Vintage Air Gen IV install in 1968 Barracuda convertible.

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jbc426

jbc426

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I bought the universal GEN IV kit to put in my '68 A-Body, because they don't have a Perfect Fit kit available for this A-Bodies yet. The evaporator unit is their top shelf evaporator with electronically controlled servos that use a dedicated, dash-mounted control panel. The evaporator fits nicely under the dash and is relatively easy to plumb, wire and install. The performance and reliability of this unit is nothing short of impressive.

Most of you considering this install will have a different underhood compressor mount & hose routing set-up than I have, so I will limit describing that to a few words and pic's. I'm running a 408" stroked 5.9 Magnum with EFI and the stock serpentine belt set-up including the Sanden compressor. I ordered the largest triple pass condenser that would fit in my 22" radiator opening from Nostalgic Air ( Nostalgic AC - Aftermarket Air Conditioning For Automobiles ) ((they are a great source for misc parts etc)) and am running a custom US Radiator 4-row brass radiator with the old-style fin design to allow for more airflow.

Here are a few pictures of the underhood and interior of the car to show what I started with.

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I'm using the same setup but went with the nicer control panel. I'm using a stock compressor from a 6.1L Hemi.

I'd love to see more install pics showing how you mounted it and such.

Riddler
 
Riddler said:
I'm using the same setup but went with the nicer control panel. I'm using a stock compressor from a 6.1L Hemi.

I'd love to see more install pics showing how you mounted it and such.

Riddler
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Yes...me too!

J
 
Thanks guys. I'll add some more posts as time allows and the project wraps up. I wanted to keep the dash stock looking, but the stock heater control and fan switch take up quite a bit of space. I ended up just throwing my transmission temperature gauge in place of the fan switch and fitting the latest version of Vintage Airs control panel for the GENIV in place of the stock heater controls. It looks at home on the dash, and I like the slider controls. It's similar to the stock heater sliders.

I upgraded the stock 120 mph speedo to the 150 mph speedo, swapped out the factory clock with a repop tach, and replaced the bezel and lenses with a repop from PG Classics. It feels strange taking a saw to a new bezel, but it worked out.

Did did you go with the 3 knob control panel?
 
Looks really nice. I am going to put a/c in my car. I was thinking classic air but I heard Vintage air works better. Glad to see somebody doing this install. Thanks for posting this.
 
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For a universal type kit it looks like it fit very nice. The compressor and mounting looks right at home on your magnum. My Swinger has dealer installed air and I really like it. It looks old school but having some AC when it gets hot is nice to have. My wife and I have even taken it to church. (with the air on of course)
 
toolmanmike said:
For a universal type kit it looks like it fit very nice. The compressor and mounting looks right at home on your magnum. My Swinger has dealer installed air and I really like it. It looks old school but having some AC when it gets hot is nice to have. My wife and I have even taken it to church. (with the air on of course)
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No, no, the Magnum compressor mount is the stock mount and compressor off a 2000 Dodge Durango. All these parts are required to run the factory serpentine belt set-up.

I simply put a new compressor on and will be modifying the factory pressure and suction lines to hook up to my receiver drier, condenser and the evaporator bulkhead fittings.
 
Furious65 said:
Would love to see some under dash pics.
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Here are some additional pics of the install. I had to bend the bracket that faces the passenger seat to allow it to bolt up to the cowl at an angle using nutcerts.

The heater hoses go through the stock heater hose holes. I did have to drill two holes to the refrigerant lines, which I could have routed in the passenger side wheel well if I wanted to hide them.

I also had to drill 4 holes to mount the forward facing bracket

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FYI, I have a Classic Auto Air Perfect fit in my 69 Cuda, and it blows really cold.
 
harrisonm said:
FYI, I have a Classic Auto Air Perfect fit in my 69 Cuda, and it blows really cold.
Click to expand...

My factory heater box worked very well, but this new evaporator blower is even stronger. It's kind of hard to justify the expense of putting A/C in a convertible, but there were many hot days I really wished I had a nice cool breeze in the car with both the top up and the top down, especially on the trips to LA for Spring Fling.

I re-used the round factory defrost diffusers and am going to use the screw on underdash diffusers, and it looks as though the factory glovebox will still fit without modification, but it is close to the new evaporator.

Life and work keeps getting in the way of finding time for the final hose fitting and hook-up, but I should be able to wrap this install up soon. Once I finish up with the dash and A/C, I'm going to have a custom-fitted console made with an arm rest that's the same height as the door arm rest, a pair of cup holders and power outlets for accessory items as well as a secret compartment with a hidden release.

I'm also thinking of having the interior shop redo the remaining interior including the rear seat to fit some hidden speakers, my rough-looking and hard to replace side panels, door panels and have the rollbar padded and wrapped all in leather to match the front seats. I've learned that I'm just not good at this aspect of working on cars, and want it to look nice when its done. It might be out of my price range, so maybe just the console at first. I've had this car going on 12 years now, and it's more fun and upgrading it is still cheaper than buying a new car that could match its performance.

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I overlooked mentioning the insulating I did to the car to help with the noise, heat and fumes. Amazon sells Dynamat Extreme with free shipping for about half the retail price, and the blankets of aluminum foil covered insulating material are available for a very reasonable price at Speedway Motors. Using the combination of the butyl rubber Dynamat and the blankets of foil covered insulation together make for a cost effective and extremely useful insulating combination.

The blankets of the foil insulation can be cut to fit and taped together with that aluminum duct tape that has the wax paper on it to stop it from sticking to the wrong surface. Once its taped, it is almost invisible on the aluminum blanket. Carefully installed, it seals out an incredible amount of heat, fumes and reduces a lot of noise. Dramatically more than the Dynamat can by itself. Its important to think of these two materials as a system that works much better when installed as a package.

Once I finish with the dash work, I'll fully seal the remainder of the underdash, floor and side-panels with the aluminum covered blanket material and seal it to the car with the aluminum duct sealing tape. If the car you are working on is not a convertible, consider insulating under the headliner, as that helps tremendously too.

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Hey brother, how did that tranny issue work out? We were concerned that you made it home from SF ok. You going to FF? If so, I'll see you there. I'll be in the swap area selling seat belts.
 
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