Factory A/C Conversion for '86

RustyPile said:

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crooney1189 said:

What are his dislikes about the VA setup? I'm interested to know since so many people seem to go that route.

I do agree it's going to be pretty involved, but I'm building the truck for Power Tour in June and would really like to have the a/c working when I get the truck running. As it is I live in FL and would not want to drive a black truck without a/c. I did that when I was younger, don't want to do it again lol. Ideally yes I'd like to find a complete truck to rob everything off of. I've been scouring junkyard websites looking through their inventory to see if there is anything local. I did find an '85 with a/c in an LKQ lot, but LKQ has gotten so ridiculous with their pricing I hate going there. I used to get all kinds of stuff from them, now their used prices barely beat Rockauto for new stuff.

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EvilGenius said:

I have most of a factory setup sitting in a box. I also cut out the firewall for the AC specific parts. I don't have any of the lines, the compressor, or the condenser. The truck I pulled it out of had been engine swapped and they never hooked it back up. PM if you want to try to work out getting it to you.

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TotalyHucked said:

His has never cooled very well and been very unreliable, been through 2 or 3 compressors and several of the little pieces have had to be replaced (I don't know exactly what but in the unit under the dash). 2 other friends in Florida hate theirs too cuz it doesn't cool as well as an OE setup and they also have to ride around with towels on the floorboard cuz it condensates so bad it soaks the floor. And that's with the drain run, the outer box still condensates real bad.

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RustyPile said:

The Vintage Air systems are very versatile. Yet, they are not "universal" either. Rather, the kits are what I would call "customized".. The VA individual "kit" components are put together after you place the order.. Among others, a couple of the questions they ask when you place the order are, "What engine do you have?", and "Which side of the engine do you want to mount the compressor?".. The "kit" they put together will include the proper brackets for your installation.. You can even order a kit that does not include the compressor.. They can even include switches to control electric radiator fans.

A word of caution.. The A-6 factory compressor does not lend itself very well to a cycling clutch system, and the R-4 factory compressor is a piece of shyet...

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v30 said:

I talked to VA around 10 years ago asking their recommendation for my 3+3, they said keep the oem system, theirs isn't designed for that much cooling and didn'thave a fresh air option. Better for small hot rods they said. I don't know how much has changed since then. I've been fairly happy with the AC in the 3 squarebody trucks I have had. I would call them yourself if your considering them, but I see nothing wrong with an AC system that is 40 years old with new parts...kinda matches the rest of the truck.

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