Classic Auto Air in 67 Barracuda Factory Non AC

[ESP47]

I had the same deal with the heater valve control. I modified the wire and I never checked the effective travel - it was closed in one direction, and open in the other and half way in the middle and that made me happy. I sent pictures and explained the situation to the tech support folks and they didn't really seem to care or want to work with me to fix the situation for future buyers.

Have you tried to install the defroster hoses yet???

I started with an original AC firewall with the BIG hole for the blower, so I never got to see how the unit would have fit as intended as I had to make brackets to adapt their stuff to the AC firewall - fortunately somebody here had already done this and provided a template for the conversion.

I also didn't like the idea of just installing the water control valve to the hose and letting it flop around, so I fabbed a bracket to hold the valve

View attachment 1716096418
The bracket holds the valve and the return hose and the AC hoses run under the bracket to hold them on the top of the fenderwell and attaches to two existing holes in the face of the fender well.

View attachment 1716096419

I wound up copying your bracket. Thanks for the tip!

How did you route the driver side ducting to the box under the dash? I don't have the steering column or dash bezel in and it doesn't seem like there's a whole lot of room regardless. Any tips there? Just trying to avoid having to redo it once I install everything back in.

 

[scatpackbee]

I used 2 soda pop plastic bottle tops to neck the duct down to around 1” diameter tube then ran it over the steering column then used the second bottle top back up to the standard duct diameter.

I used VW Beetle aluminum tube used for the oil breather.

 

[str12-340]

Don't do what I did!!! - which was squeeze it up above the steering column/ brake brackets!!! I've been having intermittent electrical issues that I just couldn't identify, until I found that the wiper linkage was hooking on the ducting and pulling it around and effecting the wiring. Yesterday I pulled the hose out on the side of the road and solved the electrical issues. I still have to figure out how to route that hose, but since I am 1900 miles into 5000 mile road trip (across the Mohave Desert today) I am content to enjoy having a hand held AC hose to cool me off while driving down the road, hopefully I'll figure it out before I show up in Carlisle.

 

[ESP47]

Anyone else have any opinions on routing the driver side hose?

@loganscuda
@6pk2goDemon

I'm looking at it and scatpackbee's method of constricting the hose down is the only real method that seems like it would work without looking goofy and running it under the column. I'm just not happy about restricting the air flow through the most important duct in the system for the driver.

 

[loganscuda]

I ran mine over the column…… and it got caught on the wiper linkage popped off the clip and is still like that. I haven’t moved it yet(been 2 years now). Thank goodness for rain x

 

[ESP47]

I ran mine over the column…… and it got caught on the wiper linkage popped off the clip and is still like that. I haven’t moved it yet(been 2 years now). Thank goodness for rain x

Damn was hoping you had a genius idea that we haven't thought about yet! Wiper linkage is a serious problem with this one.

 

[Jim Lusk]

I'm not having the same luck with the evaporator fitting.

1st photo, on the firewall you can see the silver dots, is relatively where the speed nuts to mount the evaporator are, 3 lines are touching the firewall, both sides and the bottom

2nd photo, I decided just to cut the firewall for clearance

3rd photo, evaporator mounted in. Bolts in the holes they are supposed to be mounted in, have clearance now with 3/4" cut out of the bottom

4th photo, inside mounts don't line up either

Frustrating, thought this would be fairly straight forward.

View attachment 1715856205

View attachment 1715856206

View attachment 1715856207

I'm dealing with Classic right now. They claim this is the way it fits, which I am saying is certainly not a "perfect" fit. They are trying to blow me off, but I don't go away that easily. I'm also not going to cut my firewall. I'm going to escalate it tomorrow above the first line tech help, if possible. Your pictures will help. They also sell this kit to fit with an RB. The larger AC tube hits the stock valve cover. They want me to tweak it, but for what this cost that is unacceptable. We tried to fit it in the GTS, which is very stripped. I got it bolted up, but the lower heater tube had to be forced. You can see the roughly 4.5" between the bolt hole and the bottom of the heater tube. There is 4.25" from that hole in the firewall to the bottom of the large hole.

