Here is the brunt of the Vintage...
Here is the brunt of the Vintage Air components I selected for the F-100. The heart of it all is the Vintage Air Gen II Mini evaporator unit with defrost. While the Mini is the smallest Vintage Air evaporator, it has proven itself a strong workhorse over the years in countless hot rods and trucks where space is limited.
Most all the original '67-72 Ford trucks you see with air conditioning have vintage dealer-installed units that hang under the already-cramped dashboard and are very noticeable. These particular trucks aren't alone on this topic of unsightliness. Most classic trucks have short and shallow dashboards-it just depends on how much effort and thought you want to put into making something that works-and looks good.
After talking with Vintage Air about my needs both in the cab and under the hood, they assured me that we could put something together that would fill both bills. I already knew that Vintage Air has made quality air conditioning systems for over 30 years, so that was not a worry, I was concerned with the appearance of the visual parts inside the cab, like the vents or louvers, the A/C controls or switches, and also the size of the evaporator unit that goes under the dash and behind the glovebox.
Jumping right into it, one...
Jumping right into it, one of the first things I did was make my own simple right rear mount out of some 18-gauge sheetmetal. The right angle bracket that comes attached to the unit will work in most cases, but the underdash area in the '68 has a bit of a curve to it. I tried my best to get the unit as far up in the dash as possible.
As for the evaporator unit selection, Vintage Air has some helpful options in this all-too-critical area. They now have empty plastic mock-up shells of each of their evaporator units that can be borrowed from your local Vintage Air dealer or bought inexpensively from Vintage Air so you can be sure the evaporator you buy will fit. It was a close race between the small Gen II Mini and their new, big Gen IV Magnum, while the middle-sized Gen II Compac was a no-go. I eventually decided to go with the venerable Gen II Mini because it would leave more precious underdash space to work with, plus a well-insulated and sealed truck cab is pretty easy to cool.
Because an air conditioning system is actually pretty complex and because I decided to do a bunch of dashboard fabrication to arrange things just so, we'll cover the start of the installation described above this month and finish it in the January issue. Vintage Air has quite a bit of technical information both on their website and in their comprehensive catalog, not to mention their expert tech line, for anyone contemplating taking the cool plunge into air conditioning. So follow along to see what you can do to make your truck more unique and "cool"!
 Mounting the evaporator unit...  Mounting the evaporator unit can be a tricky balancing act by yourself, but once you get the first mount secured, it gets easier. Just remember to plan to make the unit sit level, and in this case, parallel with the bottom of the dash. You can see the first mount to the right and in the rear. |  After pulling the unit back...  After pulling the unit back out, I attached the left rear mount, which is a simple sheetmetal strap. For each of the three mounts there are threaded inserts in the evaporator so no drilling or rigging is necessary. |  While holding the unit back...  While holding the unit back up in place, I marked the hole for the left mount then removed the unit again. Next I drilled an 1/8-inch pilot hole and then reinstalled the unit using No. 6 sheetmetal screws. |
 If you notice in the previous...  If you notice in the previous picture, there is another strap on the front of the unit that points straight up through the glovebox. This will be the third mount. Again, it bolts to a threaded insert in the front of the unit. I want to put a 90-degree bend in it so it'll attach to the bottom lip of the dash. |  After making a mark where...  After making a mark where the bend needs to go and bending it in a vice, I marked a hole to be drilled in the bracket, then transferred it to the dash, and drilled a 1/4-inch hole. I also rounded the corners of the bracket and will use button head Allen bolts in both for a nice finished appearance. |  Not bad. Very little of the...  Not bad. Very little of the unit is seen hanging under the dash from eye level. These trucks weren't designed with A/C in mind and if you do see old A/C systems in them, they were a dealer-installed system that hung below just about the whole width of the dash. Make sure you still have room around the unit to deal with the ducting and hoses that will be installed, not to mention windshield wiper motors and linkage. |