There's a reason why the vast majority of motorists ply the highways in newer cars, and it can be summed up in one word: comfort. Yep, to most people out there, a car is judged not by its power output, but by how many cup holders and LCD screens are present. Power windows, MP3 jacks, and heated seats aren't even considered options these days. It's easy to see how people are seduced into a new minivan over a classic muscle car. But in some areas, it doesn't have to be an "either/or" proposition. These days you can have your cake and chow down on it as well.
While we generally balk at many of the luxury features insisted on by "Joe Public," there's one that we can certainly get behind, and that's air conditioning. Anyone who's crawled along in sweltering summer traffic stuck in a non-air conditioned ride knows that it can suck the life--and the fun--out of cruising with classic iron. In some parts of the country, it can be considered an option, but in the areas where humidity and heat conspire to rip every drop of moisture from your pores, it's a downright necessity.
The main issue is that many of the early muscle cars didn't come from the factory with A/C, and the systems in those that did are woefully inadequate by today's standards. Sometimes it's worse to be teased by an old A/C system, which can barely put out a tepid stream of air, than to have nothing at all.
For over 33 years, Vintage Air has worked to put the big chill in the interior atmospheres of early iron. They offer a wide array of kits for many of the popular nameplates. Unfortunately, our '70 Fairlane falls firmly into the "dare to be different" category, and as such, nobody makes a kit specifically for it. But all is not lost, thanks to Vintage Air's universal Gen IV Magnum kit. This "one-size-fits-most" system is designed to be flexible enough to integrate into almost anything on four wheels, even our oddball Ford.
Even though our Fairlane never...
Even though our Fairlane never had air conditioning, it did have a heater core under the dash. It's big, ugly, and two of the vents barely functioned. As a bonus, the defroster only cleared fog off the very center of the windshield.
An air conditioning system...
An air conditioning system is basically just a heat exchanger. It absorbs heat and humidity from inside the car (via the evaporator unit) and dissipates it back into the atmosphere through the condenser. Installing one puts extra strain on your car's existing cooling system. Our current radiator and mechanical fan was able to cool the 408 stroker, but it was working near its limit. To remedy this, we upgraded to a Flex-A-Lite radiator. The larger radiator will dissipate more heat, and the dual fans will suck a ton of air. If your current cooling system is in good shape, you shouldn't need to upgrade in order to run A/C.
Installation was straightforward....
Installation was straightforward. The Vintage Air kit included a fan controller to interface with the A/C system. This lets each fan be controlled independently, with one triggered when the Vintage Air system is engaged.
Here's the main unit from...
Here's the main unit from the universal Gen-IV Magnum kit. The $699 system comes with the evaporator, mounting brackets, wiring harness, heater control valve, drain kit, A/C ducting, and all the parts for the defroster. The Gen-IV unit is packed with features, like vacuum-, and cable-free electronic operation, separate high-capacity heat and cool coils with a blend door for rapid temperature adjustment, a micro-processor--controlled coil temp monitor, and a variable-speed blower motor.
We picked up the universal...
We picked up the universal hose kit ($99), which includes all the hoses and fittings, in addition to the drier. This makes installation much easier. Since we're running an electric fan, we also chose a compressor safety switch kit ($51). The trinary switch provides high- and low -pressure system protection, as well as an electric fan engagement signal to turn on the fans when low vehicle speed does not provide enough airflow.
Another system component is...
Another system component is a condenser for $150. Think of this as the air system's dedicated radiator. It mounts ahead of the engine's radiator, and heat from the refrigerant that was absorbed inside the car is transferred to the air passing through its fins. Warmed air then passes through the engine's radiator, and becomes hotter still, hence, the added burden placed on the engine's cooling system.