 

[str12-340]

Classic told me the same thing - bend the tubes to make it fit. Fortunately for me I put mine in a factory AC car, so I was able to tweak the adapter plate I used to switch from the big AC blower hole to the smaller non-AC hole. At that point I had already had to fabricate so many solutions to fix their design errors, I had pretty well given up asking them to fix things themselves.

New topic: I'm half way through a 5000 mile road trip and in really hot conditions. I chose the option of using the factory AC pulleys and alternator bracket. The brackets from Classic are made by Bouchillon and they don't line up the twin AC compressor pulleys with the factory double belt alternator pulleys and crank pulley so you can only use one belt. Buchillon swore up and down that the compressor only needed one belt.. BULL$&!)!!! The damned belt slips everytime the compressor clutch engages and some times just keeps slipping. So here I am with no dependable AC at 96 degrees. I would recommend that you re-engineer the set up form the get go for your peace of mind. The problem with a car with AC and Power steering is that one belt runs AC and Alternator and another runs Water pump and power steering. The second belt is in front of the AC/Alt. belt. Since the Compressor can't be moved back to allign the double pulleys, you have to move the alternator and the crank pulley toward the radiator to get allignment. Spacer behind the crank pulley and re- engineering the alternator brackets (not too bad). But then you have moved the outer belt into the way of the water pump/PS set up and moved the crank pulley for that belt forward. That means a shallower water pump pulley (which Chrysler made) that is the correct diameter and re-engineering the whole Power steering bracket set up. I will do all this and make it right, but not in the middle of this road trip... Am I pissed after shelling out all that money and doing all that work??? YOU BET!!!

 

[Jim Lusk]

Classic told me the same thing - bend the tubes to make it fit. Fortunately for me I put mine in a factory AC car, so I was able to tweak the adapter plate I used to switch from the big AC blower hole to the smaller non-AC hole. At that point I had already had to fabricate so many solutions to fix their design errors, I had pretty well given up asking them to fix things themselves.

New topic: I'm half way through a 5000 mile road trip and in really hot conditions. I chose the option of using the factory AC pulleys and alternator bracket. The brackets from Classic are made by Bouchillon and they don't line up the twin AC compressor pulleys with the factory double belt alternator pulleys and crank pulley so you can only use one belt. Buchillon swore up and down that the compressor only needed one belt.. BULL$&!)!!! The damned belt slips everytime the compressor clutch engages and some times just keeps slipping. So here I am with no dependable AC at 96 degrees. I would recommend that you re-engineer the set up form the get go for your peace of mind. The problem with a car with AC and Power steering is that one belt runs AC and Alternator and another runs Water pump and power steering. The second belt is in front of the AC/Alt. belt. Since the Compressor can't be moved back to allign the double pulleys, you have to move the alternator and the crank pulley toward the radiator to get allignment. Spacer behind the crank pulley and re- engineering the alternator brackets (not too bad). But then you have moved the outer belt into the way of the water pump/PS set up and moved the crank pulley for that belt forward. That means a shallower water pump pulley (which Chrysler made) that is the correct diameter and re-engineering the whole Power steering bracket set up. I will do all this and make it right, but not in the middle of this road trip... Am I pissed after shelling out all that money and doing all that work??? YOU BET!!!

I already had a compressor and Bouchillon brackets, but mine is a big block ('69 setup). Completely different setup and my belts line up. I installed their bracket and compressor on a 273 in a '66 Barracuda (one LONG belt for AC and power steering). It was iffy.

 

[scatpackbee]

Anyone else have any opinions on routing the driver side hose?

