Vintage Mustang Air Conditioning - Air Apparent

When the outside air temperature approaches 100 degrees around Los Angeles, Gary Mattson of Simi Valley has a fundamental desire to stay cool inside his '66 Mustang. First-generation Mustangs-not to mention early Falcons, Fairlanes, and Comets-were never factory-fitted with in-dash air conditioning. At best, they had underdash units that did a marginal job of keeping things [such as your knees-Ed.] cool. They also took up space and were unattractive.

Mattson decided to look to Old Air Products for solutions. The company specializes in R134a street-rod climate-control systems that enable hot rodders to fine-tune air temperature and humidity levels in the cabin. Through the years, Old Air Products has developed in-dash climate-control systems for popular classic musclecars, including Camaros, Firebirds, Barracudas, and Mustangs; there's even a system for classic Thunderbirds. Old Air's Hurricane system is easy to install and available in a few different configurations depending on how visible or invisible you would like it to be. We'll show you the options and let you decide

Right out of the box, Old Air's Hurricane system for the Mustang, Falcon, and Comet is cable-operated and works off of your Ford's heater control. All it takes is modification of the existing control using a micro switch and Old Air-supplied cables. You may also upgrade your Hurricane system to electronic control, which is just as easy to install as the standard Hurricane system. All you have to do is figure out where to position the climate-control switches. Old Air provides a nice-looking control pod that installs beneath the dashboard. You can also create your own control pod or modify what Old Air has available.

We're installing our Hurricane system in a '66 Mustang where the heater has already been removed. Don't worry-heater removal is simple. The Hurricane is designed for street rods and is engineered to fit the classic Mustang, Falcon, and Comet. It fits right in place of the factory heater assembly, using Ford's heater attachment points and openings at the firewall. The system is discreetly hidden under the dashboard.

It's A Hurricane! Old Air Products' Hurricane climate-control system is a compact, easy-to-install unit designed to fit most intermediate and compact Fords including Mustang, Falcon, Comet, and Fairlane (depending on model year). To achieve a perfect fit, you'll need to install shims (washers) on the firewall studs to get this unit the right distance from the firewall. Shims will help you achieve rigidity and a solid fit. If you want it close to the firewall, use fewer shims.	It's A Hurricane! The Hurricane system is available for a wide variety of Ford V-8 engines and applications. When Old Air Products developed this system, it designed hose routing to exactly follow factory air-conditioning hose paths. This means hoses and lines pass through factory locations, making this system almost stealthy. A Sanden rotary compressor helps efficiency and improves cooling. A super efficient aluminum condenser bolts in the stock location, mounting on the factory radiator studs or bolts.	This is the Hurricane's adjustable thermostatic control, which is located on the right-hand side of the unit. The thermocouple (also called a capillary tube) is inserted into the evaporator to measure box temperature. When the temperature rises to a given value, this thermostatic switch closes, completing the circuit to the compressor clutch. When the evaporator gets cold, the switch opens, disengaging the compressor clutch. Compressor clutch engagement happens only when the fan and micro switches are on and the in-line pressure switch is closed. Three switches need to be closed for compressor operation.
The condenser goes in first, after bracket installation and adjustment. The radiator slides onto the condenser studs along with the fan shroud.	Our Hurricane system follows all of the same hose paths as the Mustang's factory air conditioning. Here, we bore a hole at the factory dimple for the line passage from condenser to evaporator. Make sure the line clears the hole by at least 1/8 inch, and use a rubber grommet.	The pressure switch, which does not allow operation below a given pressure, shuts down the compressor when pressure gets too high. Two green leads complete this circuit to the compressor clutch.
Here's another factory pass-through for the condenser-to-compressor "high" side line.	The line is protected by a grommet as well.	Front dress hardware consists of steel brackets, bolts, lock washers, and shims. Use shims for proper belt alignment. Some applications require one shim, while others call for additional washers and/or shims. Belt alignment is crucial to reliable operation. The compressor may also be adjusted within the bracket.