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Vintage Air Gen-IV System - Ice MakerIf You Like Antarctica Coming From Your Dash On A Hot Day, You Need Vintage Air From the December, 2010 issue of Modified Mustangs & Fords By Mark Houlahan Photography by Courtesy Of Vintage Air
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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.  The included condenser and...  The included condenser and dryer hard lines are secured next. Be sure to use the proper O-ring (included) and a generous application of O-ring lubricant when assembling the hard lines. Hold the condenser fittings with the proper size wrench to prevent damage to the fittings when tightening the hard line. Finally, insert the rubber grommet into the pass-through hole and secure the smaller of the two lines with the included rubber-coated P-clamp.  The Vintage Air compressor...  The Vintage Air compressor mounting bracket is designed to mount the Sanden compressor in the same relative location as the original compressor. The bracket can accommodate newer-style cylinder heads (which we're seeing more and more with crate engines) simply by drilling out the three mounting holes to the next size up. A step-style drill bit works great for this.  Since this car was already...  Since this car was already wearing a Randall's Rack conversion, we had to measure and shorten the three aluminum spacers supplied with the rack and pinion kit, as well as notch the Vintage Air bracket for clearance. A little math, some quick work with a cut-off wheel, and we were good to go.  With the Randall's Rack power...  With the Randall's Rack power steering pump reinstalled on its aluminum bracket and the Vintage Air supplied Sanden compressor fitted to its bracket, everything fit nicely and lined up well. You are on your own for pulley sourcing (if you need any) and belt length, but most small-block pulleys have been reproduced, or you can always upgrade to a complete serpentine solution like Vintage Air's Front Runner.  With the underhood work completed...  With the underhood work completed (sans hoses), we moved our attention to the Vintage Air Gen-IV evaporator case installation. The Gen-IV for the early Mustang is secured to the firewall and cowl via three formed-steel brackets. The Gen-IV case has nut-serts preinstalled to accept the mounting bracket's fasteners.  The two brackets that retain...  The two brackets that retain the evaporator case to the firewall use supplied 1/4-20 bolts and push-lock retainers. An easy way to secure the push-lock retainers and not destroy your finger tips is to use a small 1/4-inch-drive deep socket to push the retainer over the bolt's threads, as shown here.  Once you have the three mounting...  Once you have the three mounting brackets secured to the case, you can move forward with installation of the heater core and evaporator hard lines. The hard lines are installed with lubricated O-rings, and like the condenser assembly, require two wrenches to properly hold the fixed tube while tightening the tube nut.  Before the evaporator case...  Before the evaporator case can be installed, a few prep items need to be taken care of first. The passenger-side cowl hat needs to be sealed off, as the evaporator case will sit right under it and the outside air source is no longer needed.  The included cap is secured...  The included cap is secured via three tapping screws and sealed with silicone. At the firewall, the provided metal block-off plate is installed with the included fasteners and also sealed with silicone. Now is also the best time to install the Vintage Air supplied defroster ducts to the underside of the dash.  Although the instructions...  Although the instructions said to install all three evaporator case brackets in advance, Merv couldn't seem to get the case up under the dash with the rear bracket installed, as it would hit the dash.  Thirty seconds later, with...  Thirty seconds later, with the bracket removed, the case slid easily into place under the dash. You might have better luck depending upon carpet thickness, padding, and whatnot.  It's best to have a second...  It's best to have a second set of hands for this next step. As the evaporator case is slid up under the dash, there are four hard lines and two mounting studs to pass through the firewall, which will take a little finesse to accomplish. Once the lines are through, the two firewall mounting bolts can be secured with the included nuts and washers.  The one evaporator case bracket...  The one evaporator case bracket we removed earlier finds its way back to the evaporator case and is then secured to the bottom of the cowl with two self-tapping screws. It's best to put a little sealer on the screw threads to prevent any rain water or car-wash water from working its way down the threads and into your interior.  The wiring harness for the...  