@loganscuda
@6pk2goDemon

I'm looking at it and scatpackbee's method of constricting the hose down is the only real method that seems like it would work without looking goofy and running it under the column. I'm just not happy about restricting the air flow through the most important duct in the system for the driver.

I ran my A/C yesterday and checked the flow on the necked down drivers side vent and it still flows pretty good. Not as hard as the center ducts but still a pretty good flow of air.

I also secured that drivers side duct to the dash with Velcro so on the days the A/C is not needed and I just want to open the vent door instead, I just pull the duct off the dash, open the door and reattach the duct to the dash.

 

[ESP47]

I ran my A/C yesterday and checked the flow on the necked down drivers side vent and it still flows pretty good. Not as hard as the center ducts but still a pretty good flow of air.

I also secured that drivers side duct to the dash with Velcro so on the days the A/C is not needed and I just want to open the vent door instead, I just pull the duct off the dash, open the door and reattach the duct to the dash.

That's good to know. I'll reduce it down and see how it flows around the linkage when I get a chance. I'm at the point where I'm installing the condenser so I need to paint the radiator support before I continue on with that.

I had to do some fabrication to get the condenser to install correctly. The instructions would say to place the bracket 3 holes down, but then the drawing would have an arrow pointing to the 4th hole. Real confusing. I tried every possible combination and nothing worked. Wound up having to place the top brackets as high as they could go while placing the bottom brackets as low as they could go. Had to drill new holes even higher than the stock holes in the top brackets and wound up having to weld a washer to hang from the bottom of one of the lower brackets because even that bracket wasn't low enough to line up with the factory holes in the rad support.

 

[scatpackbee]

With regard to the cover plate that seals the tubes through the firewall, I didn't drill any holes into the firewall to secure that plate.

Instead I installed threaded rivets into the existing holes in the firewall then drilled holes in the plastic cover to match the location of the threaded rivets and used factory style bolts with washers to secure the plastic plate.

I also sealed the tubes through the plastic plate with dum-dum flexible sealant for the factory look.

I can post pictures later today when I get home.

 

[str12-340]

scatpackbee or ESP47: could one or both of you post pictures of the "neck down solution"??? I'm going to have to do this sometime soon and want to learn from your work.

THANKS!!!

 

[ESP47]

scatpackbee or ESP47: could one or both of you post pictures of the "neck down solution"??? I'm going to have to do this sometime soon and want to learn from your work.

THANKS!!!

I've yet to do it but I will once I attempt it.

 

[scatpackbee]

I’ll post a few pictures tonight.

 

[Jim Lusk]

Well, I had a long conversation with somebody at Classic today. They initially just wanted to refund my money, but I told them that really wasn't satisfactory and all they would do is get bad feedback from me all over the net. I am going to try to fix this for them so that customers in the future don't have this problem. Things will get tight on the bottom of the cowl in one spot, but I'm going to try to raise the box up about 3/8". At first with a second flat bracket and then perhaps they will fix their jig to put their bracket in the right place. It's entirely possible that the underside of the cowl may also need some massaging, but we'll see. I guess I have work to do.

 

[harrisonm]

