air cond on commodore 8

[Deleted User]
[Deleted User]
edited November -1 in HUDSON
has anyone that logs onto this board ever put air cond on a commodore 8?

do you have to fabricate the compressor bracket? what about pulleys?

I'm hoping to keep my commodore 8 basically stock except conversion to 12v, and adding air cond.

I'd appreciate any input and any pitfalls to avoid.

Comments

  • Unknown
    Unknown
    billjharris wrote:
    has anyone that logs onto this board ever put air cond on a commodore 8?

    do you have to fabricate the compressor bracket? what about pulleys?

    I'm hoping to keep my commodore 8 basically stock except conversion to 12v, and adding air cond.

    I'd appreciate any input and any pitfalls to avoid.



    I would also be interested in information in putting AC in a 1949 Hudson Commodore with the straight 8 flathead. Has anyone gone the Vintage Air route? I have an extremely stock car with a nicely detailed engine compartment. I am worried about the non-stock influence of an AC Compressor and plumbing under the hood. Wonder if the non-stock look woudl be offset by the lack of "bitching" from the wife during cruising?



    BST RGDS

    GARY ( happychris )
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Gary/happychris,



    Why not buy your wife a battery powered hand held fan. Better yet, pick-up an electric fan or a vacuum powered model. Or, cold drinks and an ice pack on the head may help cool her off. Seriously, I'll be the one "complaining" this summer when the wife and I are cruising (and roasting) in the 53 Hornet. If you're going to install A/C, there's no way to get around underhood plumbing. However, trunk mount condensor/blower units are available if you're concerned about the appearance of under dash plumbing. I wonder if any A/C parts from 50's Nashes (ya, try finding those) would fit our cars.



    Good Luck,



    Dave
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    billjharris wrote:
    has anyone that logs onto this board ever put air cond on a commodore 8?
    do you have to fabricate the compressor bracket? what about pulleys?
    I'm hoping to keep my commodore 8 basically stock except conversion to 12v, and adding air cond.
    I'd appreciate any input and any pitfalls to avoid.
    For those who have never seen a factory air installation in a stepdown ... take a look at the picture of a 54 Hollywood with rear mount air conditioning. This car was restored by Al Saffrahan and is now owned by another Hudsonite. Note the chrome air inlets on the fender..matching unit on opposite fender. If you look closely you can also see the clear plastic tubes that duct air to the top and forward in the car. Along the center of the package shelf are chrome vents that provide air to the rear of the car. The Compressor for this installation is mounted in the engine compartment and is HUGE by todays standards.

    See the attached picture

    Cheers.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    A Dogwood Chapter member in NC put AC on his 49 Commodore 8 coupe and in addition ,it was switched to 12 Volts. It was a beautiful job, but he isn't totally happy with the results. As a result he is thinking about installing a 262 under the hood and pulling out the 254. One problem was the spacing for air compresser and lack of room for the origional factory fan. There were some more difficulties but on the whole he says he wouldn't do that again if he knew then what he knows now.
  • SuperDave
    SuperDave Senior Contributor
    I have a 49 super Six four door with Vintage air and just completed a Hot Rod Air on a 54 Hornet Hollywood. If you want to use the factory heater, you are out of luck. To fit the evaporator box under the dash, you will not only have to remove the heater but also cut away the plenum that it mounts to. The heater included with the add on air is adaquate and also included defroster. You will be making non reversable changes to the car.Both systems work great. Both are 12 volts with alternators. Alternators are mounted using home built adapters to the original generator mounts.. I found Vintage Air to be somewhat "aloof" and unresponsive. "Hot Rod Air" was very friendly and quick to respond. Both are in Texas. NONE have a compressor mount to fit a Hudson. Just buy the universal brackets and make or weld up your own. Fan clearance on step down is very close to the radiator. Both of ours use a stock fan and seem to work fine. Probably due to the over-engineering of the HUGE Hudson radiator.The 54 uses a double groove crank pulley from a 54 with PS the 49 has had the sheave part turned off on a lathe and a chevy double pulley bolted on. Your eight can probably be done the same way.

    Keep Kool,

    Dave w. Fl
  • rambos_ride
    rambos_ride Senior Contributor
    SuperDave wrote:
    I have a 49 super Six four door with Vintage air and just completed a Hot Rod Air on a 54 Hornet Hollywood. If you want to use the factory heater, you are out of luck. To fit the evaporator box under the dash, you will not only have to remove the heater but also cut away the plenum that it mounts to. The heater included with the add on air is adaquate and also included defroster. You will be making non reversable changes to the car.Both systems work great. Both are 12 volts with alternators. Alternators are mounted using home built adapters to the original generator mounts.. I found Vintage Air to be somewhat "aloof" and unresponsive. "Hot Rod Air" was very friendly and quick to respond. Both are in Texas. NONE have a compressor mount to fit a Hudson. Just buy the universal brackets and make or weld up your own. Fan clearance on step down is very close to the radiator. Both of ours use a stock fan and seem to work fine. Probably due to the over-engineering of the HUGE Hudson radiator.The 54 uses a double groove crank pulley from a 54 with PS the 49 has had the sheave part turned off on a lathe and a chevy double pulley bolted on. Your eight can probably be done the same way.
    Keep Kool,
    Dave w. Fl
    Hi Dave - I've had the same experience trying to get additional info from Vintage Air.

    Did you use only a single condenser? I know Hot Rod air makes a dual evaporator system I thought would be perfect for my Commodore

    http://www.hotrodair.com/dualevap.htm

    How's the quality of parts, instructions etc...?
This discussion has been closed.

Categories

In this Discussion