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DIY Tech: Vintage Air Installation in 1970 LeMans
2021 ModelBuildoff
One-Owner 1972 Trans Am ...Last Car Built ?
Second-Generation Salute...
...1970 1/2 Trans Am RestoMod
Volume 7 Number 1 February 2021
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With the introduction oftheir new “Sure Fit” sys-tem series, Vintage Air
has moved the concept of ready-to-install A/C systems in muscle-era cars to a new level ofperformance and ease of installa-tion. While factory air systems wereavailable back then, many are nolonger operational and missingparts. Even when they are working,they are using older technology, areheavy, use a lot of power and relyon R-12 refrigerant, which is no
Vintage and Cool...Installing Vintage Air’s “Sure Fit” Climate Control
System in a ‘70 LeMans
Story and Photos by Don Keefe
The condensor supplied in the Sure Fit kit is designed to drop right inusing existing factory holes. It fit in the stock location right ahead of theradiator.
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longer commercially available. Like many modern climate con-
trol systems installed in new cars,the Vintage Air systems make useof efficient Sanden compressors,electronic controls and more envi-ronmentally-friendly R134A refrig-erant, which has been used by theautomotive industry since the early1990s. The compressors only usetwo to three horsepower undermost circumstances, as comparedto more than 20 horsepower fromthe old Frigidaire systems used byGM in that era. Additionally, theyare safe to operate at 6,000 rpmengine speed, so if you’re runningmore aggressive gearing, you canrun one of these systems. As youmay recall, Pontiacs with factory-in-stalled A/C systems were not avail-able with rearend ratios above 3.08or 3.23, depending on model andyear.
As an added bonus, the Sandencompressors are also much lighterthan the earlier Frigidaire-based
The underdash components for the Sure Fit system are specifically de-signed to fit the cars they are intended for. This 1968-72 Pontiac A-bodysystem adapts the system to the existing dash openings, making for aclean installation that looks factory authentic. Electrical switches replacecumbersome mechanical rods and levers, which adds reliability.
Dash control looks very much like the factory system and the slide leversoperate much in the same format, but is all electronic and is much morereliable than the old systems, which relied on levers and vacuum to run.
The Sanden compressors used in the Vintage Air kitsuse a modern short-stroke, multi-cylinder design andwork efficiently with R134A. They also take much lesspower to drive, in the range of two or three horses.This helps with gas mileage and performance anddoesn’t add significant stress to the cooling system.
Unlike the older factory systems, which place theevaporator in the engine compartment, the VintageAir Sure Fit system mounts in the passenger compart-ment, on the passenger-side firewall behind the dash.This protects the wiring from the elements and reallycleans up the look of the engine compartment.
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The receiver/drier mounts on the radiator core sup-port near the condensor using a supplied bracket. Ittraps any liquid that might be in the system.
With the condensor bolted in, the team can now turntheir attention to the compressor. The kit is well-en-gineered and uses factory mounts whenever possible.
The A/C mounting bracket is included in the kit andmates the Sanden compressor to the Pontiac V-8,using the stock mounting points.
After removing the radiator, Mark finds the locatingpoints and bolts the condensor in using the holes al-ready drilled in the core support.
The compressor mount bolts to the engine using thefactory mounting locations on the passenger sidecylinder head.
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...and into the passenger compartment through theopening in the cowl. Heater hoses and wiring will alsogo through this factory hole.
Shannon mounts the compressor on the bracket andmakes sure that the pulleys line up with the factorypulleys that the compressor will take its power from.
After installing the bolts and lockwashers in and put-ting a bead of seam sealer around the perimeter andaround the bolt holes, Shannon installs the plate.
With the compressor fastened, the refrigerant hosesare bolted in place. The lines are then routed aroundinto the area between the inner and outer fender...
The mounting plate is very sturdy and mounts on theengine compartment side of the firewall and locatesthe evaporator under the dash.
Seen from inside the car under the dash, the studs thatstick are used to mount the evaporator on the insideof the firewall under the dash.
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All controls are electronic, so there are solenoids toopen and close the ducts and there are no mechanicallevers. Plug and play is the name of the game.
Mark installs the mount that mates the evaporator tothe firewall mounting plate. It helps support the unitand prevents stress cracks or warping.
The rest of the lines and wiring are connected to theevaporator unit. The electrical connections from thecompressor amount to just one plug.
The heater control valve is electrically-operated andallows hot water into the heater core only whenneeded. It mounts on the passenger side inner fender.
Shannon loads the evaporator system into place andsecures it to the mounting plate. There is still enoughroom for the stock glovebox in this build.
Mark adds fittings to the heater element inlet andoutlet. Using two wrenches prevents the pipes frombeing damaged during installation.
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The dash controller is much shallower than the factoryunit, making its installation much easier. Simple plug-in connectors keep things simple and tidy.
