The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop Air Conditioning set up

Hi All,

I am wondering if anyone has built a AC system by piece parting. I am interested in AC for my 1950 1/2 ton with a 235. The kits are expensive and not even complete, I believe you still have to buy a seperate electric fan that in not included. The double damper pulley is also not included in the kit. Is it possible to build a cheaper kit using other parts? Has anyone built a costom set up?

What equipment do you have to "build" with. I build all my own systems but the shop is equipped with lathes, mills, brakes, rollers, pattern cutters, every type of welder, etc. The one part you will probably have to pony up for is a dual groove crank pulley. The best place to find these used to be on 61 or 62 cars since by then people were getting more options but they are nearly extinct now. Good compressors are plentiful in salvage yards with the Sankyo/Sanden being the preferred on. Harrison and Nippondenso are also acceptable but to avoid having to make an idler set up choose one that is adjustable and not mounted rigid. The condensor will need to be the largest that will fit into what space is available. The evaporator unit on most cars now is pretty much a dedicated piece for that paticular vehicle but the old under dash units are still common at swap meets. Get the hoses and fittings with every single piece you pull because you will need custom ones made up to fit mismatched pieces. The filter/drier will be good if the system you pulled it from is still charged but must be capped off immediately to protect from moisture. Mark IV made a York type compressor mount for the 235 but the rotary type compressor is better so measuring, designing, cutting, welding, and drilling is the order of the day for this. With all this said, it's better for 90% of the people to buy a designed system. Lucky's in Ennis, Texas has a nice slim line heat/cool/defrost setup for under 600 bucks and for ones that are not a bored 75 year old fart (like me) that's just looking for a project it's the way to go.

i've done custom set ups for years. go with a rotary compressor, as the 235 is a bit short on power, and you probably will feel it every time it kicks on. i do recommend the electric fan as well. a "pusher" fan will work just fine, and there's usually not a clearance issue. underdash units work pretty well, as do universal type condensors.

yaknow, if you are doing everything anyway, a new receiver/ drier is a good investment.

I used a Vintage Air Mini II unit. Fit just fine although my motor is a mid-70's 250. I only had to trim a bracket a little bit, other than that, everything was bolt-on and the kit was totally complete, pulleys, idlers, brackets, hoses, controls, blower etc. I did have to buy an electric fan but that was needed anyway. And I did price out buying pieces and assembling but it was roughly the same and not worth doing.