I ordered a Vintage Air unit today. It is a "Sure Fit" and will replace my heater unit and provide AC and heat. I intend to post here updates on my progress and any issues I encounter. I have also titled his post Vintage Air so later I can find it. I am looking for anyone that has installed a Vintage Air Gen IV unit in a 65-66 F1OO or F250. My plan is to incorporate the three spots on the right side of the dash for the AC unit controls. I plan to change the ***** on the Vintage unit to look like original Ford *****. I also plan to use four rectangular outlets, one on the left a double in the center and one single on the far right of the dash. These changes will be visually minimal. Has anyone already done this? Could you share issues and solutions? Thanks.

 

I guess you haven't done a search yet. There is a thread WITH pictures, on the installation of that very unit.

 

you could jut post a link. as I'm sure you realize if you just do a search for "vintage air" you get every post that mentions vintage air. just my 02

 

My solution...not exactly as you described. I used the Compac unit, as it took less space under the dash/glovebox....trouble with the far right hand louver, is that the surface is a compound curve. It may be hard to get a rectangular louver to look right unless you're hanging it under the lip of the dash...I assume that's your intention.

 

 

I'm installing the full kit in my 64 right now. I'm down to ducts, wiring, and final hoses. The kit is very good at using existing holes and bolts and such, but you will likely have to enlarge some holes more than they say to get everything to line up.


I also want to mount the controls where the right three existing ***** are on the dash. The switches have a little nub that goes in a hole in a plate they give you. This keeps the switches from rotating. It's possible to put those holes in the dash to do the same thing, but it depends how big the stock holes are. I know the cigarette lighter hole is pretty big. I haven't gotten that far yet.

I would have liked to put my ducts in the dash rather than mount them underneath but I'm limited because my interior is finished and I can't do any welding or metalwork in there now. I had thought about using the spaces on the sides of the speedo for round ducts but I'm not sure about that yet. My truck also has no radio, and I'm not sure if I want to cut into the pristine dash.

resonatuer - Very clean install. How did the right side vent go in? It looks like that area is flat enough that if the vent is small enough you could just cut a hole and be done with it. The drivers side doesn't look that easy. You also have your ashtray filled in. Without doing that I don't think there's enough room for 2 vents and a control panel.

 

 

I would never have considered cutting holes in my dash, but man that looks clean

 

Yeah of course it could never be as easy as I thought. Very nice install.

 

great looking install very clean btw what kind of power steering pump is that I have one on my 302 in my truck
thanks mike

 

 

That's the Thompson pump.

 

So I'm nearing the end of my install and I thought I would Share a few 'issues' that I ran into on my '64.

The SureFit kit is pretty nice. It makes use of many existing bolts and holes. Don't be surprised if you have to open up holes more than they instruct you too though. Especially the 3 holes that mount the evaporator to the firewall. Maybe there are slight differences between years too. I noticed pictures in the instructions (which are very good BTW) look a little different than my 64. Firewall contours especially.

Remember also that the kit is designed to work with a stock original truck. If you have changed anything you may have to modify the install. An example is the hard line that goes from the condenser in front of the radiator to the top of the radiator for a hose to attach to. The stock radiator has the cap in the center of the tank. The line comes up on the passenger side of the tank. But if you have an aftermarket radiator that has the cap on the passenger side like me, the line will block the cap as shown.



I ended up cutting the vertical part of the line and used two compression fittings to join them back together. That way I could orient the top fitting wherever I wanted. My compressor is on the passenger side so 90 degrees worked fine.

Also, there is a support piece in the dash that goes from the ashtray to the underside of the top of the dash that partially blocks one of the defroster ducts on the evaporator. It's hard to tell from the angle of the pic that it's blocked but it is. I couldn't get the hose on at all. I cut a big notch in the support to make room for the hose.


Blocking the duct.


After trimming support.

Speaking of attaching the hoses, I think you'll want to try to wrap them with tape when you install them. There are little nubs that the wire in the hoses slide over but I think they're way too loose. If for no other reason it's a good idea to seal them up so the cold air all comes through the vents.

I have to go home from work now so I'll pick this up another time....

 

Thanks good info keep it coming planning on this for my 64 as well.

 

I thought I'd add a little more info on my install. The OP is probably done with his install by now but maybe I'll help someone else down the road.

First some tips:

-- When installing the evaporator up into the dash (which is a pretty tight fit I might add) the instructions tell you to run the flexible hose over to the right hand side vent over the top of the evap after it's installed. I had a heck of a time doing that. Part of the problem is my hands are big, but I think it would be way easier to route the hose as you're installing the evap.

-- Along the same lines, there is one part of the wiring harness from the evap that you'll have to plug into the harness that goes out to the engine bay. Make sure it's in front of the evap as you're installing it. I had to fish for mine and almost couldn't get it out from behind the evap.

-- The hoses that go from the evap to the front of the vehicle are routed through the firewall by way of the fresh air vent space in the body under the dash. You'll have to use a hole saw to cut the holes in the firewall and then install grommets for the hoses to pass through. Save yourself some headaches and spray a little WD-40 or something on the inside of the grommets when inserting the hoses. It'll make it a lot easier. That may seem like common sense but I must have fresh out that day because I fought with the hoses for a while before I lubricated them.

When I finally got everything installed a neighbor with all the correct tools and I charged it up. We evacuated and held a vacuum like you're supposed to. However, the compressor clutch would not stay energized when the truck was started. With the key in the On position there was power to the clutch, but as soon as I started it the power went away. We bypassed the low pressure switch and still had the same problem. Started tracing wires and everything looked good. On a whim I pulled a relay from somewhere else that I knew worked and swapped it for the one that came in the VA wiring harness. Voila! Bad relay. I never would have thought a brand new relay would be bad. We checked it on a relay tester, which tests it 10 times. Nine times out of ten it passed. That one time was enough to cause problems. The moral of the story here: never overlook the simple checks.

And speaking of the wiring harness, the VA instructions don't give any info on getting the wires from the inside of the cab to the engine compartment. Nor do they provide any grommets to do so. I ended up running my wires through the bowl-like thing that mounts to the firewall to provide clearance for the heater fan. I still need to do a little more to make the wiring a little more tidy.

As for the OPs wanting to put the VA controls in the dash where the 3 stock ***** are, I think it's very doable but it will need a little custom work. I want to do the same but in the interest of getting it all installed and working before Summer was over (which didn't happen anyway) I used the plastic housing that mounts under the dash and houses the vents and the controls.

The controls that come with the kit are potentiometers. They have a little circuit board on the back. There appears to be enough clearance behind the dash for them except for the left-most switch. There is some kind of support or gusset on the back of the dash that blocks the switch from mounting all the way. It will have to be trimmed for clearance. Also, the kit comes with a metal plate that mounts on the inside of the plastic housing and provides support for that area when the switches are mounted. The switches have a little pin on them that fits into a corresponding hole in the plate that keeps the switches from rotating in the housing. I think that you would want to make a custom plate that matches the spacing of the holes on the dash. The VA one has different spacing. Other than that I think it would be pretty straightforward.

William if you have already done this I would be very interested in seeing/hearing how you accomplished it.

Anyway, I hope I can help someone out with my ramblings. The kit is very complete and pretty straightforward, but there are always some little problems to overcome with any kind of installation, and Vintage Air is no exception. Particularly when the truck is not completely stock.