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Like to get some input on the installation of a vintage air system in a 1976 Corvette with Factory air. How easy is it to install and what is the the most difficult part. Also how well does it really work. I live in Florida and the heat here is really hot in the summer. I will keep up with the heat and does it make the car overheat.
Getting your old AC system out will probably be the hardest part of the process. You will have to remove the dash pad and center gauge bezel and all your original parts. The center console will have to come out to modify the controls. The engine side of the AC system isn’t easy either, but if you aren’t saving it then you can use a little more muscle to get it out of the engine bay. Once all your factory stuff is out of the way, installing the Vintage Air components is pretty straightforward. The hardest remaining part is getting all the wiring and new ductwork to fit behind your dash pieces. Sometimes the ducts get a little crushed getting the dash pieces to line up correctly.
I agree with maj75. The ducting was the most difficult part for me to get situated correctly and still have full A/C performance through the upper vents. It's a tight fit behind the center gauge cluster and I had to assemble/dissasemble it several times before I got it to fit reasonably well and not crush the vent ducting. As far as performance goes, it cools really well with my tops on and certainly takes the temps down to bearable with them off. I live in southwest Utah with 100+ for most of the summer and it works great. I've never had any overheating issues and it's a 69 big block car with some HP mods. My coolant temps never get above 190-200.
My car originally came with a c and I read the whole system. After doing that it didn't really work too good it made it comfortable but the older compressor really takes away a lot of horsepower almost stalls the motor when you turn it on and it doesn't cool too well. I was skeptical to invest more money into it and have a system that didn't do a good job. Thanks for your input
My car originally came with a c and I read the whole system. After doing that it didn't really work too good it made it comfortable but the older compressor really takes away a lot of horsepower almost stalls the motor when you turn it on and it doesn't cool too well. I was skeptical to invest more money into it and have a system that didn't do a good job. Thanks for your input
You can split the difference. Your 76 is comfortable now but you don't like the compressor. Change the compressor to a Sanden 508 and make new lines to connect to your current system, maybe even replacing your stock condenser with a new multipath, and see if this makes your 76 feel 'right'. If you find that you want more improvement, THEN remove and replace the rest of the system. If you do this, and go with the full system replacement, the maximum additional cost would be would be to fabricate a second set of refrigerant lines. On the other hand, you may find you're satisfied with replacing the compressor and have what you want for MUCH less work and money.
Getting your old AC system out will probably be the hardest part of the process. You will have to remove the dash pad and center gauge bezel and all your original parts. The center console will have to come out to modify the controls. The engine side of the AC system isn’t easy either, but if you aren’t saving it then you can use a little more muscle to get it out of the engine bay. Once all your factory stuff is out of the way, installing the Vintage Air components is pretty straightforward. The hardest remaining part is getting all the wiring and new ductwork to fit behind your dash pieces. Sometimes the ducts get a little crushed getting the dash pieces to line up correctly.
comp I went to order the kit today and they told me that it comes with a universal bracket for the compressor that does not just bolt-on you have to do a bunch of fabricating they said that there is a bracket set for guys like me who have headers that will bolt right on for $159 did you run into this problem.
Like to get some input on the installation of a vintage air system in a 1976 Corvette with Factory air. How easy is it to install and what is the the most difficult part. Also how well does it really work. I live in Florida and the heat here is really hot in the summer. I will keep up with the heat and does it make the car overheat.
I too am getting ready to replace my AC system. The previous owner removed the Compressor, condenser, and all the mounting brackets.I have had the car for 10 years. I Have removed the VIR and evaporator. and all the hoses.I only removed the evaporator to clean it. Glad I did it was clogged. I am not sure I understand why you would need to replace the ducts in the dash if you already have factory air. Why not just replace everything under the hood with a R134 system?
I think that's what I'm going to do I can upgrade the system with the Sanders compressor much cheaper than buying the whole system
I had a 1974 factory BBC with A/C. Restored the A/C system 15+ years ago. New actuators, seals, heater core, evaporator core, compressor, condenser and changed the VIR to CCOT. It wasn't any colder and didn't blow any harder either. So a few years ago a Vintage Air Sure Fit system was installed. We also replaced the ragged transmission tunnel insulation, pulled the carpets and Lizard Skined the floor board and firewall. The hardest part of the job was removing the orginal evaporator from the engine bay with the BBC. The results were better than expected. I now get cold in this car on a +90°F day. I believe between moving the evaporator to the interior and insulating the car better, gave me the car I want to drive any day. In retrospect, I wouldn't had wasted the time and money restoring/modifying the original A/C system.
