The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Has anyone installed a universal under dash ac system?

If there is a forum location better suited for this question I will go there. I'm wondering if anyone here has used a universal a/c system and had any luck with it. I'm wanting to make my truck more of a year round driver and the humid KY summers make it almost impossible to do so unless you are willing to show up to work wringing wet with sweat. I've seen the pics of the vintage air installation and that's all well and good, but for less than a third of the price on some of the universal models I've looked at I'm curious if anyone here has experience with the more affordable models. One in particular I've been eyeballing comes from coldmaster and is $420 shipping and all for a complete system on ebay.

I went with Vintage Air entire package in my 46, the plus on this is the great heater and defroster that come with it. Also seen several of the AC only under dash units which are great and much easier to install than entire system. Compressor mounting on engine and all the other stuff under the hood is required for any ac and for me with a 6 cyl was the most difficult part. May want to look around on youtube for ideas. Best of luck

The system I was referring to for $420 is a complete system. It comes with condenser, compressor, under dash evaporator, hoses, drier, and electric fan. You just don't get the nice dash bezel that comes with the V.A. kit that is formed to the contour of the bottom of the dash.

I didn’t even know such a economy kit was available. My only experience is also with Vintage Air. I would think compressor mounting brackets would be the biggest hurdle. Since you didn’t tell us, I can only assume you are asking for your ‘53 3100 with an original I-6.🛠

The cheapest one I see with a compressor is $445. No compressor brackets. As said, those can be a bit of a fabrication challenge. Not a bad price.
There are universal Sanden brackets that can be welded into your fabrication.

Correct that it's for my 53 3100. My old man has a pretty extensive machine/fab shop so the brackets aren't a huge worry as I've seen him make something from nothing many times. Since I started the thread I sent a question to the seller and that kit doesn't come with heat, but the one that does is only about $50 more. I'm still hoping to hear from someone who's used one of these cheaper kits and had good luck with it.

P.S. I didn't know a cheaper priced kit was available either. I was talking to my father in law about putting a/c in the truck and told him it was upwards of $1500. He looked at me like I was a crazy person and in a few minutes had some cheaper options to show me.

There is almost nothing that can "go wrong". It's a Sanden compressor, a dryer, an evaporator/blower, a condensor and some hoses. They don't make anything, just package the components. Just check the warranty. Are you buying directly from Coldmaster? The $420 on Coldmaster website has NO compressor. The Ebay is $425. The Coldmaster site has a $445. It has THREE air outlets. The Ebay one I saw has ONLY TWO air outlets.

So where is this $420 kit and what is the part number?

The Ebay listing says 1 year warranty. Could not find anything on their website. You would want to know the specifics on the warranty.

Their Ebay sales are in the thousands and they have a 99.4% positive. Pretty good.
The Negative feedbacks on Ebay are all answered, that is a good sign. However, they are all answered by an Asian, broken English person. As though they are overseas possibly. So this all could be a Chinese company with a FL warehouse. FYI FWIW.

You can buy an actual Vintage (60's-70's) under dash/in dash unit and buy all those components anywhere and plumb it.

It appears that none of the Coldmaster kits offer defrost. Is that correct? How important is it? I use it quite often in my modern vehicles.

Defrost is a different issue. "Needing" it is up to the truck owner. Some old trucks had heaters and defrost. Some did not. It was not standard equipment. I believe they had defrost vent slots and a delete plate on firewall for a heater. This is for an accessory/dealer or factory heater. Some extra holes/work was needed.

If a person has no heater and no built-in provisions (that would be a pretty old truck), then that is a question for another post. If they do have those provisions, the best bet is original heater with defrost flapper.

You are correct, I don't see an actual defrost mentioned by Coldmaster in the kits with heater box. Their heater is just a universal box they thru in. It does have 4 outlets. Some could be plumbed to the windshield. There are other separate heater boxes and there are other choices for defrost.

By the time you put their A/C and the Heater in, you will have no room for passengers, just a dog on the seat.

If possible I use an under dash unit in every build but put it IN THE DASH. There are no vacuum hoses or cables, one wire only with an in line fuse, two knobs (fan speed, temp) and you get INSTANT cool; no waiting for ducts to cool down. The Old Air Products system is a better unit for an AD (not cheaper) than Vintage Air while Vintage is better for the 55 and newer. We get our under dash systems from Lucky's in Ennis, Texas. If your truck has a heater then you will have the same defrost set up as a 2018 truck, just turn both the heater and a-c on and ALL the windows are instantly clear. Adjust ratio to comfort zone. Pics of 30 Plymouth and 39 Ford with in dash under dash air units.

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