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1977-82 Vintage Air

13K views 68 replies 12 participants last post by  autowiz 
#1 ·
so vintage air only makes kits for up to 1976. i have done maybe ~5 77-82 installs. the differences are in how the hoses attach to the vents and the control head. a universal 3 knob must be used. here is a before and after of control head...




i will look for other pictures i may have of install...
 
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#2 ·
Bingo. We're planning on this for our 77. I've seen it done and it is possible. Just can't use the stock controls (although I looked and I MAY BE possible with some creativity).
 
#4 ·
Lol. What's one of them thar new fangled computin' machines doin' in an 81?
 
#7 ·
ya you loose your glove box. you can chop the rear section out of it and make a new back wall and glove box can be big enough for important paperwork and stuff. but it brings the entire a/c system inside the car. no more evap housing mounted on the side of the engine..



this was an early job of mine. look at how i just mounted the electrical components to the firewall where i could find a place. this was before i started making plates and building thought out electrical centers. i love working at specialty shop. with repetition comes evolution. and to anyone seriously considering doing this i strongly advise you to look at this thread right here: http://www.digitalcorvettes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=242193 also the vintage air kit comes with a binary pressure switch to operate as a ac compressor cutout for safety, you have to order a trinary switch from them separately and it works the compressor and it operates electric fans based off ac pressure so your not just damming the fans to run constantly when the ac is on.
 
#8 ·
#9 ·
We built a c10 once. a 1970. did everything to it. the usual for us, lol. full hotchkis suspension conversion, built this really awesome exhaust. built custom gauges cluster converted every bulb and fixture to hid and led. and some other stuff.



everything we build at vetteXperts gets tuned with a pair of wideband o2 sensors. so a pair of o2 bungs in a custom exhaust on an older car is a telltale trait of a car that we built.



oh yeah we also put disc brakes on it. i gotta search to find the pics of the interior and underhood. but i don't think we got to do much to the motor.
 
#10 ·
The DC C3 Guys want to stand out from the Rest Autowiz.
Nobody wants the exact same.
There is definitely a market for One Off Custom parts made Daily for the group.
Fabricated Machined one by one.

Like Matts One off C3 Diff Billet cover.


Love to build a Titanium Tube Frame Corvette wrapped in Glass.
It was done in the early Pro Stock Drag Race era.
Mickey Thompson and few others did the same.
Back then Titanium was just a little more than 4130 Chrome moly steel .


Power to weight ratio would be Fantastic .
 
#14 ·
The DC C3 Guys want to stand out from the Rest Autowiz.
Nobody wants the exact same.
There is definitely a market for One Off Custom parts made Daily for the group.
Fabricated Machined one by one.

Like Matts One off C3 Diff Billet cover.


Love to build a Titanium Tube Frame Corvette wrapped in Glass.
It was done in the early Pro Stock Drag Race era.
Mickey Thompson and few others did the same.
Back then Titanium was just a little more than 4130 Chrome moly steel .


Power to weight ratio would be Fantastic .
i can't believe how good that diff cover came out, btw. absolutely incredible.
 
#13 ·
i am still looking for those pics. but i will tell you the 2 side vents are so simple it isn't funny. just remove plastic duct from under dash. and plug vintage ac hose right into the backside of the vent. it is a perfect fit. the center vents require some creativity. you can modify the 73-76 part by removing a whole bunch of material and riveting it together. i will find pics. it is not hard. and it is so worth the time and effort.
 
#19 ·
Are there any modifications that need to be done to the firewall? I am trying to decide whether to go this route or just replace the condenser, compressor, evaporator core to upgrade the current system to R134a.
firewall modifications are the same as for 73-76 or 68-72 vette. there is a plate that blocks off the big square hole where the old evap box used to live. and there is a round plate that blocks off where the old blower motor used to live. and there is a blockoff plate for the pass. side kick panel to block off the fresh air/recirc. door.

unless you are a complete purist, to put money in the old a/c system is throwing away your hard earned cash. i am sorry but when these cars were brand spanking new the a/c didn't work good. and that was back when they had the correct r12. proof of efficiency is in the fact that with conversion the a/c charge drops from 2.75lbs. to 1.75lbs.
 
#22 ·
I would measure 32- 34 F A/C outlet temps with a Pro A/C temp probe used.

My old 1973 Lincoln Mark 4 had 32-34 F A/C temps on a 90 F degree day.
A-6 GM A/C compressor.'
Expansion valve system.

Gets hot in Florida I know.
All want A/C I hear there.
ya a/c is a must have down here. aside from the temp drop, there is also the volume of air moving out of the vents. the old c3's air box never blew real hard. it was a poor design that never sealed real well, had entirely too many vacuum switches and actuators to ever be considered reliable, and the evap box sits right next to the exhaust header.
 
#24 ·
The 2 vintage air swaps into 77s I've seen are amazingly cold. You can make ice cubes in the cabin.
 
#25 ·
Here's the thing. if you completely rebuild the old a/c system and even play with orifices and charge specs to get pressures exactly where you like them, when the a/c is on, it is on max and high. nobody with a c3 with factory air rides around with the a/c on low.

