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LOOKING TO ADD AC TO MY 51 CHEVY 3100, POWER 60' 235,ANY ONE HAD ANY EXPERIENCE WITH VINTAGE OR OLD AIR, LOT OF BUCKS NOT TO GET IT RIGHT.

Hey Zeker, hows it goin'? You're absolutely correct, that IS a big wad of dough...I don't have a truck yet, so can't offer any hands-on advice, however you might want to check out some other suppliers, like Chevy Duty, LMC Truck, etc. They also carry A/C kits, might be less expensive? Too bad Koolkar isn't here anymore, he was really knowledgeable about the icicle box add-ons. Hope somebody with experience chimes in soon.

Remember, a little research will go a long way in making the right decision. Try calling supplier toll free tech lines, see if their support staff could offer you installation/performance insight.

Best of luck with your project.

Regards,
Wannabe

I have the Vintage Air unit in my truck. Works really nice! I didn't go with the sure fit system though..."I picked individual components to make up my system". I helped with an Old Air Products a/c unit and liked it too. I installed a Vintage Air sure fit unit in a 1967 Chevy 1/2 ton that wasn't "sure fit" and had to ask Old Air for product help to finish the job. I'm installing a Vintage Air a/c system in a 1941 Chevy Coupe that I'm Street Rodding for a customer next week so we'll see how that goes.

I'd say to shop around and compare components before making a decision.

TRY THIS SITE THEY HAVE A NICE SETUP FOR 235'S
WWW.HOTRODAIR.COM

TRY THIS SITE THEY HAVE A NICE SETUP FOR 235'S
WWW.HOTRODAIR.COM

I have looked into the same thing myself. I picked up "How to AIR CONDITION Your Car", Remus & Chisenhall, Published by MBI at the local Barnes & Noble. They install AC in old cars, trucks, street rods and kit cars using mostly Vintage Air parts and info. Very informative, but as chevy1 said, you are still doing a lot of fabrication.
The local pick-a-parts have mostly late '80s cars. Most GM AC have always required the fire wall to fit the AC. Half of it in front of the firewall and still have large units under the dash. Mopar are mostly under the dash but usually have messy hoses and the AC lines often enter/exit on the drivers side. I hate to use the F word, but many of their units are very compact. Some are not too much bigger than the Vintage Air units and all the hoses come out in one general area. The factory AC always have fresh air intake that makes them a little larger than the aftermarket units. It would be easy to eliminate this feature. I intend to look for one of these units when I get around to that project on my '67.

a couple of thing:
1st, are you a 6 volt system?that'll narrow it down....i suggest changing over to 12V if ya haven't already
#2, look for r-134 stuff in the yards, don't waste your time and $$$ on r-12 stuff.

I agree
I don't know very much about AC systems, but from what I've read, the single most important consideration is the condenser. It seems that most of the older R12 condensers are not able to get rid of as much heat as the newer ones designed for 134A. I recently converted my '87 vette from R12 to 134A and it works fine, but it's condenser is already of the newer design. The newer small aluminum pumps seem to pump plenty of refrigerant and require only 2-3 hp to do it. I have not heard anyone say the evaporator (AC unit)will be a problem in a conversion. All the hoses, accumulator/driers, etc. now being sold are 134A compatable.
Here is a great site that I recently found that can help get your AC up and cooling.
http://www.ackits.com/forum/index.cfm

All you guys who need AC should just move to Maine. We don't need AC, we need heat in June.