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Vintage Air anyone?
#747698 April 26th 2019 1:20 pm
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scott_s Offline OP
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I keep finding vans that never had factory air. Has anyone successfully used Vintage Air in their old school van?


https://www.vintageair.com/

I'm looking at all three major makes, so I'd be interested in hearing from Ford, Mopar and Chevy/GMC owners. Iy seems like the doghouse in old vans might complicate things. They have a "Builders Series" but it's kinda hard for me to piece together a kit since I don't currently have a specific model I'm working on.


'86 Chevy G-10: Gone. Looking for a shorty van.
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Re: Vintage Air anyone?
scott_s #747776 April 29th 2019 7:24 am
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Watching this thread as I'm curious too. I've been thinking about stealing the portable roll around style A/C unit from my bedroom for van trips, but it would be nice to have a permanent solution.


[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]
Re: Vintage Air anyone?
scott_s #747805 April 29th 2019 3:13 pm
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I emailed Vintage Air and this is their reply (I mentioned that much of the under hood stuff might be similar to trucks of the same era....that's what they're referring to in the first paragraph).

"Vans are nothing like the pickups so I would not recommend going that route.

We do not offer anything made specifically for that type of vehicle and can only recommend a builder series type kit.

Go to our online catalog and view pages 44 thru 51 to see which unit will fit best.

Always try and go with the largest that will fit to ensure sufficient cooling capacity.



We also offer under dash units that are a much simpler install and have a period correct look that may be a better option.



Search our products link from the homepage, then select builder series, then view each of the evaporator options.

Dimensions can be viewed in the more details link of each item.

The remainder of the kit, vents/louvers, hose kits and condensers can be selected from the accessories link.



The problem with fitment in vans is that they typically have a dog house that limits the size of the evaporator that can be an issue when trying to fit a unit in that area.



Page 101 provides a build sheet that will guide you into what all is required when putting together a complete builder series type kit.



Give our sales team a call if you have any questions or if you would like to place an order."

So.... basically you need to know a specific year/make/model and they can probably piece together something. No idea on the cost, since I don't have a particular van in mind at the moment.
Maybe a member with each make can correspond with them and get an idea of what a builder's kit costs?


'86 Chevy G-10: Gone. Looking for a shorty van.
Re: Vintage Air anyone?
scott_s #747807 April 29th 2019 4:10 pm
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Nice, thanks for sharing man.


[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]
Re: Vintage Air anyone?
scott_s #747811 April 29th 2019 4:42 pm
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I have seen Chevy Suburban rear AC fan/evap units adapted to non-AC vans and mounted between the seats. The suburbans had a self-contained type of rear unit that worked well for that type of system. Made like a large under dash system they were mounted under the rear seat.
I have a mid 90's Chevy Suburban (IIRC) rear air unit in my old Ford hi-top mounted up high on the rear package shelf. Works well enough I would many times run the front fan on low and rear fan up to cool the van without freezing the co-pilot..... shocked
I've got pictures somewhere....

Re: Vintage Air anyone?
scott_s #747824 April 29th 2019 10:01 pm
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You could get a rear AC unit from a junked conversion and plumb it to have the vents in the ceiling blowing down on the driver and front passenger.


Windows- they're what make a van worth owning!
Re: Vintage Air anyone?
scott_s #747827 April 30th 2019 12:47 am
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Are those type units (rear Suburban or conversion van) electric? I'm assuming they are. I'd love to hear and see more info on that kind of set up.


'86 Chevy G-10: Gone. Looking for a shorty van.
Re: Vintage Air anyone?
scott_s #747876 May 01st 2019 12:17 am
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SUNSHINE VANS-VAN DIEGO
ADRENALIN BY THE GALLON & CHASIN RACIN
ONE FOR THE DIRT & ONE FOR THE STREETS
'93 CHEVY G30 454 4X4 SPORTVAN EXT 146" WB
'92 CHEVY G30 454 BEAUVILLE EXT 146" WB
Re: Vintage Air anyone?
frscke1 #747885 May 01st 2019 8:14 am
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Originally Posted by scott_s
Are those type units (rear Suburban or conversion van) electric? I'm assuming they are. I'd love to hear and see more info on that kind of set up.


They use an electric blower motor, just like the system in the front, yes.

They get their refrigerant from the same compressor as the front system. Rubber/aluminum lines run the length of the vehicle underneath. Same with rear heat, they get their heated coolant from the engine, just like the system in the front.

If you are checking junkyards, I'd look for an aftermarket system out of a conversion van, lines, manifolds, valves and all. They are designed to piggyback the front system, designed to be added to the rear after the fact, designed to be standalone. Vents and ducts will be the only thing you'd have to work out. But factory you can look at full size vans, midsize like Safari/Astro, and even minivans. Suburbans too.

Originally Posted by frscke1


NIce find!


Moderated by  Astro, nautic1 

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