Apologies in advance, I'm an A/C illiterate having spent all day studying DIY 12v swamp coolers. I live in the desert southwest and might get some decent cooling with those options but also must ask the question...is my stock 216-powered '52 capable of effectively running any of the aftermarket A/C systems???
The 'Air conditioning for 1955 second series' thread has enlightened me on systems in the $500 range, but the OP runs a 350, night and day compared to my 216. Would any of those coldmaster type universal under dash systems work??
Matthew 6:33
1952 Chevy 1/2-ton 3100 Late '55 235/SM420/torque tube 3.55 Dalton Highway survivor (using original 216) www.truckwithaheart.com
An A/C compressor will probably put a noticeable strain on a 216- - - - -they're a bit underpowered already. Also, figuring out a way to drive the compressor might be a challenge, as most 216's only have single-groove crankshaft pulleys. There is a way to mount a compressor near an alternator and use a 2-groove pulley on the alternator to drive the compressor, but it requires some pretty creative mounting bracket fabrication for the compressor. Very dry desert climates are ideal for swamp cooler operation, as they rely on evaporation of the water that circulates over the packing to cool the air. Your climate is about the ONLY place a swamp cooler does much good- - - - -here in Tennessee one just blows a lot of hot, wet air! Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
The swap box will not work. A/C will be too much work, expense and drag, as said. Wrong truck and motor for AZ summer driving. Enjoy it in the one week of winter we have. You can carry a wet towel with you if going more than 2 miles. It will dry out after that except for the sweat. As they say here,..................."Hey, but it's a dry heat". If you live higher than the valley you may have a chance with other options.
Happy motoring.
Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it. - William Penn
The aftermarket A/C systems put a noticeable load on a 350 in my experience. I have to turn the idle up during the hot time of year to keep everything happy. Its kind of annoying putting up with the high idle when the A/C is off however. I need to come up with a way to be able to adjust the idle speed on the fly. I have a throttle cable installed which isn't hooked up to anything. I would like to have it set up so that it has a positive stop when I pull the knob for when the A/C is on, and be able to just push it back in to have it at the proper idle without the A/C on. Idiot proof, if you will. This would work with a 216 as well. Not sure how high you would need to increase the RPM though. Carl
1952 5-window - return to "as built" condition | 1950 3100 with a 235 and a T-5 transmission
Carl: Compressor has a clutch that engages and disengages as you drive. The throttle cable thing may be a headache. Don't know. The carb motors in the 80's had what you want. Guess what it is called: Air conditioning throttle compensator. (solenoid). Example: Holley 46-74. Operates off the AC wire. $90 (ouch). Summit and etc. Kind of a dash pot in reverse. You are good at making brackets so it will be fun. Find a $5 donor to see if it works. Anyway, Google on it and see what you think. Lots of forum chatter. Edelbrock has one also.
Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it. - William Penn
Great info, thanks. Was thinking this might be one of those threads that dies a slow death. Today in Kingman 94F, cool by AZ standards, tried the DIY ice cooler pictured below. Very effective except needed another unit blowing BOTH sides of my face. Based on outlet temp of 51F, can agree any swamp cooler that'd fit in the cab would NOT work!
Pictures: Styro container was free (shipped with some chocolates wife had ordered) but any ice chest would work. Heavy duty RV fridge fan flowing 105CFM. Lotsa frozen water bottles.
Guess I'll scratch the genuine A/C because I won't swap the 216 until they pry it from my cold dead hands. Some great DIY ideas on the interwebz, maybe will post those in general forum or somewhere more appropriate than hi-po.
Matthew 6:33
1952 Chevy 1/2-ton 3100 Late '55 235/SM420/torque tube 3.55 Dalton Highway survivor (using original 216) www.truckwithaheart.com
Having lived most of my life in TN I was clueless about evaporative cooling, outside of the fact rubbing alcohol feels cold on the skin (it's the only thing that would evaporate in 78F dewpoints ) Then in AZ standing downwind of a shrub I'd misted one evening...I GOT IT!
