Adding Factory AC to non AC car

[NorCal Mike]

Is it possible to swap the Factory AC setup into a Non AC car? Or do most people go with some kind of Vintage air or under dash unit?

[Lee]

One vote here for aftermarket, BUT, the fact that it is so relatively simple to hide and convert to AC in my model year played a big factor in that. There is just the one big vent in the center, A direct replacement for the ashtray unit, and it is almost completely independent from the heater, except for the control head. I'm not sure if I would have attempted to integrate it into later years...I certainly wouldn't have done it if there had to be any modern components, like plastic underdash vents, visible.

I suppose if it were a later year, I might have flaked out and found a contemporary 60's dealer install underdash evaporator/blower unit, and worked from there. That would appear to at least be plausibly original. The idea of pulling the whole dash out, and converting all the components (especially an ATC car) makes me a little faint of heart.

[frasern]

I agree with Lee, it looks simple enough on a '62. I am considering adding it (non ATC) to my '67 as everything is the same as what's in there now, just change the control and add the underhood parts. Unlike most cars, all the heater ducts are the same and the plenum will accept the evaporator. I'm not sure, but I think that is the case in '64 as well.
However, due to parts availability among other things, a conversion may be easier and modern (latest technology and coolant).

[Mike]

The heater setup changed in 63 to simplify things. I don't know what the differences are between ac and non. Both my cars have it but the one is missing all the parts for it under the hood.

[TonyC]

Rarely do I visit this category as it doesn't apply to me (yet)...but this topic does extend well beyond 'verts.

There are differences in the plenums between A/C cars and non-A/C cars, even in the latter years of the decade. They are subtle enough that it took me a long time in studying the sub-parts of the chapter that covers HVAC, in order to find them. Now, are those subtle differences critical enough that it would require disassembly of the whole dash to do the conversion? That I don't know for sure; I do, however, remember seeing testaments from some experienced types who said it could not be done without changing plenums, which in turn would require yanking the dash to even get to it. On the other hand, such testaments were a very long time ago, a few before this Forum even stood up; we may have picked up a few tricks since then.

---Tony

[bd94s10]

My friend Theresa "TC" who works at Lincoln Land and she explained how they did this in her Dad's Lincoln (I believe a '65) back in the 1980s or 1990s. She said they used all the factory parts and you couldn't even tell it was originally a non AC car. If I were to do it I would use factory AC parts but upgrade were applicable.


e.g. newer style condenser/dryer, newer style York style compressor which I used, etc. If you are invested in some of the parts I show in this video let me know and I'll get yo in contact with TC. I'd go with R134a refrigerant and make it like its a current AC setup. I just upgraded mine in my '65 and it is ice cold!

https://youtu.be/cxQVhbJG8TI

I realize I have a different year Lincoln than what you are asking about but it might give you some insight. I've also had some dealings with Vintage Air and installed a full kit in my '67 that was a custom car. It was a straight forward kit so that is the other option if you wanted to go aftermarket.

[1Bad55Chevy]

I have never worked on these cars but I wanted to chime in on Vintage Air. I have installed a few of these kits on my friends/family cars and they are good units. That being said there are a good number of draw backs with them. The number one thing I hate about them is the hoses terminate at the unit under the dash instead of the firewall like every factory unit ever built does. Because of this you have to be careful routing the lines so you do not rub a hole through the lines on the firewall. Another thing I can not stand is that they do not have access to fresh air so everything is recirculating air. This might sound like a very minor issue until its stupid humid outside and the units defroster dosen't work. I have heard the newest models are better about this since they have some dehumidifier integration but I have yet to see one in person. Also there is a difference between the size of the factory heater core vs the Vintage unit so typically the vehicles take longer to warm up.

.... I will end my rant here...

[frasern]

Rarely do I visit this category as it doesn't apply to me (yet)...but this topic does extend well beyond 'verts.

