at weekly car shows in the heat and sun for hours on weekends...
I guess I've gotten to be a whussy as even in the '02 T-Bird the top goes up when its steaming hot with the sun beating down on me...
I'm also a bit more paranoid because it seems my dermatologist is finding new and exciting things to treat me for every few months.... I'm paying the price for all those glorious days surfing and baking on the beach in the 60s - no sun block, no suntan lotion, no hat, etc...
Last edited by Frankie the Fink; 06-21-2019 at 04:20 PM.
Yeah, same here, every year he has to remove a few spots on me. I just decided not to go to a car show tomorrow, heat index supposed to be 105. Crazy weather here this year.
For you folks that live in a hot humid climate, or even a "dry heat" do the A/C even work well enough to cool the cabin?
Summer time around here is brutal and A/C in my classic trucks takes a long time to cool the interior enough to really feel it.
These are Vintage units and R134.
Me thinks A/C in the 62 will be a waste of T&M!
I have the factory A/C in my '67 coupe and it works quite well to keep the cabin comfortable in 90 degree weather. It takes a few minutes to get 'up' to full cooling, not like the instant-on in a modern car. But, I wouldn't want to drive far without A/C in very hot weather as the ventilation in a C2 coupe isn't the best.
I had the system in mine converted to 134A last year, so can't comment on how it compares to the stock Freon 12 as it had lost most of its charge when I bought it four years ago.
I remember the first time I rode in a convertible with A/C. It was a '66 Impala (in the mid-60's) and I thought what a lot of folks thought back then, what's the point? The owner admitted he almost never put the top down and that was in the North East, but he just liked the look of the convertible even with the top up, go figure.
In the early 70's I spent a year living in Yuma, Arizona where it seemed every vehicle had A/C. Taxi cabs, tow truck, police cars, even the garbage collector had A/C. All I had was a Falcon V8, hardtop with no A/C and a black interior. I had to cover the steering wheel at work to be able to drive home, or wear gloves. But in the evening, with all the windows down, even in the summer, it was not uncomfortable. Yea, I know, it's a dry heat!
Here in eastern NC, the heat and high humidity in the summer make A/C an almost essential option today if you don't want to get drenched in sweat just to go to the market. Back in the 80's a friend here had a '75 Corvette convertible and rode around all the time in the summer with the top down - and the A/C blasting. And yes, it made a noticeable difference.
In the early 2000's I autocrossed a Miata for 10 years. I always had to run with the top down to get clearance for my helmet. In the summer when waiting in line at events I used the A/C all of the time. I just had to remind myself to turn it off when doing my run!
I also have a C5 hardtop, and the veneration system in it is so poor (in my opinion), that most of the time, even spring and fall, A/C is essential.
Today most modern cars made will automatically turn on their auxiliary fan(s) when you turn on the A/C and actually lower the water temp.
I have a friend here who runs a shop that specializes in restorations. He has found more and more folks that own the old muscle cars, come to him to have A/C added. Many of these cars were not available with A/C back in the day if performance packages were ordered. The new modern aftermarket systems are ideally suited and make excellent upgrades.
Good luck with your decision, but I know if I still lived in Arizona, I would have it! Well maybe not if I lived in Flagstaff...
I think we just get used to an amenity and next thing you know it morphs into a necessity... The only A/C I recall anywhere as a youth was in the A&P supermarket in the mid-60s...In the summer, us kids thought we were freezing in there and couldn't wait to get outside and warm.
School buildings, school buses, movies, literally nobody else had it. And no muscle cars (many anyway) didn't have it - the early Z-28s didn't for example. Gear heads didn't want the drag even if the compressor was off since the fan belt was still turning...and doing mechanical work around the huge compressors was a PITA..
Last edited by Frankie the Fink; 06-22-2019 at 06:06 AM.
Heck, the house I grew up in (5th grade through high school) in Alexandria, VA didn’t have A/C. But it didn’t seem strange to live that way. It was normal and the way everyone else lived.
BUT, my dad closed in the back porch to a “rumpus room” (remember that term?) with a widow A/C unit and I was spoiled for life.
06-20-2019, 05:52 PM
A/C in a rag top?
and would sit around at weekly car shows in the heat and sun for hours on weekends...