But with vintage air, no matter how poorly the car seals against the elements, you will not be able to leave the a/c on max for long. you get a chill. it really makes spending time in a c3 much more enjoyable.
 
#26 ·
And the best part is for all the installs I have done over the last 5 years of employment here, I haven't had any failures, yet. well I had one c2 that leaked water at the base of the windshield right onto the controller that sits on top of the air box. please note the kit comes with a piece of clear plastic. this is meant to be unfolded and laid across the top of the a/c box after installation to protect controller and stepper motors from water intrusion that is common on these cars. So they have proven themselves reliable.
 
#28 ·
Ok I think you have convinced me to go the Vintage Air route. Have you ever done the modifications to the glovebox. how much does it need to be shortened? have you ever thought of using one of their smaller universal kits?
you do NOT want to try a universal kit. it will not come with the lines, block off plates, brackets to mount the box to the firewall, and above all else detailed vehicle specific instructions with templatesfor body and dash pieces that need to be cut or drilled. get the vehicle specific kit for 76-76 and you will have a few plastic pieces left over.

as for the glove box, if you open the glove box, the black plastic liner, the bottom or floor of the glove box can be only 2 or 3 " deep. it's really not much. but it doesn't need to be. we live in the digital age. we keep our music on usb thumbdrive. and todays car stereos all have usb ports for this. so we don't need places for 8-tracks or cassettes or cd's
 
#30 ·
I mentioned a few months ago that I will be putting AC in my '69 when I get back to Florida. The car is there now as I am selling my home in Michigan.
Now that it appears that I may be getting more for my home than I expected I am considering have it professionally installed. After all I ain't gettin' any younger,my time is a valuable commodity and ... I absolutely hate dashboard work!!!
So... Where is your shop located? I am in Spring Hill which is about an hour north of Tampa...
I know there is a shop in Tampa that does these type of installs but I don't think they use Vintage Air kits and I am sold on VA even if I have to do it myself. Seems to be the best kit available.
Thanks Autowiz...


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#31 ·
well we are a few hrs east of you if you are near tampa. we are in broward county or to be more specific our address is 1411 s. Dixie hwy east, Pompano beach, FL 33060.



and our phone number is in the pic. the owner/service writer/master tech you will be speaking with when you call is Tony Gounis. He has owned this humble business for the last 14 or 15 years, i have been the lead tech here for the last 5 years. we are both re-certified master techs. and we work on nothing but corvettes day in and day out.
 
#34 ·
When I get back to Florida I will decide if I want to do this myself or not. If not I will be making a call... From what I've seen,I like the quality of work coming out of your shop and as much as I have prided myself in doing most if not all my own work in the past I seem to be in a unique position... For the first time ever,have more money that time!!! Not because I'm wealthy but because I'm old!!!
And... I hate dash work!!!(I may have mentioned this before)!!!
Thanks!


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#36 ·
When I get back to Florida I will decide if I want to do this myself or not. If not I will be making a call... From what I've seen,I like the quality of work coming out of your shop and as much as I have prided myself in doing most if not all my own work in the past I seem to be in a unique position... For the first time ever,have more money that time!!! Not because I'm wealthy but because I'm old!!!
And... I hate dash work!!!(I may have mentioned this before)!!!
Thanks!


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

well, if you have us do your install, i will take a bunch of pics of progress to give to you at the end, so you can still feel as though you were a part of the project. and see how everything came apart and went back together.
 
#37 ·
Any luck with the installation pictures? I can't tell by the pictures you already have posted but how much of the evaporator extends below the dash on the passenger side?
if you are thinking that it ends up like the jeep or other aftermarket under dash kits, it is nothing at all like that. the entire box mounts directly behind the dash. not under. there might be like an inch of plastic that you can see, but it is not noticeable and definitely not cumbersome to passengers leg room.
 
#38 ·
here is the a/c box..



here is the box hanging off the inside firewall..



here is the interior together with vintage air..



i guess it does hang down a little but it is not in the way. and here are some underhood pics of compressor..




...the above car was a complete frame off restoration by vettexperts. with new floor pans and a ton of body work and paint. it took place in the space of about 3 months. to us restorations are very much time sensitive. if you take 10 years to restore a car, then you should finish just in time to start restoring again. the rest of this build can be seen here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.823070857728107.1073741876.111934835508383&type=3
 
#39 ·
Took this from another forum:

"spoke with VA and it sounds like they changed the diameter of the two hoses to the center vent to 2.5 inch hose and have developed a replacement center vent which is angled for an easier install according to them.

I was given the following part numbers and prices for the improved parts:

Part #598388 - $199.95
Center vent assembly with 2.5 inch connections

Part #628161 - $19.95
Evaporator Housing Plenum Cap with four 2.5 inch hose connections

Part #06250-VUE - $1.05 / ft.
2.5 inch Duct Hose

the new parts were just approved for use a few days ago and it will be several weeks before they have pictures of the new and improved parts on their website. Their website developers are currently working on getting their new catalog on-line and haven't had time to do any updates."
 
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