Matthew 6:33
1952 Chevy 1/2-ton 3100 Late '55 235/SM420/torque tube 3.55 Dalton Highway survivor (using original 216) www.truckwithaheart.com
Here are two compressor mountings, one with the set up Jerry described and the other a single belt system. The brackets for driving the alternator off the compressor are available from several sources. The single belt has worked on my Buick for over 30 years. Around here many Model A's have a/c and if an 40hp engine can handle one I would think an 80hp one could.
Skooter, I LIKE your "Cool" box. What if, you visited the nearest precious metal yard (Junk Yard to some) and rescued a air to air intercooler from say a Subrua WRX. Pipe the intake outside the cooler, outlet tied to the directional pvc fitting. Make the fan ('s) push or pull, don't know that it'd matter. Fill it with water, stick the whole thing in the freezer and freeze. When hitting the road throw it in the truck and enjoy. By totally encasing the heat exchanger with ice it would be super effective and last for several hours I'd think.
When I was growing up in Yuma my Grandpa had an AD (not sure the year) and had one of those window mounted swap coolers. I did pretty well unless it was the dead of summer.
~ Craig 1958 Viking 4400 "The Book of Thor" Read the story in the DITY 1960 Chevrolet C10 "A Family Heirloom" Follow the story in the DITY Gallery '59 Apache 31, 327 V8 (0.030 over), Muncie M20 4 Speed, GM 10 Bolt Rear... long term project (30 years and counting)
If you don't like driving yourTruck, you won't drive yourTruck..| Living life in the SLOW lane
I had an airconditioned VW in the 70s...something like 55 horsepower. And this was with one of the York compressors (which were not given high marks for efficiency).
~ Jon 1952 1/2 ton with 1959 235 | T5 with 3.07 rear end
If you feel it is taking to much power on acceleration you could consider putting a switch on your throttle linkage that engages above 3/4 foot to the floor. If you set this switch up to cut the power to the aircon clutch the aircon will disengage on heavy acceleration.
I have 150 hp 250 inline six, it pulls the a/c just fine with just a hint of roughness at idle, speed it up 100 rpm and it goes back to smooth as can be. I see no reason a 216 would have trouble with the new compressors. If a VW can pull a big old York compressor, the 216 surely can handle a rotary. I had my truck out last night, 88* degrees, high humidity, and 42 degree air coming out the vents, life is good!
I can't help but think about how sluggish a 216 with a 3 speed is while going through the gears up a hill. An A/C compressor will not aid that process. Now if one were to also add a T-5 transmission, why, we'd be right back in business! Carl
1952 5-window - return to "as built" condition | 1950 3100 with a 235 and a T-5 transmission
Look up HP usage for automotive a/c compressors, typically you will find 5-7 hp is all thats required. Some say up to 20, but the HVAC experts can calculate it out, and most agree on 5-7 depending on car size and BTU's be produced.
This is the homemade version I'd started collecting parts for. Skip to the 2 minute mark to see internals. There's almost no way for it not to push tons of cold air. For awhile at least...AIR COOLER fits passenger side of AD bench seat
Decided to go a different route when a friend loaned me his HyperKewl It's amazing. Simply soak in water, gently wring out, and zIp up. Stays cold for hours. Took Shelley for a drive in the afternoon heat (95F) and was very comfortable. Got home hung it up darn thing was still cold at bedtime 10 hours later. Not just for desert climes...have poured water down my shirt many times riding a motorcycle in the humid southeast so I know evaporative cooling works to some extent there too.
A cooling vest may not be the solution for everyone, but it's alot more convenient than a 30 lb ice chest on the seat beside you. For the price ($36 on Amazon) I don't think I can beat it.
Last edited by Skooter; 08/15/20191:49 AM.
