Slick air conditioning 61-66

Uncle Skip · Post by **Uncle Skip** » July 31, 2008, 12:00 pm

Don't know if its been covered by anyone yet, but my friend, Richard Winters, found a new, very inexpensive way to put heat AND air conditioning in the Slick.
I'm posting here for the 61-64 trucks, but the idea should work in any of our trucks if you take out the original heater boxes.
A year or so ago, he found a combo unit out of a van with the rear airconditioning. When he pulled it out, it also had a heater unit inclosed with it.
I guess he's been keeping it secret all this time, so when he accidently showed it to me, the light bulbs went off in my square head and I started looking for a similar unit.
The one I found (out of a brand X Custom Van) was even smaller than his. Mine is only 15.5" wide x 12" deep x 7" tall and will fit right in either under or in place of the glove box, and with the included 4 toggle switches and the wire harness with plug it cost me a total of about $20.00 U.S.
Hell, the three way lighted toggles are about $3.00 each.
We'll have to custom build the face plate/ routing boxes but that should be fairly easy with some foam and fiberglass cloth.
Since heat is not generally a problem here it Texas, I'm going to run it directly to the defroster vents.
The A/C will go under the dash and the vents will be hidden as much as possible.
As always, I'll be taking pictures of the ongoing project and share it here if anyone is interested.
Stay tuned.
U@ss

Slick Fan · Post by **Slick Fan** » July 31, 2008, 12:23 pm

Sounds pretty cool, I'll be checking back on this thread! :thumright:

6Slick5 · Post by **6Slick5** » July 31, 2008, 12:49 pm

Definitely looking forward to pic's of your progress on this!

Marty

Uncle Skip · Post by **Uncle Skip** » July 31, 2008, 1:16 pm

Here are a couple of pictures of the original unit I just took out of the van with the vents and switches. I think $20 is a fair price for an experiment like this, don't you?
U@ss

[/img]

Johnny Canuck · Post by **Johnny Canuck** » July 31, 2008, 1:35 pm

This will be interesting Skip. I was thinking of springinf for a vintage air unit but this looks interesting

jakdad · Post by **jakdad** » July 31, 2008, 4:48 pm

Will definately be watching this!!!

Gritsngumbo · Post by **Gritsngumbo** » July 31, 2008, 5:54 pm

Thanks Skip! We'll all be watching!. This unit came out of the rear of the van, correct?

Uncle Skip · Post by **Uncle Skip** » August 15, 2008, 6:47 pm

Grits.
Yes, it came out of the back of a van.
Overhead.
Been to damn hot here lately to really work on anything, but a trial fit shows it will go behind where the glove box is located.... that is, up and completely out of sight.
I'll probably will let it hang down a little bit becaues of plumbing problems.
It looks like the best way is to mount it is going to be upside down from the original mounting but I'm still working on that.
I do need to fabricate a front plenum box and run the cool/ defrost lines. I plan to use fiberglass cloth over a foam mold to get this done. I'll disolve the foam with thinner when the job is done.
I haven't given up on this, its just to cheap a solution to what can be a very expenisve add-on.
I will be posting extra information and pictures as things progress.
I would say that if you can get one of these units cheap enough, go for it now. I think mine was $20.00.
L8r guys.
U@ss

Post by **Greg D** » August 23, 2008, 2:53 pm

I was thinking of a heater - A/C box from a Fox body but that looks like it may be even better.

Uncle Skip · Post by **Uncle Skip** » August 24, 2008, 6:24 pm

After taking all the heat about being a no-show at Slick Stock, I think I'm over my upset stomach and back on track. Johnny Canuk is going to give me an ulcer, he says I'm like Sasquach, just a figment ....., well, I do have big feet.
ROTFLMAO

Anyway=
Part 1.
Mounting the new air conditioner and making the duct work.

When I get back from my refinery consulting job in October, I'm hoping the weather will be a little cooler and more condusive to working in the warehouse.
Here's the plan.
I am going to cut out a piece of foam as close to the size and shape of the little a/c unit that I have as possible, and do a trial mountiing up and behind where the glove box goes.
This is so I can pre-mount and fit the unit without taking a chance on breaking something important.
Once I'm satisfied with the general mockup layout, I'll actually mount the unit and then I'm going to take more pieces of foam and glue them together to make the duct system and see how I can rout it to make it fit under the dash, including the defrost ducts and cooling ducts.
What I'm shooting for is to keep everything as "out of sight" as possible.
Foam is cheap, easy to shape, and, did I mention if you screw something up its cheap?
Once I get the general layout done, I'll file and sand the foam ducting to its final shape and then lay up fiberglass over the top of the duct. I'm all about smooth surfaces, edges and the like.
Once done I'm going to use the "lost wax" method and dissolve the foam with paint thinner leaving the ducting shell.
* Remember, you need a fairly large plenum and then small ducts out to the discharge area (vents). If you do something like this, taper the ducts as they go out from the plenum to the vents. The smaller the vent, the greater the velocity of the air coming out of it (that is a good thing).

* Also, as long as the condensation isn't going back toward the coils and fans, the a/c doesn't care what orientation its mounted it, just make provisions for a drain to get rid of the water.
* Another hint. When you're satisfied with the ducting and before you fiberglass it, put some aluminum reinforcements in the areas where you plan to put your flappers. The fiberglass should adhear to the aluminum and not come away when you dissolve the foam.

