vintage vs classic air

[Carolina Tee Bird]

any photos and opinions about Classic air vs Vintage air? Getting hot here in Carolina! I have seen some installation dash photos from Classic , none from Vintage. Do both systems use existing controls? Thanks for responding!

[Yadkin]

There's a third, Nostalgic Air out of FL, that I installed. I can't vouch for them or the others. My kit was basically generic. I had to figure the size of the condenser, make brackets for it to fit, figure a spot to put the drier, size and orient my hoses then take them to a hose specialist to crimp on the fittings.

The bracket that they provided for the compressor didn't work. In spite of its erector set adjustability there was no way to install it per their instructions. I ended up purchasing a March serpentine kit and a smaller compressor from them in return for them accepting the old ones for a partial refund. That in turn caused need for an electric cooling fan for the radiator and still more fabrication.

The heat/ cool unit is basically a little generic box. You have to remove the stock plenum to make room for it and fabricate brackets to mount it. It's basically impossible to plumb it for fresh air, proportional or otherwise. The fan makes a lot of noise regardless of setting. Cooling or defrosting is hampered by the inability to control where air goes. In retrospect I should have found a plenum, OE controls and vacuum motors from an AC car, refurbished and installed all that.

Yeah they can adapt your OE control panel to control their unit but there's no switch to turn off/ on the compressor if you want to dehumidify heated air for defrosting.

March makes two serpentine belt systems for the FE engine that are very high quality. The single belt system costs $2000 and the twin-belt system costs $800. Guess which one I bought.

The twin belts push the water pump pulley a lot further forward so your belt-driven fan can't be used. The Mark VII electric fan I have required me to modify the radiator mount to place it in front of the support and tilt forward, giving me about 1/2" clearance.

My AC compressor sits below the alternator on the passenger side and is nearly invisible from above. This placement allows better hose routing than the Ford factory location, by a long shot.

[YellowRose]

vintage vs classic air

Many months ago, I did some extensive research into aftermarket AC systems for Squarebirds for one of our new members. A good number of Tbird owners have Classic Air systems installed in their Tbirds. Classic Air has aftermarket complete AC systems that fit right into your Squarebird and other years of Tbirds. Instead of using that center dash AC vent, they install smaller vents on the driver, center and passenger side. You will see pix of their set up in their "Perfect Fit" systems. For detailed information on their systems, cost, installation, etc., give them a call at their number on this web page.

http://www.classicautoair.com/?q=58_...g_Ford_AC.html

This particular unit is made for Squarebirds that has heat only and no AC. However, as I recall, they also have a unit for Squarebirds that had factory air that you want to replace with one of theirs. So, if that is the case, ask them about that if you already have a dead OEM AC system in place.

When I called them, told them who I was, and that I was helping one of our Forum members figure out whose AC system to go with, they gave me a lot of great information on their systems. You buy it, they provide installation instructions and then you find a good AC installation company in your area to do the install. The main unit is designed to fit right under the glove box and does not take away a lot of passenger foot space. Vintage Air, as I recall, has NO particular system that is designed for the Squarebird, but they can build you one that will fit. I did not get the support from them that I got from Classic Air. The Forum member I was working with decided to go with Classic Air since they already had a complete system designed specifically for the Squarebird and other years of Tbirds.

Check it all out.

[Carolina Tee Bird]

Thanks so much for responding. Great info. Hopefully will be chillin real soon.