The air ducting is fed from the evaporator to the fac-tory dash openings using these application-specificopenings that are part of the Sure Fit system.
Todd then painted it with some chrome spray paint.We weren’t going after showcar points, but Todd dida much better job on it than we were expecting.
The blockoff was removed and the restored vent ductwas put back in place. Once installed, the dash lookedvery much like it did when new—and works better.
Though the piece was in great shape, all of the chromehad worn off. Trim restoration expert Todd Humphreycarefully disassembled the unit and cleaned it up.
The vent in the dash was missing and the hole blockedoff, so our buddy Curtis Judd came to the rescue inless than an hour with a used replacement.
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Shannon adds the R134A refrigerant to the system andchecks for leaks before firing up the car and checkingits operation.
The last procedure before adding the refrigerant is touse a vacuum pump to eliminate the air from insidethe system.
The completed installation is clean and very attractive. The relocation of the evaporator under the dash elimi-nates the unsightly box jutting out of the firewall on the passenger side. The use of modern componentry addsefficiency and reliability. Replacement parts like the Sanden compressor are easily sourced and the R12 refrig-erant is not harmful to the ozone layer.
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systems and take up much lessroom in the engine compartment.
The car that we used for the Vin-tage Air “Sure Fit” system is a 1970LeMans restomod that is owned byContributing Editor Dave Bonask-iewich. It is a very clean street car,powered by a fairly conventional400 with 6X heads, Crane cam,Edelbrock intake and 625 RoadDemon carburetor, HEI, Hedmanheaders and Magnaflow dual ex-haust. The car was originallyequipped with a factory A/C systembut it had long since been re-moved, which actually made the in-stallation that much easier.
The other things that madeDave’s LeMans the ideal installationcandidate is that the car has tintedglass and Dave lined the entire in-terior with Dyna-Mat, both of whichhelp insulate the car from the in-tense Florida heat and sun. Havingthose elements in the car alreadybenefits maximizing the perform-ance of the new A/C system.
The Sure Fit systems are specifi-cally designed to fit the more pop-ular cars out there and offer ahigher level of pieces custom-tai-lored and engineered for those ap-plications. Items like mountingplates, ducting and controls are de-signed for maximum performance,ease of installation and OE-styleappearance to complement the in-teriors of those cars.
Pontiac fans will be happy toknow that in addition to the new1968-72 A-body system, there areSure Fit systems for 1964-67 A-body models, 1967-68 Firebird,1969 Firebird and 1970-81 Firebird.Each system is designed for easy
installation and reliable operation.Versions of each are available forcars that came with factory A/C andthose that did not.
For other Pontiacs, such as full-size cars or other applications,there are builder kits, which can becustom-tailored for specific carsusing a mix and match list of com-ponents that can be chosen with aworksheet found in the Vintage AirCatalog or by a phone consultationwith a Vintage Air technician.
Additionally, depending on year,some Sure Fit kits intended forcomparable Chevys could possiblybe made to work in a Pontiac. De-pending on year, a Chevrolet Im-pala Sure Fir system may bemodified to work in a PontiacCatalina using a Pontiac V-8 enginebracket. Additionally, a Chevy Novasystem could be adapted to a Ven-tura with a minimum of alteration.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic,we were forced to change our planfor this installation story. Dave wasquickly deemed an essential workerat his regular job, which eliminatedany free time he had reserved forthis project. After some conversa-tions with Chris Brown, the headhoncho at Iron Stable Garage innearby Clearwater, he agreed tohelp us out. With technicians MarkRoberts, Shannon Showalter andTodd Humphrey on the job, theprocess went very smoothly andthe car was blowing cold air inabout 12 hours of steady work.
“We have installed many VintageAir kits in customer cars over thelast few years, quite a few in the lastsix months or so,” Chris reported.“Right now in the shop, we have
five cars with Vintage Air systemsgoing in.” He added that, “Thetechs here like the Sure Fit systemsbecause they are specificially de-signed and engineered for their in-tended cars. That makes theinstallations easier and they reallywork well. Down here in Florida, wecan’t afford to have mediocre sys-tems attached to our name.”
Follow along with us as we out-line the installation. Though thisphoto sequence doesn’t illustrateevery detail of the process, itnonetheless gives an accurate de-scription of the broad strokes in-volved with the installation. The kitalso comes with a detailed instruc-tion manual and tech support isalso a phone call away at VintageAir. PP
SourcesVintage Air
18865 Goll St.San Antonio, TX 78266Phone: 800-862-6658
Fax: 210-654-3113www.vintageair.com
Iron Stable Garage10801 47th Street North
Clearwater, FL 33762Phone:727-914-0678
www.ironstablegarage.com
Curtis Judd Parts813-732-6068