Well, guys, for what it's worth, I installed the classic "Perfect Fit" unit in my 69 Barracuda about 10-12 years ago. The instructions were HORRIBLE. The wiring diagram was worthless, they called the same part different names in different parts of the instructions. Parts were never identified. You know, like when you buy a desk that needs to be assembled and page one shows a picture of every part with a number and a name. Then, as you assemble the desk, they refer to the parts by name and number. Well, not the Classic instructions. They would say to do such and such with a part that I would not have been able to figure out if it hadn't been for a picture. Then there was a fuzzy, out of focus picture with an explanation under it. How that made it past ANY kind of quality control is impossible for me to fathom. Then there was a place that said "The next section is for 67 models only". Fine, but it did not say when that section ended. Then, there were two female plug-in connectors in the wire harness that were the same but had different colors of wires. The instructions and the wiring diagram both gave fancy names the male plugs (on the main evaporator box) where the connectors went. Problem is that they did NOT properly describe what those names were and they were only a few inches apart, so there was NO way to determine which connector went to which plug. Then the instruction told me that moving the temp lever one way would activate the AC and the other way activated the heater. However, knowing what the lever and cable did, that made no sense. So I called, and the tech told me the instructions were backwards for that. This is just what I remember from about 10 years ago. I had to call the tech line several times because of the shitty instructions. They were quite helpful, but they did not care about the bad instructions. Well, I finally got it installed, and it does work great. Being the nice guy that I am, I spent HOURS typing up a 15 page document with some pictures documenting every mistake in their instructions. I am a retired Military Officer and I can write a very detailed set of instructions. I expected someone to contact me and thank me. No such luck. So I called them and asked if they got my letter. They said yes, and they would include my suggestions when they updated the instructions. About 5-6 years later, a guy mentioned he was having trouble with the same install. OMG, the instructions were still the same. They hadn't done anything at all. The system is really good, but they don't seem to care about their customers very much. If I were an executive at Classic and a guy like me offered up a 15 page document correcting errors in the instructions, I would contact him, thank him profusely for taking the time, and send him a $50 gift card to a restaurant. Not them!

 

[ESP47]

The tubes on my 68 Barracuda sat on the bottom of the firewall opening as well. It took a second set of hands but once I put the cover plate on and lined the cover plate with the factory holes, this moved the tubes up off the bottom of the firewall opening. It's good that they aren't riding on the opening but bad because now they're under a constant upward pressure. We'll see if that winds up being a bad thing in the future.

 

[Jim Lusk]

The tubes on my 68 Barracuda sat on the bottom of the firewall opening as well. It took a second set of hands but once I put the cover plate on and lined the cover plate with the factory holes, this moved the tubes up off the bottom of the firewall opening. It's good that they aren't riding on the opening but bad because now they're under a constant upward pressure. We'll see if that winds up being a bad thing in the future.

That's why I'm going to raise the box up by lowering the mounting holes on the bracket. Whether they end up following my advice is up to them...

 

[str12-340]

Maybe we could all get together and write a good set of instructions with clearly labelled pictures and fixes for all the stuff that wouldn't fit/work and then market the rewritten instructions and some replacement or needed parts in a package. I would have paid gladly rather than figuring out all the fixes that I used.

 

[Jim Lusk]

Maybe we could all get together and write a good set of instructions with clearly labelled pictures and fixes for all the stuff that wouldn't fit/work and then market the rewritten instructions and some replacement or needed parts in a package. I would have paid gladly rather than figuring out all the fixes that I used.

Great idea.

 

[scatpackbee]

I’m betting they won’t do **** with those improved instructions.

Just ask harrisonm….

 

[Jim Lusk]

I’m betting the won’t do **** with those improved instructions.

Just ask harrisonm….

Likely true, but I made it known to the person I talked to last week that the problem needed to be fixed or they would get the kind of publicity they don't want and that I am reasonably well known in the little circle of A-body fans. That the question of what to buy or not to buy comes up and they would prefer that I give them a good report as opposed to a bad one...and that for what they charge for the system it should fit better.

 

[Scamp Rhonda]

Likely true, but I made it known to the person I talked to last week that the problem needed to be fixed or they would get the kind of publicity they don't want and that I am reasonably well known in the little circle of A-body fans. That the question of what to buy or not to buy comes up and they would prefer that I give them a good report as opposed to a bad one...and that for what they charge for the system it should fit better.

When you're done with them there's some header companies that also need some attention to detail.

 

[ESP47]

scatpackbee or ESP47: could one or both of you post pictures of the "neck down solution"??? I'm going to have to do this sometime soon and want to learn from your work.

THANKS!!!

Have you done the driver side duct routing yet? I had some things come up and haven't attempted it yet.