I went to the local hot rod shop wednesday and borrowed their mock up case for a vintage air gen II ac unit. The unit itself will fit under the dash, but I'm having trouble with where the lines will run. I've got the battery in the stock location, pass side, right in front of the firewall so I can't run the lines there. My other choices are to raise the unit up, and run the lines underneath. Or lower the unit, and run the line above. Any one done this yet, or do I get to be the first?

 

I used the VIntage Air Gen IV Mock Up Unit to see if it would fit it's tight. let me know how yours comes along and I know I've heard others have used the Gen II in their f-1's

 

on my 55, I raised the unit and brought the lines in just below.. it is VERY tight..

we put the heater control valve in the kick panel. I also put the trinary on top of the unit.. its ok as long as it works!..

we extended the dash extension back to cover the pipes..

Sam

 

Hey Rusty,
I feel your pain - We've got a 1950 F1 - In Texas A/C isn't really an optional item so we looked hard at all alternatives. We wanted everything hidden & beautiful but after looking under the dash there just was no hope of that in our's. We went with Vintage Air's Under Dash Mount system - the "Mini Slimline variation". It's not the prettiest but it has heat, a/c & defrost & works like a champ. Function over beauty on this one - had to have A/C. (It's not as big as the picture shows - plenty of room for legs).

The battery is behind the seat to free up space in the engine bay, (our gas tank is back under the bed).

Ben in Austin

 

I ran both my heat and AC lines out the cab side above the standard heat knockout on the passengers side cowl area, then in the wheel well and back into the inner fender panel to the compressor. I wanted the lines hidden for a clean engine bay. Additional pix are in my gallery.

 

I missed the one in the fender well

 

Here are two of mine coming from the compressor and through the firewall (it seems to be the most inconspicuous way). The other two are run similar to 49willard's, but they go up to the condensor/accumulator that are located behind the grill.

 

Bill, what kind of evap unit did you install? I noticed it fits under the center of the dash. On my mockup unit, if I drop the unit down and move it toward the center, under the wipers, I have more room to run lines, but you do see the unit poking out from under the dash.

 

Rusty,
I bought the evaporator at a swap meet new in the box. It was supposed to fit a mid 70's Ford truck. It was just the AC. I modified it using pieces of black ABS sheet stock while adding a heater coil. In short, it is a custom unit now.