Thread: Air/heat/defrost

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I have a big ol' clunky a/c - heat - defrost unit under the dash of my '48 Buick Sedanette, I want to replace it with a newer neat a/c- heat&defrost unit. Anyone have an opinion about some of the Hotrod air units out there? I have seen Vintage Air and several other names available, they all say they are the best. I would like to hear from owners how they feel about these units. I am especially concerned about A/C performance because it gets pretty hot here in New Mexico.

HotRod Air was started by some ex-employees of Vintage Air (if I have my story correct).

They both seem to be about the same price.

We have done two Vintage Air units in the recent, both worked fine. My theory is that you need the biggest evaporator and strongest fan that you can find for a large-volume car. When I have the air on, I want my hair to be blown just like a roadster.

We ran both the units using a stock GM compressor (99 Silverado serpentine setup) and everything works fantastic. We also used the new Aeroquip line and fittings..... they assemble like an AN fitting and dont leak...... was easier than using crimp collars.

My only complaint is the lack of filtering on the evaporator....eventually the evap core will get dirty and start to weep.... in one vehicle, you'd have to disassemble the dash to clean the core.

mike in tucson

Thanks Mike, good information, I would hope more guys would jump in here. There should be lots of info about a/c in hotrods out there. Topless.

I have Southern Air, from Southern Rods. Works great. Kept us cool last Sunday when it was 106 outside. A lot depends on how it was installed. I am having to re-do some of mine to make it work optimally. When it was installed before the flexible ducting was not stretched out all the way and it definately made a difference in the air flow.

By the way, those folks have been very helpful when I have called to ask tech questions and even sent me a complete installation guide. I did not buy the system from them, it was in the car when I got it. Good service is important to me.

Pat

topless..... some more observations

All of the "hot rod" type a/c uints need to be hidden under the dash. All feature (?) a really cheezy looking cover made from vacuum formed abs sheet with the textured grain.....less than $20 for a 4' x 8' sheet. The cheezy cover is POP riveted together....not something that you can be proud to show off. Also, the control panel is either a ugly plastic job or a "billet" aluminum thing that looked good the first time you saw one but not now. With your rather large dash, it should tuck up out of sight with a little planning. For those building a roadster (like us), and cant hide the darn thing, I think that the evap has to be repackaged using a hammered and welded aluminum housing that looks like it is part of the car. One other gripe while I have the keyboard......the condenser. Mount a $150 condenser with either 59cent plastic ties or 99cent perforated straps? Looks like S.W.O.
but then, an ugly air conditioner is better than no hair conditioner

mike in tucson