There are differences in the plenums between A/C cars and non-A/C cars, even in the latter years of the decade. They are subtle enough that it took me a long time in studying the sub-parts of the chapter that covers HVAC, in order to find them. Now, are those subtle differences critical enough that it would require disassembly of the whole dash to do the conversion? That I don't know for sure; I do, however, remember seeing testaments from some experienced types who said it could not be done without changing plenums, which in turn would require yanking the dash to even get to it. On the other hand, such testaments were a very long time ago, a few before this Forum even stood up; we may have picked up a few tricks since then.

---Tony

although the plenum under the hood looks the same, it would not surprise me if it is smoother inside, no need for the bosses that would hold the evaporator. And there are some hard defroster ducts under the dash, but I think that's a '67 thing and I changed them to the soft ones anyway, because they're easier to work with.

[TonyC]

I like to think it can be done without having to rebuild the whole dash, at least with the '66–9 models. Of course, it would be better for me to just acquire a 'vert that already has the option installed; it's easier to replace what may need replacing if the setup is already there.

On a side note, there are no bosses or special pieces inside the freeze box to hold the evaporator. Only three small hex-head screws hold the evaporator to the firewall. That said, I don't know if there are differences in the shells of the freeze boxes between A/C and non-A/C cars; I'd like to think not (after all, the "brain" units for all three HVAC options were encased in the same shells). However, there was something I noticed regarding the repro evaporators. The attaching bracket on the stock evap has a slight angular cut to it, at the bottom edge, to allow it to slide into the"freezer box" in the bay, which is shaped in a way that appears to be a natural contour of the unibody structure, meaning the same on every car. The new evaporators don't have that angular cut, the bracket being shaped with a right angle; that causes problems in trying to sink the new part fully into place. Luckily, it's a problem that can be remedied, by marking the correct angle and either bending or trimming the bracket at that angle. The new evaporator will then slide into place with no difficulty.

---Tony

[Dan Szwarc]

Easier to add aftermarket AC.

The only way I’d try to do factory is if I was completely gutting two cars.

Here’s an old thread:
https://www.thelincolnforum.net/phpbb3/ ... hp?t=51959

[NorCal Mike]

I was just wondering if anyone had done it. I doubt I will worry about adding air to my car. I was surprised non ac cars didn’t have in dash vents. Just defroster and floor vents.

[Dan Szwarc]

I was just wondering if anyone had done it.

It is possible to convert a non AC 66 to AC, but you would need very many things, from wiring harness, to the MCU to the control head. It would be easier to install an aftermarket system and just follow those instructions.

No one here has ever performed an AC upgrade, factory style, or ever documented it.

Not as far as I know.

[bd94s10]

I installed a Vintage Air system in my '67 however I never ended up finishing the car and someone wanted to buy it from me so I sold it (around the time I purchased another convertible so it worked out nicely for me). It is def possible and I would recommend you have someone install it for you that has done it before. Its a decent sized job but more complicated of course working on a Lincoln. e.g. taking the dash out etc. Anyone I know of in the car scene that has had a Vintage Air setup installed absolutely loved it. Another big up and coming company is Resto Mod Air. In both of the below cases the factory dash fit and there were no issues.

1967 Lincoln Continental with a CompPac Gen II system which was my car - note these are kind of in reverse order but its how I uploaded them so you get the idea. The bottom is the factory AC of course which he pulled

IMG_6880 by Jason Ballard, on Flickr

IMG_0187 by Jason Ballard, on Flickr

IMG_0184 2 by Jason Ballard, on Flickr

IMG_0171 by Jason Ballard, on Flickr

1964 Lincoln Continental convertible that a guy named Tony (in CA) I know built several years back. The car was a complete resto mod so he decided to take out all the original AC and upgrade it of course.

20130201_165248 by Jason Ballard, on Flickr

20130201_165109 by Jason Ballard, on Flickr

20130201_165103 by Jason Ballard, on Flickr

20130201_165049 by Jason Ballard, on Flickr

20130201_131352 by Jason Ballard, on Flickr

2013-01-28_14-15-27_885 by Jason Ballard, on Flickr

2013-01-28_13-25-14_993 by Jason Ballard, on Flickr

2013-01-28_13-16-06_153 by Jason Ballard, on Flickr