As you can see, the Vintage...
As you can see, the Vintage Air SureFit system for the Mustang is quite complete, including evaporator unit, compressor, condenser, pre-made hoses, and all mounting brackets/fasteners to get the job done. For the first time installer, expect to take the better part of a weekend and have a helper nearby for some of the install work.
Way back when our favorite rides were sparkling new and holding down a dealer's showroom floor somewhere, very few of them were optioned with any form of air conditioning system. In the early '60s, air conditioning was considered an extravagance for most of the population.
This is easy to see when you spot the rare window sticker at a show and read down the option list. Competition suspension is $30-something, AM radio might have been $50 or $60, and then-bam!-manual air conditioning to the tune of $300 or more.
That's right. there is usually about 15 to 20 percent of the purchase price of the car. That was a huge sum back then and would often be a deal breaker for many, so the dealer would order the car sans-A/C, and then if the customer really wanted it, they'd install a dealer add-on kit in the service department and add it to the cost of the car.
Factory-installed air conditioning was in such low demand at the early part of the decade, most cars weren't even designed to use an "in-dash" system. It wasn't until the '67 model year that the Mustang had a factory in-dash setup with real vents and controls, and not the under-dash "knee-knocker" we've seen in the earlier cars.
While the car we're dealing...
While the car we're dealing with was a factory air car, it was missing much of its original system. We ordered the Vintage Air Gen-IV SureFit complete kit system for '67-'68 Mustangs with factory air (PN 954168), which retails for $1,299. Part number 951168 is for '67-'68 without factory air, and includes items like dash vents and other required parts. Here, Merv Rego of Classic Creations of Central Florida removes our radiator in preparation for installation of the kit's condenser and lines.
Today, buying a car without air conditioning is practically unheard of; just like power windows and locks, or even cruise control. On a hot summer day, most of us run from our air-conditioned daily drivers into an air-conditioned office or home before the sun has a chance to stick our clothes to our body. This is all too often why, in the hottest parts of the year, many of us leave our classic Ford or Mustang in the garage, forgoing it for the family truckster as our transportation to the local cruise night. Or the reason we end up being spectators at the largest summer shows. We just dread the thought of sticking to that hot black vinyl interior, sitting in traffic melting, only to get to our destination already needing a shower by the time we get out of the car. This doesn't have to happen people. Not today, not anymore.
With the help of Vintage Air, one of the oldest and most respected names in air conditioning for classics, kit cars, and street rods, you can bolt in your own air conditioning system over a weekend and be ready for those hot summer show and cruise dates you've longed to attend with your classic.
Best of all, with Vintage Air's new Gen-IV system technology, the air conditioning unit is compact, yet powerful, and is completely electronic-controlled, like your modern daily driver. There are no vacuum lines to route or cables that bind. Their unique system converts your original slide controls into electrical inputs that move the electric case servos, which control the airflow and temperature within the case.
Vintage Air has Gen-IV systems for '65-'70 Mustangs and '64-'65 Falcons/Rancheros via its SureFit series. The Gen-IV (as well as the all-electric Gen II) is available as a stand-alone evaporator unit that you can custom configure for any classic Ford car or truck too. Just give the folks at Vintage Air a call and they'll help you "keep your cool."
Vintage Air's factory air...
Vintage Air's factory air kit uses this simple hard-line support plate to resize the original condenser hose opening in the core support. One small hole is drilled to secure it using the included paper template to locate said hole.
The Vintage Air kit is made...
The Vintage Air kit is made up of several sub-assemblies, so there's no need to open a parts bag until the instructions call for you to do so. The condenser has three brackets requiring installation, one at each end for mounting and one for the dryer mounting, which we're doing here. Watch the condenser fitting sizes to ensure you don't place the brackets on the wrong ends (yes, we did just that). You can also use the dryer inlet hard line as a guide to locate the dryer where it needs to be within its mounting brackets.
Installation of the condenser...
Installation of the condenser is via four clip nuts and the included fasteners. If you are using a big-block radiator with OE saddle clamps, then these core support holes will only secure the condenser. Otherwise, with a small-block radiator, the fasteners will secure the radiator and condenser through the same holes.