Many new cars are sold without A/C in Canada. Credit Basics: Here are the factors that determine your score, Sources: Automotive News (subscription required), Curbside Classic. If anything, it helped sales at first, as the automakers raised interest and awareness of the option with their own advertising efforts. I expect that this was probably near the end of the era of aftermarket AC for cars. thalter[at]gmail.com. COAL: 1944 Willys MB Chapter 16a, Do You Know The Way To Santa Fe? 1953 was a watershed moment for true factory installed A/C units in cars, as Cadillac, Buick, Packard, Chrysler, and Lincoln all appear to have offered them. There was a fairly slim center unit with the controls and two rectangular vents; there were also ducts leading from it to the left and right sides of the dash where there was a chrome round eyeball vent on either side. The dried air much more quickly defogs the glass. Speaking of dash vents, I always thought it was cheap of GM in the 70s and 80s to delete some/all of the dash vents on non/AC cars. If the does not happen to have extra radiator cooling capacity the aftermarket AC will cause it to over heat. September 27, 2021 The evolution of automotive air conditioning What's the point of owning an expensive car if you can't afford to keep it cool? Not equal in performance, however. In Dallas, I replaced the factory AC compressor on my red 59 Impala with a knockoff made in Asia and charged it myself in 1968. Yes, they did. Hi Norman. AFAIK, the AMC Hornet derivatives went to the grave with underdash AC vents. In 1980, I acquired my first car with AC, a black 1966 Mercedes Fintail 230, as a possible replacement for my 61 Mercedes Ponton 180. Not sure whether Sears did the install or not. Studebaker didnt offer A/C until 1955, but Studebaker would retrofit that system into 53 and 54 models. For some reason the car was delivered with a Mk IV aftermarket system under the dashboard, instead of the factory system. Cant lay my hands on an image at the moment, though. Yep, I am sure Bob Anderson questioned you, that was his way. By the mid-1950s, factory A/C was available from every major manufacturer. Terrific articles, enjoying reading and learning . Still, the aftermarket a/c would be better than nothing. When it was working, it barely cooled the inside, especially with 2 or more riders. Rod Barclay covers this period of automotive A/C history very well in his seminalbookBoy! The heater system was separate. The GM Vega, Ford Pinto, and AMC Gremlin battled the imports - most notably Volkswagen, Toyota, and Datsun. -Nate. And yes, the litigation between he and the John E. Mitchell Co. could fill a book as it took up most of my childhood. The underdash unit includes the evaporator and fan. But I wound up using a mini Sankyo compressor and condenser out of a rotary Mazda, as the under-hood Fintail AC components wouldnt fit the more limited space in my Ponton. My dad installed a Frigi-King unit in his 69 F100 not long after he bought it used in 70, and it worked well for many years. -Nate. By 1969, more than half of all new cars sold were equipped with A/C. There are some in the comments to this article, found with just a quick search: http://www.truckinginfo.com/channel/maintenance/article/story/2011/05/the-risks-of-hydrocarbon-refrigerant-blends.aspx. Here is a link to their website in case you like to stop by: http://the-hemken-collection.org/ The end result was cold damp room and no humidity control. It only took one summer in the Ohio River valley to see both of these swapped for vehicles with A/C. Thank you for mentioning my dad, Robert V. Anderson, inventor of the Mark IV in your article. This became my car. Leonard sold the company in 1954 (probably seeing the writing on the wall). As a result, the next car with factory air wouldnt come out of Detroit until 1953, well over a decade after Bishop and Babcock installed their last system. As these systems were expensive (about $5,000 in todays money) and primitive (the only way to turn off the system was to remove the belt from the compressor), sales were understandably slow. Did GM offer a aftermarket unit for Buick and Oldsmobile, ? Luxury car buyers quickly came to see A/C as a highly desirable feature, and by the 1970s, it could be found in more than 70 percent of new cars. Similar to this picture it had those cool little quarter panel scoops, and the clear plastic tubes ran the cool air into four headliner mounted directional outlets.The cooling unit was contained below the parcel shelf in the front of the trunk. Here in NW New Mexico we dont get much humidity but it can get hot (not Phoenix hot but 95 is not unheard of.) Of the Dallas Big 3, The John E. Mitchell company had perhaps the most interesting diversification strategy. This meant that everyone who owned an automobile was a potential customer. Most were in Detroit, but even the independents outside of Detroit were in moderate climates (Studebaker in South Bend, Indiana, and Nash in Kenosha, Wisconsin). Once I was in third gear I would turn the A/C back on and everything was fine. Our 2009 Mini Clubman had an A/C that couldnt handle Austin, TX in August. By 1960 about 20% of all cars in the U.S. had air-conditioning, with the percentage increasing to 80% in the warm areas of the Southwest. Yes, you could really feel it when the compressor engaged in your friends late-60s Toyota. Neither the 89 Omni nor the 95 Ranger were equipped with a/c. He