THE SUMMERS SEEM TO BE GETTING hotter and hotter each and every year, and the winters feel chillier than ever. Whether our bodies are getting older and more sensitive or if the temperatures really are hitting historic levels, driving a classic truck in the summer or winter can have its downside if your truck doesn’t have some sort of climate control. Case in point is our daily driven shop truck known as Ole’ Blue. This ’83 Custom Deluxe C10 currently has a 5.7-liter tuned port swap out of a ’88 Trans Am as well as the original 700-R4 transmission out of the same car.
It’s a driver and parts hauler that rides on staggered fit, 20-inch American Racing Salt Flat wheels with 275/40/20 tires in the rear with 245/45/20 up front. The suspension is dropped 4 inches in the front and 6 inches in the rear using spindles and springs for the front end, combined with a flip kit out back. To make this squarebody a great little around-town shop truck, it just needed A/C for the hot Florida summers! Who better to contact than Vintage Air, the leaders in aftermarket air conditioning systems for classic cars and trucks?
This truck originally had no A/C, so the Vintage Air kit we chose includes all the cab air vents needed to get the job done. The company even has a bracket kit to update from the old GM R4 style A/C compressor to the newer and more efficient Sanden compressor! This was a fairly simple system to install and will need to be properly charged once it’s complete. We knocked it out in a weekend with the basic tools any regular weekend mechanic would have, other than the fitting. Check out the steps and talk to your local Vintage Air retailer for exact specs on your build.
06 BELOW. Once the compressor was installed, it’s time to move to the interior so we can mount the evaporator box. 07 RIGHT. Once the factory stuff was gutted, I mounted the Vintage Air firewall plate that the evaporator box hangs from. This was pretty simple.
04 I opted for the optional trinary switch that will also control an electric fan. Make sure you use the little tube of oil that Vintage Air provides to lube all the O-rings between connections!
03 Assembling the condenser, hard lines and dryer, and installing the low and high pressure cut off switch.
05 Next, I installed the compressor and new brackets to convert from the R4 that was still mounted on this motor from the engine swap to the newer style Sanden compressor.
01 This ’83 Custom Deluxe C10 currently has a 5.7-liter tuned port swap out of a ’88 Trans Am as well as the original 700R4 transmission out of the same car. Included with our order is a Surefit Complete A/C Kit, Evaporator Kits, Condenser Kits, Control Panel Kits and Hose Kits.
02 I started the install by removing the grille and headlight bezels.
15The original natural air vent system is removed from the truck, and new Vintage Air ducts replace it all, including this top center dash piece.
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RIGHT. On the inside, I pulled the dash and gauge bezel and started stripping all the old stuff from the dash, including the heater core, blower motor, old cable style heater controls and factory plastic ducts. Keep in mind, none of the old stuff is re-used.
12A/
C lines were pretty easy. All the hard lines bolt right up. The rubber lines were cut, and I used an A/C crimp tool that I borrowed from a friend. Another option would be to run to a local shop that can crimp them for you. Pro Tip: Have the rubber lines cut and mark the rubber and A/C fitting exactly where you want it crimped so it’s clocked properly.
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LEFT. It screws into some holes that are already there in the firewall. Then you drill some new holes according to Vintage Air’s instructions.
10 The wiring harness is pretty easy. It plugs right into the control box located on top of the evaporator. There are a few connections to make, like hot and ground to battery, ignition and one wire to light the control panel.
14Vintage
Air provides you with all new duct work, duct outlets, hardware, wiring and fully electronic control panel. It is LED backlit, too!
13The only thing I needed to buy was some 5/8-inch heater hose for the heater connection. Besides that, I was pretty much good to go.
16 The original dash center strip is removed and replaced with the new one provided in the Vintage Air kit. All we did was remove the custom deluxe badge from the factory piece and install it on the new Vintage Air unit. The dash pad already has the holes in it for the A/C vents behind the plastic strip, too!
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RIGHT. Even the killer shop guard dog Zoey is enjoying the Vintage Air A/C!
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LEFT. Once the system was in and all the little things buttoned up, I charged the system with 134a and was cruising with cool A/C!!
17 The heater control has its own wiring, which also plugs in, and I had another ground that I secured to the firewall.
18 The glovebox is modified with a part that Vintage Air provides so you still have a little storage, and it now will clear the evaporator when closed.