Adding aftermarket A/C

Discussion in 'The "X" bodies' started by eagleguy, Nov 24, 2015.

  1. eagleguy

    eagleguy 1971 Skylark Custom

    Can aftermarket A/C be added to a non A/C 1974 X-Body car? If yes how hard is it and are there any reputable dealers online to purchase all the necessary parts from?
     
  2. nekkidhillbilly

    nekkidhillbilly jeffreyrigged youtube channel owner

  3. elagache

    elagache Platinum Level Contributor

    Which make and model? (Re: Adding aftermarket A/C)

    Dear eagleguy, nekkidhillbilly, and V-8 Buick "cool cats" :cool:

    If the car in question was a Chevy Nova it probably is as close to "plug'n'play" as such an installation can be. If not, you might run into a problem getting a correct bracket to support the Sanden compression. Beyond that, it should be straightforward. As I recall, by 1974 all cars had the A/C ventilation ducting and vents even if the car didn't have A/C. If so than you would simply need to connect the A/C evaporator assembly to your existing duct work. It is a pain in the "you know what" to work under the dash, but least you wouldn't have to cut holes for the vents as I had to do on my 1965 Buick Special. The only other potential problem area is that you might have to come up with some modifications to make the Chevy controls work on your car. This worked out well for my wagon, but you might have to scratch your head a bit to emulate the same sorts of motion that were used on the Chevy Nova, so that the electronics controls this modern A/C correctly.

    Cheers, Edouard

    P.S. There might be kits for other GM X-bodies that might fit better your car. In the case of my wagon, I went with the 1964-67 GTO kit instead of the Chevelle. So check out all the kit options to see which is the closest match.
     
    Last edited: Nov 25, 2015
  4. nekkidhillbilly

    nekkidhillbilly jeffreyrigged youtube channel owner

    the dash and all those goodies are the same on all x bodies. the only issue is mounting that compressor to the sbb.
     
  5. elagache

    elagache Platinum Level Contributor

    Forgot the glove box liner (Re: Adding aftermarket A/C)

    Dear eagleguy, nekkidhillbilly, and V-8 Buick "cool cats" :cool:

    I forgot this morning to mention you might have to create a smaller glove box liner. At the the Vintage Air system in my wagon took about 2" of glove compartment space. Since Vintage Air doesn't make a Buick kit, i had to fashion my own liner from steel with a fabric cover.

    Cheers, Edouard
     
  6. eagleguy

    eagleguy 1971 Skylark Custom

  7. elagache

    elagache Platinum Level Contributor

  8. nekkidhillbilly

    nekkidhillbilly jeffreyrigged youtube channel owner

    they sell kits for ac and non ac cars. me id find someone with a nova who didnt want ac and swap parts with them cause i hate the way the aftermarket vents look.
     
  9. partsrparts

    partsrparts Silver Level contributor

    If you're interested I pulled the a/c out of my 76 Skylark and still have most of the parts and brackets, also a few 68 lasabre brackets and some off a 75 nova i bought for parts
     
  10. nekkidhillbilly

    nekkidhillbilly jeffreyrigged youtube channel owner

    the 75 up cars are pretty different than the 68-74 x bodies
     
  11. newmexguy

    newmexguy Well-Known Member

    Believe 69 to 76 Nova air conditioning systems had a lot of similarities. The 77 to 79's did change - more use of cheaper plastics such as the dash controller, etc. I have a fairly complete system from a 72 you can have for $175 - plus shipping. Inner and outer box are very good, no breaks to the fiberglass outer suitcase. Many small hard to find parts are included - such as R inner fender hose clamp, the drier straps, and the heater core retainer straps.
     

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