The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop HAS ANYONE HAD EXPERIENCE WITH "OLD AIR" ?

I had planned on installing Vintage Air in my truck. However at the Goodguys show I stopped by the Old Air booth and checked out their stuff. They have an option that will allow the old speaker grill to be a vent. With that in the center and a vent on each end. My crate engine came with a compressor and I have already installed a condenser on the radiator so all I need are the interior components and the hoses and connections.

As you know all the aftermarket companies use similar products for the engine side of A/C. The difference from what I understand is inside the passenger compartment. The biggest different is how these guys operate the doors on the evaporator unit (read leakage). Most use vaccuum to open/close the cooling doors or ports, as do many OEM cars. Vintage uses electrical motors to open/close these same doors. They say that makes them operate better and I've never heard any others dispute this. I would think the motors would make the units cost a little more. I think the biggest difference with the way these units work would be for the guys that have big cam motors with little vacuum. Most of these companies will sell the bits and pieces like various types of vents by themselves.

Are you talking about the doors that operate the defroster? In talking to the guys from Old Air they talked about a choice of two ways to control that and one was to use the old "T" throttle and the old "C" choke pulls to operate it manually. I have always been afraid of anything under the dash that might break down and so the manual pulls looked more attractive to me. I wonder if there would be anything negative there.

I was really intrigued by the vent coming through the speaker grill.

Hi Big,

I have an Old Air system in my 55.1 3100. I live about 14 miles away from them so I enjoy the ability to go talk to them in person. This was useful in piecing together a custom system to fit my GMC dash. I have nothing bad to say about the company. They are competent, friendly, and, I think, fairly priced.

That being said, here are some thoughts on AC in our old rides.

IMHO

The system will not have the same cooling capacity as your modern daily driver. The designers of the aftermarket systems don't have the luxury of custom fitting the system to the body in order to use all the space they can for the evaporator.

The system will be noisy because it only has recirculate mode, no fresh air intake.

If at all possible make sure that the vents can blow cold air on your face. You'll be happier and it will make the system seem to have more cooling capacity.

This is Texas. AC is important. Having it work well will significantly improve your attitude about your old ride. Don't short change yourself.

regards,
Leon

Yes to the defroster and all other doors. It's you ride so I say do want you want with the A/C. As Leon noted, you can't have to much cold air. I would suggest you buy the biggest condensor that will fit as that's where the heat exchanger is. Most of the units I've seen don't let you pick and choose the evaporator unless you change model units. BTW, insulate the fire wall and toe boards. All of your ride if you can afford it. Don't go the cheap route either, use the good stuff like "Dynamat" or "Lizardskin". That's what keeps the cold air in and the hot air out.

Thanks for the information. My evap coil covers the front of the radiator so should be maximum. The entire interior of the cab is covered with Second Skin http://www.secondskinaudio.com/vibration-mat/damplifier-pro.php so should be good.

I have the Old Air system in my 54 truck and it works fine even in 100 degree temps. The reason I went with O/A was that the hose hookups are made on the engine compartment side of the firewall instead of under the dash. The plus side is that hanging the evaporator is a cinch but the hose fittings are obvious on the firewall.

Operationally, the O/A unit cools the cab quickly on a high fan setting and then you drop down to the lowest fan speed which is just above a whisper. I've used the other brands and it was difficult to carry on a conversation: not so with the O/A unit. In addition, the O/A kit includes the correct bracket to mount the compressor low with either the alternator or P/S pump above.

I elected to fabricate a pass side engine mount for the alternator and run the compressor and alternator off a dual groove pulley from Buffalo Enterprises. My unit is controlled with a manual cable which I consider to be the best setup. I have pictures of the install in my Webshots Chevy albums. Hope this helps.

Dave

sounds good Dave. Fla and Tex are both good test areas for air. I am convinced Old Air it will be. I'll call them tomorrow and drive over and pick it up when it's ready. I understand they build them on order.