Air conditioning
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Aug 2022
Posts: 57
Likes: 17
From: Arlington, TX
Air conditioning
My 74 originally had air conditioner. Most of the parts had been removed prior to my purchase. The condenser and the hoses are about all they left on the car. Everything else is gone.
Am I better off getting the Vintage Air package or buying all of the various parts?
Also how do factory controls work? Mine seem hard to move when mounted in place, yet if I take them out of the console, they turn freely. Do the factory controls require any kind of vacuum hoses to operate?
I converted to electric headlight motors and removed all of the vacuum hoses from inside, so if they are needed then I guess I should go vintage air route.
Am I better off getting the Vintage Air package or buying all of the various parts?
Also how do factory controls work? Mine seem hard to move when mounted in place, yet if I take them out of the console, they turn freely. Do the factory controls require any kind of vacuum hoses to operate?
I converted to electric headlight motors and removed all of the vacuum hoses from inside, so if they are needed then I guess I should go vintage air route.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2019
Posts: 7,645
Likes: 2,464
From: Indiana
including evaporator? maybe a pic would help decide.. if you have all the basics there and missing compressor? much cheaper to rehab old system and use modern tweaks.. like sanden compressor and maybe orifice change?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 6,640
Likes: 287
From: Ann Arbor Michigan
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 6,692
Likes: 1,366
It's already modified. It's a 1974. Just go Vintage Air.
My 74 originally had air conditioner. Most of the parts had been removed prior to my purchase. The condenser and the hoses are about all they left on the car. Everything else is gone.
Am I better off getting the Vintage Air package or buying all of the various parts?
Also how do factory controls work? Mine seem hard to move when mounted in place, yet if I take them out of the console, they turn freely. Do the factory controls require any kind of vacuum hoses to operate?
I converted to electric headlight motors and removed all of the vacuum hoses from inside, so if they are needed then I guess I should go vintage air route.
Am I better off getting the Vintage Air package or buying all of the various parts?
Also how do factory controls work? Mine seem hard to move when mounted in place, yet if I take them out of the console, they turn freely. Do the factory controls require any kind of vacuum hoses to operate?
I converted to electric headlight motors and removed all of the vacuum hoses from inside, so if they are needed then I guess I should go vintage air route.
Race Director
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 11,115
Likes: 669
From: SE Pennsylvania
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
Oldtimer
The job will be imensly easyier if thwe evaporater is still useable, most all or the rest is optainable, you might have to visit some oldtime yearking years. I'm a kind of orginalalty nut, ( NCRS ) and that was once of the things I had to work on in getting a second flight award for my 79. but once back in and oberating it never had a issue. Good luck ! 
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 13,151
Likes: 7,765
From: Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
2025 C3 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2024 C3 of the Year Finalist- Modified
2022 C3 of the Year Finalist - Modified
Cruise-In VIII Veteran
Likely everything is still in your dash. If so and the evaporater is still usable and your controls and actuators function. It would be far cheaper to just do a VIR Eliminator set-up.
I ran a how to thread on here titled 73-E77 Air-Con upgrade. If you google search it by thread title it should come right up. Would be far less expensive than vintage air. And a lot less work.
And yes you need vacuum to operate the heater air-con system in your car.
I ran a how to thread on here titled 73-E77 Air-Con upgrade. If you google search it by thread title it should come right up. Would be far less expensive than vintage air. And a lot less work.
And yes you need vacuum to operate the heater air-con system in your car.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
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
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!
Joe Kucinski
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 6,692
Likes: 1,366
This? https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...n-upgrade.html
I was curious so I went and looked for it.
I was curious so I went and looked for it.
Likely everything is still in your dash. If so and the evaporater is still usable and your controls and actuators function. It would be far cheaper to just do a VIR Eliminator set-up.
I ran a how to thread on here titled 73-E77 Air-Con upgrade. If you google search it by thread title it should come right up. Would be far less expensive than vintage air. And a lot less work.
And yes you need vacuum to operate the heater air-con system in your car.
I ran a how to thread on here titled 73-E77 Air-Con upgrade. If you google search it by thread title it should come right up. Would be far less expensive than vintage air. And a lot less work.
And yes you need vacuum to operate the heater air-con system in your car.
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 13,151
Likes: 7,765
From: Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
2025 C3 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2024 C3 of the Year Finalist- Modified
2022 C3 of the Year Finalist - Modified
Cruise-In VIII Veteran
Yes, that. Someone knows how to post a link.
I've managed once or twice, but it's a real journey for me.
A car I can fix. A cylinder I can hone, but this computer stuff.....
Hopefully it will help. Thanks for posting the link.
I have extremely good air-con. Still working great.
And at least half the cost and effort of the vintage air system.
I've managed once or twice, but it's a real journey for me.
A car I can fix. A cylinder I can hone, but this computer stuff.....
Hopefully it will help. Thanks for posting the link.
I have extremely good air-con. Still working great.
And at least half the cost and effort of the vintage air system.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 918
Likes: 198
From: TX
I agree with 4-vettes on trying to get the factory system working. Once you get it going it works great. Six or seven years on mine so far since I resealed the compressor, new expansion valve and dryer.
If you look at vintage you might want to check about being able to use your factory radio. My friend had vintage put in his 69 427 and could not use the oem radio, had to get an aftermarket one.
VS
If you look at vintage you might want to check about being able to use your factory radio. My friend had vintage put in his 69 427 and could not use the oem radio, had to get an aftermarket one.
VS
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 1,566
Likes: 574
From: Wisconsin
Before you do anything, get a fiber optic camera or similar and get a look inside the evap enclosure. C3’s had limited protection from debris ingestion into the HVAC system and over the years, many cars get severely gummed up with leaves, dirt, nuts, cottonwood, you name it. It ends up blocking airflow thru the system and no amount of upgrading will fix it. Only thing to do is pull the enclosure apart, take out the evap and heater cores and clean everything out. At that point, you are more than halfway to a Vintage Air kit install, which is a pretty good improvement over the OEM system.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 6,692
Likes: 1,366
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 3,224
Likes: 652
From: Thunder Bay
One more vote for Vintage, even though I have the stock setup in my '79 and it works fine. Several problems though. Here in Canada we can no longer get R-12. If you are going to R-134 you should replace the whole system for best efficiency. Also I have had trouble getting parts for my system the last couple of times I worked on it. IIRC the last problem I had was with getting a fan clutch. I Couldn't buy one and ended up cobbling one together from parts from a couple of old compressors. Next time I have to open the system I think I'm going to upgrade the system. Probably Vintage, but we'll see when the time comes.
Racer
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 319
Likes: 125
From: Midwest
That's what I would do with a 73-77E C3 that had factory air conditioning. Eliminating the VIR is key on those cars. Everything else was fine with those A/C systems.