Matthew 6:33
1952 Chevy 1/2-ton 3100 Late '55 235/SM420/torque tube 3.55 Dalton Highway survivor (using original 216) www.truckwithaheart.com
Something else that really helped my truck stay cool was tinting the windows. Since the cab is small, I set with in inches of the glass, so blocking radiant heat makes a lot of difference. It used to be going south in the morning and north in the afternoon was unbearable, now it doesn't really matter which way I go, I can have the A/C on low speed and the temp turned up a bit and still be comfortable.
Skooter, I LIKE your "Cool" box. What if, you visited the nearest precious metal yard (Junk Yard to some) and rescued a air to air intercooler from say a Subrua WRX. Pipe the intake outside the cooler, outlet tied to the directional pvc fitting. Cover the intercooler with dry ice (I used to get it free from the back dock of a local big chain grocery). Dry ice is -109 F, pretty stinking cold. Plumb a vent pipe from the upper part of the cooler to the outside and seal the cooler so ALL the CO2 vents to the outside. Turn on the blower and Chill.
Only flaw in the above is you would have to be pretty anal about controlling the CO2 released by the melting dry ice. Gotta vent it outside and gotta seal the ice chest. It's not poisonous like CO, carbon monoxide, but CO2 like any gas that displaces the oxygen we need can produce very serious results in a small space.
The big plus with dry ice is it should last much longer and produce much cooler/colder air.
Last idea, build the cool box with a intercooler, fill it with water, stick the whole thing in the freezer and freeze. When hitting the road throw it in the truck and enjoy. By totally encasing the heat exchanger with ice it would be super effective I'd think.
Fun project, thanks for the ideas.
Good Luck, RonR
I build dry ice manufacturing plants for a living. We have to vent them to replace the air in the entire plant every 15 minutes. It is dangerous stuff. I would not put in in your truck under any circumstances. You cannot smell it and won't know you have a problem until it's to late. When I was young and lived in the Sol-cal desert I used to put my 6 pack cooler under the cowl vent full of ice. It wasn't great but it helped.
Friend of mine who's always flipping an old car for slight profit (mainly likes staying busy in retirement) says modern AC compressors are better than those of the '70's requiring much less energy from an engine. Says one of those would work fine with a 216. Discuss...
Matthew 6:33
1952 Chevy 1/2-ton 3100 Late '55 235/SM420/torque tube 3.55 Dalton Highway survivor (using original 216) www.truckwithaheart.com
FYI, both Old Air Products and Vintage Air have custom fit A/C systems for AD series trucks with the I-6 engines. Both utilize the newer style compressors. Looks like $1300-$1500 will get you cool calm and collected.ðŸ˜
Martin '62 Chevy C-10 Stepside Shortbed (Restomod in progress) '47 Chevy 3100 5 Window (long term project) ‘65 Chevy Biscayne (Emily) ‘39 Dodge Business Coupe (Clarence) “I fought the law and the law won" now I are a retired one! Support those brave men/women who stand the "Thin Blue Line"! Hug a cop! USAF 1965-1969 Weather Observation Tech (I got paid to look at the clouds)
, Mick53 said; "I build dry ice manufacturing plants for a living. We have to vent them to replace the air in the entire plant every 15 minutes. It is dangerous stuff. I would not put in in your truck under any circumstances. You cannot smell it and won't know you have a problem until it's to late. When I was young and lived in the Sol-cal desert I used to put my 6 pack cooler under the cowl vent full of ice. It wasn't great but it helped"
Mick, I agree with your advise. I do go off on questionable tangents when throwing out ideas. And even though I attempted to offer sufficient warning on the serious nature of the design concept, this is the internet and you can't predict who might latch onto an idea and what the consequences might be.
I've deleted the questionable idea from my post. If you'll do the same, it's gone.
Like I mentioned above, looks like once they are running, it only takes 6-7 hp to keep the working. And yes, modern compressors are much more efficient then those from years past.
Some great DIY ideas on the interwebz, maybe will post those in general forum or somewhere more appropriate than hi-po. 
) Then in AZ standing downwind of a shrub I'd misted one evening...I GOT IT! 