I had a 1974 factory BBC with A/C. Restored the A/C system 15+ years ago. New actuators, seals, heater core, evaporator core, compressor, condenser and changed the VIR to CCOT. It wasn't any colder and didn't blow any harder either. So a few years ago a Vintage Air Sure Fit system was installed. We also replaced the ragged transmission tunnel insulation, pulled the carpets and Lizard Skined the floor board and firewall. The hardest part of the job was removing the orginal evaporator from the engine bay with the BBC. The results were better than expected. I now get cold in this car on a +90°F day. I believe between moving the evaporator to the interior and insulating the car better, gave me the car I want to drive any day. In retrospect, I wouldn't had wasted the time and money restoring/modifying the original A/C system.
The Vintage air sure fit system seems like the best option to me. I have already removed all the carpet. It was a mess. It had no padding under the carpet and there is no Tranny insulation. I plan on that as well. I really did not want to go this far with this car. It has some frame rust, mostly the bottom of the cross member behind the seats, and I am not sure it is worth all this. Maybe some day I will lift the body off and address the frame issues but not now. The car runs strong, Motor was rebuilt. The block was decked and I'm not sure what else was done by the previous owner. It is a Michigan car so rust is an issue.
You can split the difference. Your 76 is comfortable now but you don't like the compressor. Change the compressor to a Sanden 508 and make new lines to connect to your current system, maybe even replacing your stock condenser with a new multipath, and see if this makes your 76 feel 'right'. If you find that you want more improvement, THEN remove and replace the rest of the system. If you do this, and go with the full system replacement, the maximum additional cost would be would be to fabricate a second set of refrigerant lines. On the other hand, you may find you're satisfied with replacing the compressor and have what you want for MUCH less work and money.
I decided to go with an upgrade kit from original auto air that gives me the Sanders compressor and they vir Eliminator kit with all the hoses. It makes more sense to start with that and if I'm not happy with it I can always add the other components to improve efficiency if needed. It was 499.00 plus tax
I won 900 in in the Florida lottery yesterday so it is basically free. Life is good
Sanden (beware of counterfeits) is a great compressor. After a few minutes of cooling the interior I never had to set the sliding lever more than halfway to keep the interior very cool on a 97*F day in traffic. On open roads I could set it to less than halfway.
Let a quality A/C shop install the unit for you.
I'm about half way done with my Vintage Air NOT SO sure fit system. The defroster ducts eliminate the bracket that holds the upper center console vents in place so I am trying to figure out a way to fix that. I think I can drill a couple holes in the face and attach to the dash. The Tubes just barely make it through the firewall and it was difficult to get them into the 4 holes in the plate. It is going to be a challenge getting the lower one connected. One inch longer would have been nice. I had to cut the Grommets to get them on. The bottom holes for the condenser brackets don't line up with the holes on the radiator mount. I reamed out the holes to make it work. The drier hits the mounting where the Headlight Vacuum canister is. I had to cut some off the bottom of the canister mount to get the drier in. It is not an easy installation my any means. But then I never expected it to be. I just hope it all works once I'm done, LOL.
That's what I was afraid of. The upgrade kit was easy
I wouldn't let that discourage me. Nothing on an old rusty Corvette is easy, LOL. If the AC works as good as they claim it will, and the testimonials suggest it does, I'll be happy.
You can split the difference. Your 76 is comfortable now but you don't like the compressor. Change the compressor to a Sanden 508 and make new lines to connect to your current system, maybe even replacing your stock condenser with a new multipath, and see if this makes your 76 feel 'right'. If you find that you want more improvement, THEN remove and replace the rest of the system. If you do this, and go with the full system replacement, the maximum additional cost would be would be to fabricate a second set of refrigerant lines. On the other hand, you may find you're satisfied with replacing the compressor and have what you want for MUCH less work and money.
A few other minor upgrades you may want to try to improve that are installing some DEI insulation to the evaporator case under the hood to help shield it from the heat coming off the engine. From LastBigBlock's thread:
This same type of insulation has been used by several members here to insulate the firewall and transmission tunnel. Many of the OEMs have this insulation installed from the factory to improve the performance of the HVAC system, sadly, our Corvettes were not graced with this. Sure it adds a little weight to our sports cars, but the DEI insulation is pretty light for the amount of improvement you can get on interior temp. I'm in Texas and our summer is a good 6 months long it seems, so you can bet I'll be insulating the heck out of mine as I go back together. I want to see 45 degree or better air coming out of the vents!
i installed vintage a/c in my 76 l48 easy install the hardest part is getting the shifter console back in cools the car perfectly in sw florida heat no overheat issues no loss of power very happy of course to whileiamat it got me so new carpet seat belts heat barrier parking brake and shifter consoles are in floor mats and new window tint hell might as well do door panels to
07-10-2018, 12:35 PM
Vintage Air installation questions