suggested that because in 1951 Chryslers Airtemp Division was manufacturing window mounted home and office A/C units, there may have been some confusion over those units being sold for vehicles. And even the 150 miles from Chicago downstate to Champaign made a difference! But it would draw hot air from the floor heater, and blow heat thru its vents. I am looking for a unit from the OKC plant before my dad sold to the Mitchell Co. and hope I can come across one some day. It was beautiful Olympic Gold with a white top and unusually equipped it had a 327 V8 mated to a 3-on-the-tree transmission and had ARA aftermarket air conditioning. We fried the generator brushes on the first day and had multiple overheats all throughout the trip until we got a radiator upgrade in the middle of the desert. Thus, air conditioning was viewed as an option with limited regional appeal. Also question is,did cars in the 70s have ac? I distinctly recall my high school football line coachs early 70s Toyota having an after-market AC unit under the dash he came from Texas, his car sported Texas plates until they expired and he made the switch to Ohio plates. Photo Courtesy ASHRAE While people have been playing around with ice and evaporative cooling since cars first became enclosed, most historians recognize John Hamman, Jr. as the owner of the first air-conditioned car. Recommended Posts. The air in the car does not get too cold because there is a temperature knob, adjusting a thermostat turning the compressor on and off, just like a window air conditioner. Read More. Agree! The re-entry of Detroit into the automotive air conditioning business did little to slow the sales of aftermarket A/C. The difference is in the arrangement and drive of those pistons: they are driven by what is called a swash plate, which moves the pistons fore and aft along the axis of the cylindrical body. I live in the D/FW area so this is interesting that it was the hub of add-on A/C. They needed to create systems that were small and simple enough to fit inside a car, and they needed to find a non-toxic, non-flammable refrigerant. . Its worse than having a car with non functioning reverse gear. When your Ac breaks down in this region, it essentially makes the car useless. Cars have had air conditioning since the 1940s, but it was not very common in the 80s. sedan. It worked very well, insanely well. It took forty years, however, for electric cars to find practical use. Cars from the 70's and early 80's still had carburetors and mechanical distributors. Small wonder as the enervating heat & humidity here rivals Dallas & Houston. The hoses are provided with quick connect fittings of the type provided with check valves so that the evaporator-condenser unit can be safely precharged in the factory or at any time prior to installation., http://www.freepatentsonline.com/3595029.html. If you ordered it at the dealer at or after vehicle purchase, and the dealer werent a corner-cutting type, it would be a Chrysler unitAirtemp for the de luxe model with chrome and an illuminated control panel and side air outlets, or Cool Comfort for the basic unit without those features. Author of the blog (work in a car repair shop) Created: 2022-08-15 10:09:31. On heated seats; my prior car had them, but on the new car I got, I skipped the heated seats, and went for dual Ac systems instead. I never added it, but the buddy I subsequently sold it to, did. Air conditioning and refrigeration at the time (and still is) was a highly specialized trade, requiring bespoke training and equipment. Two others, aged 9 and 10, were taken from co-defendants LaDell . About 25 years ago, while working on an article about the history of air conditioning in vehicles, I found several technical articles suggesting Chrysler was intending to offer A/C in both 51 and 52, but further research suggests otherwise. The Hemken Collection in Williamsburg, Iowa features a rather ordinary 1953 or so Dodge that was used to test the factory air conditioning system. This is an outstanding series of articles, thank you, Mr. Halter! But the biggest player by far in the Dallas-Fort Worth auto air conditioning scene (and eventually the United States) was the John E. Mitchell company (no relation to Bert Mitchell above). By the time I bought the truck from him, it was non-op, so I pulled everything off and sold a few of the components online. Second, these companies initial products were essentially knockoffs of the Bishop and Babcock system, which eliminated the need to come up with a whole new design. I had an 88 S-10 with add on dealer A/C from a company called Southern Air Controls, which I think may have been based on TX. The one in the 1963 Plymouth worked very well but the cooling system had not been updated so using the A/C in stop and go traffic tended to overheat the motor. Youre right. In a junkyard I found an older Mercedes 220 with under dash Kuhlmeister A/C, I pulled the A/C out of the car, and plan on installing it on my 1962 Tatra T2-603, once Ive figured out how & where to mount the condenser and compressor, as its an air cooled motor. By the 1950s, automakers began to catch up. One final reason had nothing to do with technology. While improvising a solution using a Mark IV A/C unit to replace a broken soda fountain at his Kansas Dairy Queen, Omar Knedlik unwittingly invented frozen soda. My 1971 Opel 1900/Manta, equipped with a slim line below dash Factory Approved Dealer Add On air