Looking for some opinions, comments, suggestions, pros & cons on my next dilemma.

My car is an original 400 A/C car which had a fair amount of options, not all of which are still on the car. I am not going for a true & correct resto, but would like to keep it reasonably original. Under the hood, the only remains of the a/c system is the evaporator box and some wiring. Getting a working A/C is not a short term goal, but some day I would like to put a system in.

Currently, I have to replace my heater core. Something I am not looking forward to, but has to be done. Since it will require pulling the fender and part of the dash anyway, I want to plan ahead for what type of A/C to put back in: The original set up or go with more modern Vintage Air type system.

I like the idea of the modern units not having the large combersome a/c box which frees up a lot of space under the hood. If I go this route, I will go ahead and take out the evaporator case now. If I go back to original, then I will leave it alone.

Questions:
-The Vintage Air set up's I've seen are designed for non A/c cars. Are there packages for cars that did have A/C? What are the differences?

-What are the differences in cooling performance of the two systems as well as costs?

-Would I significantly hurt the value of the car by not putting it back to original?

-If I go aftermarket, what heater core would be recommended?
If original, what's the best source for the heater core?

Thanks for any input.
Wayne

1. Value only matters if you sell. Chances are you won't recover the added cost of an aftermarket A/C system if you do.
2. Check into the controls first; since Vintage Air was made for non-A/C cars, the controller mounts differently and your stock A/C heater control will be an orphan, along with ductwork, cables, dash vents, etc.
3. For what you save on not buying an original A/C system you could probably buy a Vintage Air and save the space, or conversely for what you'd spend on a Vintage Air you could rebuild the factory A/C.
4. Factory A/C is excellent, if charged with R-12 Freon as designed. Use of lower efficiency refrigerants will decrease the performance of the cooling system. I often run the A/C with the convertible top down during 90+ degree August cruises, and it does keep me cool.
5. With the factory A/C you will cuss every time you need to work on the right bank, but remember you have a rare 'bird with factory A/C, and that's the price you pay for having a highly optioned car.

These are all my opinions, and I'm sticking to them. :p

Rick's First Generation sells a kit to convert an A/C firewall to a non A/C firewall. You would then be able to install the Vintage air system.

If you go this route, you will no longer need the inside unit (which is different on A/C cars) since the Vintage Air unit will replace it.

Tom

Many people that live in the southern states will only buy cars with air conditioning. Air conditioning raises appraisals about 15%. It pays for itself.

Aftermarket AC mounts under the dash on the passenger side. If you have a long legged passenger or one that doesn't appreciate the cold vent in front of them, they may be unhappy .

I really like my original air conditioning and it wasn't that hard making it work.

Jim

trmjr1 could you tell me the part # for the kit from Rick's 1st Gen to convert from a AC to non-AC firewall? I went to the online site but I could not find that item. Thanks

since you say you are not doiung your car 100% original, I`d go with Vintage air, cost about $950,
reasons :
1) more space around your last two spark plugs
2) modern unit, easy to get parts for, using R134

Since you're already not going original, I wonder if it would be feasible to use a later model Pontiac A/C which uses a smaller suitcase? Then perhaps you could retain the original ductwork and controls.

With Vintage ,you also retain the controls....

David,

I sure thought it was Rick's - I went through the catalog and found an "Evaporator Box Eliminator" - P/N AC-95 and they list a "Complete Firewall (w/o A/C)" - P/N PP-165.

I will have to look through my other catalogs - I know I saw the kit listed somewhere...

Tom

Thanks for the replies so far. Still welcome more.

Yellowbird, you're right on the mark with #3 it's a flip of the coin cost wise. #5 makes me want to keep it original.

Any suggestions on vender for a best fit orignal heater core?

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif"> suggestions on vender for a best fit orignal heater core? </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">might try Terry Ritter (954) 721-1459 or Bill Edmonds earlybrds@aol.com for good used?

Ames has an exact fit.
Jim