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I have a 1968 Corvette that I am in the process of having restored and it did not come from the factory with A/C. I've been looking at "Vintage Air" and "Old Air Products" as possibilities to retrofitting my car with A/C, and I haven’t really seen anything bad about either company on the forums.
Does anyone have any experience with either of these company's complete retro fit kits? If so, what are your thoughts/experiences on:
1) Installation and any significant mods that need to be done to install?
2) Electronic vs. cable operated?
3) Quality of how they work, issues people have had?
3) How the components look compared to original equipment?
I have a 68 with updated factory air. I still have R-12 and it cools well. I upgraded the blower and drier and installed a Sandon compressor. I installed a Vintage Air system in my 66 coupe and it cools better than the 68. My friend just installed a Classic Auto Air system in his 70 LT-1 coupe and it also cools well.The retrofit systems take R-134. One advantage of Classic Air is that they are located in west Tampa. It took me about 20 hours to install the VA system in the 66. I could do it in about 10 hours as it is easier to do the second time around. Good decision to install A/C in Tampa. It is so much better to drive in our six month summer. Jerry
One of my favorite mods!! Especially in Texas right now. But its a tough one. I used Vintage Air. All the old A/C stuff comes out. Provides allot of extra room. But - its best to do it during a restore when the engine is out. A little tricky with electrical. It uses all the old switches and roller *****. So it looks original on the console. Hope this helps.
So now I'm tracking three manufacturers for retrofit A/C systems; Vintage Air, Old Air Products and Classic Auto Air.
Does anyone have any pics they can share of the in-car controls from the above companies (Heater Control, Wiper Switch Bezel with A/C vents, etc...)
Do all of the retrofit behind the dash A/C units hang down like the one in the picture? Were the original factory A/C components exposed under the dash like the one in the pic?
When I did my 72 I used Classic Auto Air and ran into problems with the defroster which they could not or did not want figure out. I looked at Old Air and had them send a copy of their instructions and they were very generic not specific to a C3 so I did not use them. Vintage AIr instructions are much more detailed than Classic Air were. You can call all 3 and get copies of their instructions to see if they have improved. When I do another AC it will definitely be Vintage. Hope my experience helps in your decision.n
FYI:
Make sure the new compressor is a SANDEN........there are knockoffs everywhere sold as "like Sanden" or as "Sanden Design" , etc. . Those are not true Sanden compressors and will not last.
Retrofitting A/C on a 1968
