Vintage Air Cools off SEMA 2010 – New Performance Parts

Posted by pikesan on Dec 2, 2010 in How-To & Tech | 2 comments

Vintage AC Parts from SEMA 2010

Growing up in California, the custom cars I knew didn’t have air conditioning.  Pop’s cars were always fast… that was the focus and it felt good trying to hold my head straight as the G-forces threw my head back as he rowed through the gears. Good times.  Plus, let’s face it, California doesn’t need air conditioning all the time… Now I live in Arizona. It’s a totally different story!

You name the ride here in Arizona, hot rods, muscle cars, most vintage cars are running air conditioning. Mid summer, the temps can hit 120+ (over 45C for everyone outside the USA) so AC keep us from melting! Like the Mustang, GTO, 55-56 Chevy and Covette air conditioning we’re featuring here, my Ford Falcon Wagon will have some strong, COLD AC! That’s where Vintage Air comes in.

Cruising SEMA 2010, I wanted to find AC parts that would be easy to install, last forever and come with great support. The guys from Vintage Air fit the bill.  The first thing I asked is: How will I control the AC? My Falcon didn’t have AC (or would have been under-dash AC)?
With parts like these. Any 3 or 4 lever heater control can be retrofit to operate your brand new air conditioning system.  Notice the red-circled area? Those are what’s called potentiometers. They hook in line with the factory controls to vary voltage to change the blower speed or temperature.  The only reason that’s possible is that every part of the Gen IV Vintage Air AC system is electronic. No more vacuum or cables to mess with. Vintage Air pre-makes AC control kits for popular models like Mustangs, Corvettes, GTO’s and Chevelles and such, but they have universal kits too that are 100% “Do it yourself” easy to install.

Look under the dash of your hot rod and this is NOT the air conditioning system you’ll see! The high tech on board include electronic control for temperature, air location control (blend) and fan speed. Just like a modern car, have 30% defrost and 70% on your feet. That’s the blend. Try doing that with your factory 60’s AC!

You get AC parts for your vintage ride like this when you get started way back in 1976. Vintage Air builds just about everything short of their compressors and condensors in their 55,000 square foot building in San Antonio, TX. From the molding, bending, CNC cutting and fitting, it’s done in house. That’s the best way to control quality, we all know that: Do it yourself.

Unfortunately, my 1963 Ford Falcon wagon is just outside the mainstream. Vintage Air has a kit for 64-65 Falcons, but not the 63’s. When an AC kit is pre-made, you know it’ll work because they bring the car in, like the 1966-72 Chevelle shown here, then fit a brand new air conditioning system in a  factory AC car and one without AC. That way, which ever model you own, there’ll be no surprises. Dig the vintage corvette control panel with AC controls that mimic the factory setup. Best of both worlds!

Guys, want to borrow my Falcon?

Feeling pretty comfortable with the easy to install, support and quality, one last question: What should I use for AC vents?
Since my Falcon never had AC, I don’t have vents and I don’t want any nasty RV-camper-styled vents in my custom car. No problem there because I’ve got a bunch to choose from. Click on the pics to see the AC vent selection full size.

Finally, a little eye candy featuring Vintage Air products… This is the Ring Brothers built 1970 Mustang Fastback:

Certainly one of the baddest custom cars at SEMA 2010, you probably already know this is the Ring Brother’s 1970 Ford Mustang fastback known as the “Dragon”. The Ring Brothers choose Vintage Air for all of their projects and the Dragon is no exception running a Gen IV Magnum Universal System along with the Vintage Air Small Block Ford Front Runner belt drive system.

So watch for a custom how-to/tech piece when I install AC in my Falcon. It no option here in Arizona, so now that I’ve got my source covered, I just gotta get the work done.  Think I’m on the right track?  What’s been your experience with Vintage Air?