Then, I can put in the flappers to direct the heat, a/c and defrost to their respective vent nozzles.
It'll be a longer process than I'd like because I'm tearing the truck completely down again, but this is something that takes the tedium of grunt work away and gives me something creative to do when I get tired and grumpy.
I'll take pictures.
Stay tuned.
U@ss

Johnny Canuck · Post by **Johnny Canuck** » August 25, 2008, 8:55 am

Skip. I don't recall calling you a Sasquatch, but my memory left a long time ago, along with my hair, for the east coast.

Anyway, I was gonna ask if you had considered fitting the whole mammer-jammer into the stock heater box for the cab. Seems as though this would be a heck of a nice installation if that were possible. what are the dimensions of the heater core/AC evaporator?

Uncle Skip · Post by **Uncle Skip** » August 25, 2008, 9:39 am

J.C.
First, I am truly sorry I didn't get to meet you guys in Kansas City, and I'm ready to take the kidding for being a slacker. I deserve everything I get for that one.
The dimensions for the little unit is 15 wide x 12 deep x 7-1/2 tall. It has the heater and a/c lines coming in on the drivers side so I'll have to turn it upside down to get them to exit the cab where I want them to be.
It's a great idea, but it won't fit in my original '63 heater box and I don't think you could stuff it in a 65-66 heater either.
Hell, this new unit might not work either but we'll see. The project is cheap enough that if it doesn't, I haven't wasted to much money.
Anyway, I promise, one way or another barring hospitalization, I'll be in Iowa in 2010.
And I'm buying the cold adult beverages.
Little Debbie in Nebraska
ROTFLMAO

Garbz · Post by **Garbz** » August 28, 2008, 1:05 pm

Skip

Another source for the units are any Ford or Dodge conversion vans. They all use the same parts in the conversion.

Also ambulances have the compact small units.

And if you do find one in a yard make sure you take the FREON hose.. Its a special rubber hose and is god awful expensive and can be used with new crimped on ends. There is like 20 feet of it in the conversion units and ambulances as it runs from the engine bay to the back inside the interior panels.

Garbz

Uncle Skip · Post by **Uncle Skip** » August 28, 2008, 4:49 pm

Garbz.
Great point.
There is probably enough hose in one of the vans to do three slicks.
There are two sizes of hose so be sure to get them both.
My little unit had already been cut, but the lady at the yard said I could go back and get as much as I need for nothing. They can't sell scrap hose, just metal and I buy her a Dr Pepper when I go visit so she takes care of me.
However, Rick Winters has a similar unit, but his is a little different and larger than the one I have. No matter, just look for something with heating AND cooling.
Can't wait to get back from Kansas and do some piddling this weekend.
Its hot in Kansas. But its a "dry" heat... yeah, right. ROTF
Skip

jkimbrel65 · Post by **jkimbrel65** » August 28, 2008, 5:27 pm

Offering to buy the adult beverages at ss4 could mighty spendy

Gritsngumbo · Post by **Gritsngumbo** » August 28, 2008, 5:40 pm

Uncle Skip wrote:Its hot in Kansas. But its a "dry" heat... yeah, right. ROTF Skip

But so is my oven!

Johnny Canuck · Post by **Johnny Canuck** » August 30, 2008, 11:48 am

Skip this all sounded good until the building of the case thing, which is definitely beyond my scope. Wonder about that Fox body thing, GregD? did you look into that further

Post by **Greg D** » August 30, 2008, 8:14 pm

Last fox I had here for parts had a bad heater core so I didn't pull the box (they are too common to rebuild one). No time to go hunt up another yet but - soon. This project on mine got moved up bout a week before SS, my heater core decided to pee all over the cab floor, it is simply bypassed right now.

Uncle Skip · Post by **Uncle Skip** » September 30, 2008, 6:42 pm

Finally, I'm back from Kansas and the trip to Florida for the wedding, we survived Hurricane Ike, the weather is starting to cool off (at least cool for Houston) and I'm ready for some Slick bashing.
JC...... The fiberglass case is NOT beyond your skills. When I get started, I'll take pictures and you'll see how easy it is.
One caution though, you can make it as simple or as complicated as you want to. But even so, if you hose it up, its really cheap to fix.
Mine might be a little bit extreme because I already know how, but the principle is still the same. Experiment and go for it. Dead freaking easy.
Meanwhile, you guys start scrounging for your own little a/c-heat units.
I think this project will be well worth the trouble.
Cheap too.
Did I mention cheap?
Its my Scotch ancestry I guess.
U@ss

Uncle Skip · Post by **Uncle Skip** » October 9, 2008, 5:08 pm

Finished up the gauge cluster today and then I trial fitted the a/c unit.
I've been gathering up little parts, pieces of foam, flapper controls and other stuff and I think I'm just about ready to do a little a/c work.
(Somehow, I always end up with way more gadgets and parts than I'll ever use, but that is the curse of an idle mind. I have way to much time on my hands to think about these things.)
One of the things I've been trying to figure out is how to put in a flapper to re-direct the hot air up thru the defrost vents and keep cold air from going the same way.
I think I pretty much have it noodled out and I'm anxious to start the project to see if I'm nearly as smart as I think I am (probably not ROTF) :shock:

Anyway, I'll try to take better pictures than I did with the gauge cluster because this is going to be a little bit more complicated.
TIME....... marches on.
WINR, you paying attention :wink:

?
U@ss