Quick Vintage Air Questions
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 135
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From: Western Loudoun County VA
Quick Vintage Air Questions
The PO half installed a traditional AC unit but never completed and was missing many parts. Figure while I have the motor out to do the TKO600 swap, I should just pull all that stuff out in prep for a Vintage Air at some time next year. So question is, can I just pull out the AC wiring harness to clean up the engine compartment and all the traditional AC vacuum tubing or is any of that reused by the Vintage install?
Thanks...
Thanks...
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Pro
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 691
Likes: 25
From: Boynton Beach Florida
Just installed a Vintage Air Gen IV in mine a month ago. Out with the old and in with the new, wiring was simple and straight forward, running the duct hoses is another fun filled story that ends with "I'd a sworn they wouldn't have fit but they did" 
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 135
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From: Western Loudoun County VA
Thanks everyone. Looks like when I pull the engine this weekend, I can just pull that harness on out. New ignition harness is ordered and on the way too after I spent a day untaping the existing mess to see where all these new colored wires were running that were not on the diagram.
Since it will be past most of the DC summer here before I get things good enough to maybe put her on the road, I was planning on just doing all the AC removal stuff for now while it is all easy to access. Then get the engine/tko put back in and hopefully drivable. Over the winter and into next year put in Vintage Air, fix convertible top and prep for paint job.
Since it will be past most of the DC summer here before I get things good enough to maybe put her on the road, I was planning on just doing all the AC removal stuff for now while it is all easy to access. Then get the engine/tko put back in and hopefully drivable. Over the winter and into next year put in Vintage Air, fix convertible top and prep for paint job.
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 4,063
Likes: 104
From: Southeast, Tennessee
St. Jude Donor '09 thru '26
before you fixate on vintage air, check out a classic air system if they have one available for your car. their products are specific to the year make and model they fit and usually use the same OEM switches, etc so from the cockpit it looks absolutely original. a friend just had his mechanic (and mine also) install a classic system in his 67 mustang coupe and the mechanic said he felt it was a better product than the vintage air system he had previously installed in a corvette grand sport daytona cpe replica he built for another customer. not a rep for either, just passing along another opinion.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 135
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From: Western Loudoun County VA
Maybe both vendors will be at Carlisle or at least some resellers this year. I'll keep an eye out at the show for vendors and see what cars out in the field might have either system installed. If anyone here has one and will be there this year, would love to know and meet up. Hoping next year to be able to drive mine, only an hour trip or so.
Racer
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 435
Likes: 7
From: Wake Forest NC
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,071
Likes: 86
From: Rotonda FL
Vinrage Air in a 77
Anyone know if the vintage air system will fit the later model C3's?
I installed a Gen IV Vintage Air kit into my 77 (do a search for my write-up from earlier this year).
Later years (78-82) had both a different dash (Installation would require the loss of the glove compartment at a minimum) and a modern orifice system instead of the VIR system. For these I would recommend changing to 134a refrigerant, flushing the system, changing the orifice tube to a smaller diameter, replacing the compressor with a Sanden 508 and changing the condenser to a modern multipath one.
I installed a Gen IV Vintage Air kit into my 77 (do a search for my write-up from earlier this year).
Later years (78-82) had both a different dash (Installation would require the loss of the glove compartment at a minimum) and a modern orifice system instead of the VIR system. For these I would recommend changing to 134a refrigerant, flushing the system, changing the orifice tube to a smaller diameter, replacing the compressor with a Sanden 508 and changing the condenser to a modern multipath one.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 2,655
Likes: 19
I've installed a perfect fit Vintage Air in my 68 corvette and a universal Classic Auto Air in a 72 442. The universal is verry similar to the vette kit.
Vintage Air is a couple hundred more but is a quite a bit more hi tech. The Classic Air is cable operated while VA has stepper motors to control the air doors. But then again, sometimes simple is better. The one downside of the Classic Air is that the defrost/heat/vent/AC control operates a single door that directs air between 2 sets of ducts, the defrost/heat and vent/AC ducts. So there is no separation possible between defrost and heat ports with their universal kit. Not a big deal to me since I'll most likely only use vent and AC. My only concern is if something fails in the VA, I'm pretty sure I'll be replacing the entire evaporator assembly.
Both companies were great to work with and substituted parts for my custom installs at no cost. Both cars were LSx swaps, so quite a few parts swaps were necessary. I think you're going to be happy with either.
Oh yeah the only problem with either was a stuck heater control vale on the VA system that became unstuck as soon as I removed it.
Vintage Air is a couple hundred more but is a quite a bit more hi tech. The Classic Air is cable operated while VA has stepper motors to control the air doors. But then again, sometimes simple is better. The one downside of the Classic Air is that the defrost/heat/vent/AC control operates a single door that directs air between 2 sets of ducts, the defrost/heat and vent/AC ducts. So there is no separation possible between defrost and heat ports with their universal kit. Not a big deal to me since I'll most likely only use vent and AC. My only concern is if something fails in the VA, I'm pretty sure I'll be replacing the entire evaporator assembly.
Both companies were great to work with and substituted parts for my custom installs at no cost. Both cars were LSx swaps, so quite a few parts swaps were necessary. I think you're going to be happy with either.
Oh yeah the only problem with either was a stuck heater control vale on the VA system that became unstuck as soon as I removed it.
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 183
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Later years (78-82) had both a different dash (Installation would require the loss of the glove compartment at a minimum) and a modern orifice system instead of the VIR system. replacing the compressor with a Sanden 508 and changing the condenser to a modern multipath one.
Think VA, maybe the universal will fit. I'll look into it more when the time comes