I have an orig AC 70 Challenger and would like to put in vintage air...any tips, tricks, HELP at all?

Thought of having a shop do it but they wanted 1500 for the install...yeah right.

any help is appriciated, thanks!

Hello and welcome to the board !!! .. Upgrading an original A/C car is an easy job...1500 install fee is a little steep if your dash components are in working order...Another company to check out is Classic Auto Air...They've also got a nice system available and answer any questions that arise as you're installing the components......I've used the classic auto air components for some custom applications and they are very willing help with individual needs... link Another company with great reviews is Bouchillion performance and their systems... link

Having installed one on a non-AC car, and seen a friend put one on a factory AC car, I'd say $1500 is very fair for a quality installation. Depending on the shop labor rate your between 13-16 hours and I'd say it will take all that. I'm assuming this is a place that services muscle cars. On both kits there were issues that needed to be overcome with no support from the company.

Another option is to get your original box re-furbished/rebuilt. I had Classic Auto Air in Florida rebuild my box (+/- $500 at the time) and used a Sanden compressor kit under the hood. The rebuilt box looks and works well. The underhood kit comes with one end of each hose loose so you can cut to length. I then took it to an AC service shop to crimp the ends, evacuate, check and charge.

The original box is a bit big and heavy but has the benefit of fresh air intake for heat and AC.

I happily made no record of time spent... first time takes a while. Having a FSM for reference helps. I did have a couple of odds and ends mis-shipped. Classic took care of it promptly.

I'm going to put one in my '70 heater only e-body too. If I had factory A/C, I would get the stock stuff rebuilt and use a sanden compressor with Bouchillon Performance Engineering mounts. On my non-A/C car though, I've been thinking about using the largest condensor available that will fit in front of my radiator opening, the Vintage Air Gen IV evaporator/blower unit, and under dash diffuser along with the rest of their stuff inside the car, and Bouchillon Performance Engineering's under the alternator mount and shorty compressor to keep the system as "hiden" as possible.

I've installed 2 systems in both of my cars. Used all the stock stuff inside and Bouchlin Performance supplied all the stuff needed from the firewall forward. It works great and was not that hard to install under the hood. I do have to say JR knows his stuff(pulleys on a Mopar) and was very helpful. Cost was right around $1200. bucks for everything and I installed it and charged it.

I'd like to see a step by step how to on this. A have a factory AC car I'd like to convert to the Sanden compressor.

Please post whatever you do.

Thx

It's really pretty simple, Mount compressor, mount drier, mount condensor. Make hoses to connect everything togeather using the stock evaporator. Mount the clutch cycling switch and wrap the temp probe around the large line at the firewall. Insulate it. I ran my stock AC wire to this switch and then it connects to the clutch at the compressor, wiring done.
Pull a 30" vacuum on the system for about 30 mins. Then I waited about 30 mins to check for leaks, then
Charge the system with 1.8-1.9lbs. of R134 and your done.

Everything I needed was included in a kit from Bouchlin except the bubble crimper. I bought the crimper from them also because I knew I was gonna do at least 2 cars with it with a third in the shop now. Cost about $180 bucks.

Picture before it was finished,





Just got done driving this old 74 2 weeks ago out on the salt at Bonneville with the AC cranking the whole time. Took it to 118 mph before I stepped out of it.

Great pics.. ...I routed the hoses a little differently with this shaker set-up but that's the fun of designing the A/C system...I can still flip the compressor up,over and out of the way if needed...They really are'nt that tough to do with these new kits and the new components really blow some cold air !!!

can anyone show some inside pics of the vintage air unit installed? preferably of a unit installed on a car that had no a/c from the factory.

Don't use vintage air. You have to replace the defroster ducts which require pulling the dash and then you end up with a defrost that doesn't clear the widshield. Tech support is horrible. It took me weeks to convince them that the controller was bad which I told them it was in the beginning. They made me trouble shoot over and over and I had to pull the system out 3 times to do what they wanted only to find out I was right about the problem all along. Also, during troubleshooting they told me the controller won't work with a low battery, MSD, stereo systems, etc. A complete piece of crap. Go with Classic if you want aftermarket.

Vintage Air is a nice kit, but has no provisions for fresh air, like all aftermarket AC kits. Also, the low pressure switch on the drier will be almost up against the grille on 70 Cudas. You will have to make some sort of custom bracket for the electric heater control valve, but otherwise a pretty decent kit. The electronic slide controls are pretty slick and mimic the OE panel. The big downfall of the kits are having to take the dashpad partially off to put in the defroster ducts as well as the 100 miles of soft hose that has to be shoved under the dash...