Vintage Air Under Dash A/C System Install - Air Power

While the evaporator/blower unit is supported by a helper, Ed installs the threaded rod and also tightens up the fasteners on the main support bracket. With the evaporator/blower in place, the pressure-hose measurements are double-checked and cut to the needed length. Heater-hose connections are completed with the electronic servo heater-control valve mounted inside the car with the direction of flow on the valve pointing toward the evaporator as required.

This is our defrost ducting in place. Remember, the two smaller rearmost outlets on the evaporator are for defrost. The front four go to the individual registers and use larger-diameter hose.

It's a real chore to get the register ducting into place so it won't show. Here, our guy routes the hose over the steering column. Notice the fuel-injection computer on the floor next to the throttle pedal. It's going to be very cozy up underneath the dash on this car.

This is our defrost ducting in place. Remember, the two smaller rearmost outlets on the evaporator are for defrost. The front four go to the individual registers and use larger-diameter hose.

With the ducting hose in place, the outlet registers can be installed. The single ball-style units go outboard on the dash. The "Check Engine" light used on EFI cars is seen hanging down below the register and will have to be relocated.

The control panel must be located close enough to the evaporator to allow this capillary tube to be inserted 4-1/2 inches into the port in the evaporator case provided for this purpose. With our control panel in position, this was done.

With everything in place, we've got some wiring to do. All wiring was completed according to Vintage Air's excellent and complete instructions. Very concise wiring, heater-hose, and pressure-hose diagrams are furnished. The elaborate instructions are great because you're never in the dark about how something fits or is supposed to work. With the whole system on the car, hose-fitting locations and orientation were carefully noted so we'd know how to instruct our A/C shop. Next, the hose assemblies were taken to Broadway Radiator of Hesperia, California, to be crimped with an R134 crimping tool. When completed, they were reinstalled on the car.

This underhood shot of the completed installation shows how sanitary and unobtrusive things turned out. Apart from the service port at left next to the EFI air-intake duct, it's difficult to even detect the installation. To charge the system, the entire system was first vacuumed down for an hour and fully charged with R134 refrigerant. This system offers a complete range of functions, just like a factory system, including A/C mode, bi-level, floor heat, dash heat, and defrost. Next time an interesting summer road trip comes up, we won't have to decline because we're afraid of extreme heat.