I am very happy for folks who have installed Vintage Air and Old Air truck air conditioners in their trucks and like the way they work. I haven't seen really good results in the two installations of those products I have experienced in trucks. One friend put one in a 1952 3/4 ton Chevy and the other friend put the other one in a 1958 3/4 ton Apache. Both blew kind of cool but nothing like we are used to in modern cars air cooling. I noticed that many of the vendors of new air conditioning units for vintage vehicles do not list the cfm's or btu's for their units or anything else to compare them. Some couldn't even tell me the ratings when I called them. If I am going to buy a unit I want some factual ratings to compare products. When I finally found out the ratings for some of the vintage air units vendors, the ratings seemed minimal output. Then a friend told me in the 70's he had an under the dash unit in a 60's Chevy pick up that got so cold on a hot day his girlfriend couldn't stand it and he had to turn it off and on to keep from getting too cold. That sounded good to me. So I started researching old under the dash units and what it would take to make one work good and be dependable. Many of the old used under dash units are for sale on Ebay and Craigslist but usually don't include the pump or condenser. I called a really nice guy at a company in Tennessee that builds and repairs a/c pumps and he advised me against trying to rehab an old under the dash unit because there would be too many pitfalls. I told the guy I have a 63 Impala wagon and want an under the dash unit that has a lot of cooling power and the vendor isn't afraid to tell the ratings and compare them to other products. The guy told me to call Catlin Truck Accessories and Auto Air in Jacksonville,Florida because they have been installing under the dash units since 1956 and really know their stuff. One of the Catlin brothers spent a long time explaining the ratings, parts and cost of his most powerful unit and why it would even cool the big wagon. I recommend that anyone considering purchasing an after market air unit call Catlin first at 904 354-8521 and compare the ratings of their products with the other units you are considering. I am saving up for one.
Last edited by truckcamper43; 02/05/2012 4:57 AM.
