I’m look to see photos of under dash AC installations. Not like the 60-70’s single units like a Mark IV but custom panels if you have made them or had them made. Painted it upholstered would be great. Thanks.

56 Vic, B'Ville 200 MPH Club Member, So Cal.

My bird has a classic air perfect fit system (more on that if you'd like to know) and I had a custom center panel cast, got matching engine turned material, and mounted the vents and two gauges. None of the classic air vents were used.

Left and right sides I used Moal vents which fold up and hide. Maybe something similar for a passenger car would work. Birds are pretty limited for space.




http://www.moal.com/02_prod/vent.html


miker
55 bird, 32 cabrio F code
Kent, WA
Tucson, AZ

Looks great and I'm sure it works fantastic in the the Thunderbird.. Were you able to convert the original controller? 

56 Vic, B'Ville 200 MPH Club Member, So Cal.

Great thread for those of us contemplation A/C.  In addition to interior pics, would someone mind posting their installation of the compressor? Miker, very nice install in your Bird by blending in some of the original design features.


64F100 57FAIRLANE500

Ford Dearborn... On Compressor mounting most use the one from Vintage air and they have a photo of it. The compressor mounts in the old generator spot and the alternator on top and infront of the cylinder head, I did not get a photo but saw one on a 56 post body and it looked ok for me. My engine has dual quads and I don't want something sticking up high. The person who owned the car was sitting in it so I couldn't get all the info I wanted. It was a Vintage Air unit with a double vent in the middle and a single out at the edges in plastic housings screwed to the bottom of the dash.. The E- brake handle was tricky but doable. He also had the VA conversion for the original controls but said it did not work as good as he wished. I have found a VA authorize installer near me and he also advises against it.
 
My Thoughts are a 3- 4" steel panel under the dash end to end notched for the steering column and E-brake handle. 2 rectangular air registers in the middle and a 2-1/2 round vent on each end.  It would be covered in the the same vinyl Peacock blue of the interior (I have some left over) padded, and if I use VA, their slider controller to the left of the 2 center air registers. I have a VA book and am sort of designing it. The installer WILL do this and has done this before. He has the metal bender and upholstry shop he works with. He has been in the business for 45 yrs and has done hot rods since VA came into business. I'll get a complete unit which removes a lot on the firewall. I'm hoping I can still come up with a cable to actuate the right side air vent door. He removes every thing from the original controller and just leaves it there. I figure I can make a way to use the lower or upper slider to do what I want. He does say we loose about 2/3's of the glove box.  VA does have a Gen II and Gen IV that fit our cars keeping the defroster and every thing. Like the T-Bird above there are other companys also.

My idea with the thread was to see what  others have one on this site, I'm sure there are quite a few, and see how they feel about what they have done.

56 Vic, B'Ville 200 MPH Club Member, So Cal.

DLR, thanks for the reply. My thoughts are the same in regards to having a compressor in your face as soon as the hood is raised. This is the main reason I haven't installed A/C as of yet. I visited Vintage Air as suggested and was pleasantly surprised how much nicer the arrangement now is. Alternator forward of the cylinder head and the compressor somewhat hidden down-under is about as nice as I've seen yet. My F100 does have power steering so a double shiv add-on pulley would have to be worked out.  A/C may be this winter's project. Now if only I could nail down a plan for in the cab............. If I were good at sheet metal fabrication (which I am not), I'd like to incorporate the evaporator coil into the present heater core box and go from there.


64F100 57FAIRLANE500

Classic air uses the original control panel with replacement cables. The temp control runs a manual valve in the heater line. The heat/defrost / right air (at least on a bird) now runs heat/cool/defrost/right air. That's a little wonky, and not much travel. My main air box also doesn't completely close off from one to the other. Not enough leakage to be a problem, but there.

I've got an OT 67 Camaro with the vintage air replacement. It works almost like a new car. Several friends have VA in various street rods, they just work. I think you're on the right track with the underdash ducting and building in the controls. I don't know what you're doing under the hood, but I pulled everything out and used the "heater delete" plate and the cover for the air duct to the heater. The bird guys have those, but I don't know about passenger cars. I used that location for bulkhead fittings for the heat and a/c hoses.



Modern cars have so many more vents (as opposed to 4 or so, and up higher, we get spoiled.

Thanks for the compliments.

miker
55 bird, 32 cabrio F code
Kent, WA
Tucson, AZ

Miler: the blower fan assembly is removed and a panel put in its place with the 4 bulkhead fittings for the AC and heater hoses. A cover goes over the 4” fan feed hole.
Like I said I’ll try to keep the right side air vent since the flapper and actuating lever stays and operate it from the original heater controller. It will be after the new year and I’ll take photos when I can. I am going to make a cardboard template to give to the installer. Paying a few extra hours of labor and materials is OK to me if it looks like I want.

56 Vic, B'Ville 200 MPH Club Member, So Cal.

For general information, my experience with low mounted AC compressor. I have a '55 with AC installed when I got it. The compressor is down low near where the original generator was. I have to jack up the car and get under to hood charge hoses to the compressor. The AC compressor runs on the same belt as the water pump/fan. The belt has to be really tight if it doesn't squeal with higher engine RPMs making me worry about too much pressure on the water pump bearings. With all the bracketry mounted on the water pump bolts, it is a bear to change the pump. If I had my say, the compressor would be mounted on top and running off one of the pulleys forward of the water pump. Just my opinion. 

Gene that is interesting about the wp and one of my concerns. I installed a CASCO Thunderbird alternator kit on our Victoria with slight modifications and it’s belt has to be much tighter than the old generator. My cars engine came with the extra pulley on the crank (not currently used) and I was hoping some kind of adjustment could be made to the compressor mounts to have it run just off that pulley and not the water pump. Thanks for your input.

56 Vic, B'Ville 200 MPH Club Member, So Cal.