The wiring harness for the Vintage Air Gen-IV system is easy to figure out. Most of it is pre-terminated to connect to the Gen-IV's computer and relays, with only a few loose wires to cut to length and terminate with the included terminals. Here we're securing the system's two relays to the cowl panel directly above the evaporator case.  The harness is then tie-wrapped...  The harness is then tie-wrapped to some existing underdash wiring, and the harness's molded connector plugged into the Gen-IV's computer, which sits atop the evaporator case. The plug to the right is for the actual dash controls, which we'll be tackling here momentarily. The single loose purple wire needs to find a home with a key-switched 12-volt source. Merv attached it to the original ignition switched heater wiring.  Under the hood, the main power...  Under the hood, the main power feed's circuit breaker is mounted to the inner fender, and the red wires coming from the firewall are reconnected. The remaining wires will be routed, cut to length, and terminals installed as follows: red to battery positive, white to battery negative, blue to binary switch at condenser/dryer, and green to the electric heater control valve (not yet installed).  Since the Gen-IV is completely...  Since the Gen-IV is completely electronically controlled with stepper motors for the various temperature blend and air control doors, it goes without saying that something has to be done with the stock cable controls. Vintage Air's answer is the cable converter, a small electronic slide control that converts the lever movement into an electrical signal. The installation requires disassembly and modification of the cable controls. Here, we're removing the original blower switch and vacuum controls.  Vintage Air includes two new...  Vintage Air includes two new control levers that will work with both '67 and '68 style controls. It's just a matter of using the included templates to locate and drill the proper holes and to trim the control levers to fit the end knobs.  The cable converters are used...  The cable converters are used to convert the movement of the control panel lever's range of motion to an electrical signal for the Gen-IV computer. We trimmed the universal endlink to the proper length per the included instructions for all three converters.  The completed control panel,...  The completed control panel, with its three cable converters in place, simply requires connecting the wiring harness to each converter (the instructions detail which wire colors connect to which converter) and securing the wiring via the included tie-wraps.  With the controls properly...  With the controls properly modified and refit to the dash, we're in the home stretch now with our hose kit installation. There are only three loose hoses to install under the hood and they use different fitting sizes so it's impossible to mix them up. Route the long lines first, being sure to lubricate and install the required O-rings on the end fittings. Don't tighten one end without starting the opposite end fitting first. This will allow you to gently rotate the hose for best routing and clearance before tightening up the end fittings. As before, be sure to use two wrenches to prevent damaging the tube fittings.  Once you have the hoses installed,...  Once you have the hoses installed, clocked, and routed to your liking, ensure all openings in the firewall are sealed. The air conditioner will be more efficient with less chance for hot air to get in, so check things like door seals, glass adjustment, and so forth. Even consider tinting your windows to help the air conditioner's output. The Vintage Air kit includes a roll of press tape, mainly to keep the #10 suction line insulated as shown here, but you can use it to seal the heater hose fittings and other small holes as well.  Back inside the car, the Gen-IV's...  Back inside the car, the Gen-IV's case drain needs attention, as well as the actual routing of the dash vent hose, before we can charge the system. For the case drain, the instructions call for drilling a hole in the firewall one inch below the drain outlet on the case. Since the car had factory air, we opted to reuse the original drain hole. Taking the remnants of the original drain hose, we passed the Vintage Air drain hose through it, trimmed it to length, and installed its 90-degree end fitting for a clean and simple solution.  Last on our installation list...  Last on our installation list is the duct work. The Gen-IV evaporator case uses two different outlet sizes, a 2-inch-diameter for the defroster vents and a 2 1/2-inch-diameter for the main dash outlets. Be certain you're using the proper size duct for the vent you are routing and ensure the duct is not in the way of any moving object, like the glovebox, ashtray, wiper mechanism, and so on, and then cut the duct to length. You want a small amount of slack/flex in the duct, so don't make the routing too tight. At this point, it's simply a matter of routing your heater hoses and having the system charged by a professional shop and you're done.
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