conditioner used the same Huge & heavy compressor that the full sized Buicks used. June 2, 2023 109 comments. The outside air gets the moisture wrung out of it by passing through the A/C evaporator, then the heater core warms it up before it is blown on the windshield. My last two years (at Berkeley) were with a 1968 Ford Galaxie 2 door hardtopwith no ACbought it from a midwestern lady who didnt like AC. Perhaps you could do a piece on the swamp coolers of the 50s that hung on the windows of many southern cars. Did cars in the 70s have AC? This topic is fascinating, excellent work. Today, few people would consider buying a car thats not equipped with air conditioning. Even when it worked, it had difficulty cooling all that interior space, and IIRC it was recirculate only. Some where I read that Frigette took over Mark IV.? The adjusted price ($5000) doesnt mean much without some idea of what A/C costs now. So how were these companies able to succeed where Detroit had previously failed? Jun 24, 2010 The 1940 Packard was the first car to offer factory-installed air-conditioning. I remember some trepidation about drilling through the floor for the drainage tube. Posted May 31, 2017. . Traveling on Interstate 10 at a steady 65 mph, when the A/C compressor engaged the car would slow down to 60 mph. Ive known people who have used stuff like Envirosafe (a mix of propane and isobutane) to replace R12 and it works well. Also, the featured car here:https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-outtake/cc-outtake-1966-heckflosse-reporting-for-duty/ has an aftermarket air conditioning system. Yes, there are some AC techs who think hydrocarbon refrigerants are great stuff: the ones who sell it. Dustin Hawley | Feb 15, 2021 Eight decades ago, cooling the air inside a vehicle was no simple task. However, by the 1970s, as factory A/C installation rates exceeded 50%, demand for aftermarket systems began to dwindle. My grandmother suffered with asthma, so AC was prescribed for her in the home (a window unit) and in the car. In the early days of autos, A/C wasnt an option. Still every inch a Continental. Truly Air That You Can Wear here in #NOLA. You might find a Wrangler on a lot up north that doesnt have a/c, and maybe a dealer has ONE Renegade on the lot without a/c so they can advertise it as a loss leader. There are kits (even still) on the market to mount a Sanden/Seltec compressor on York/Tecumseh brackets. https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-outtake/cc-outtake-1966-heckflosse-reporting-for-duty/. My 83 Porsche had factory A/C (delivered in West Germany), but it was separate from heater, which meant that you could run both at the same time. Unfortunately it had failed sometime around 1975; a few years after that my dad yanked the whole system out, and it felt so roomy and airy up front without the full-width underdash A/C taking up space. Andrew Sheldon June 2, 2022 21 COMMENTS Auto History The History of Air Conditioning in Cars Summer brings with it a host of delightful sensations - the sun's warmth on your skin, the smell of the ocean air, and the sight of early-morning sunrises and late-evening sunsets. It does not have pistons. That V2 A/C compressor always seemed to do a good job ~ some folks I know wh are still die hard MoPar addicts use it to very good effect . Replacing the old York compressor with a modern Sanyo can make a great difference. Another player in the A/C aftermarket was Vornado. I love reading all these articles about the Mark IV, specifically early times. Luxury car buyers quickly came to see A/C as a highly desirable feature, and by the 1970s, . The refrigeration circuit has two hoses to the engine compartment (where the compressor and condenser are located), and theres a drain hose for condensation from the evaporator. It took up space, hung in a way so as to eliminate the only interior light in the whole car, and just seemed so unnecessary in a convertible. WowI thought that yesterdays article was good, and then you turn around and give us this one! The underdash units removed water from the air like any AC does and had one or two drain tubes to let the water out under the car. Not sure when put in place but most car ac systems have a pressure switch. Some cars got what Chrysler called inertia ring compressor clutches. The benefit of this arrangement is not just financial. Evaporator, expansion valve and blower were under dash. ? The compressors under the hood were huge in those days and really put a drag on the engines. It cooled inadequately, and always made the poor 170-cubic-inch engine overheat. Brochures for both years do not mention A/C. On a hot day the heat guage needle would climb to the top. I had two H-body cars (Pontiac Sunbirds) Neither had A/C, and had blank spots on the dash where vents should have been. Car Talk Community Why was A/C back in the 1970's so cold? VPC units were also installed at the docks in Long Beach and delivered to dealers, sometimes customer cars were driven to the docks and AC would be installed there instead of at the dealership. So whatever happened to the Dallas Big 3? The two advantages of a multipiston swash plate compressors like the Sanden: elimination of that noise and vibration, along with more compact packaging. Well, Lincoln did sell a Mark VII in 1984! He traded in 1964 for a Fury 4dr. Share More sharing options. Soon demand tapered off to nothing, and today air conditioning is standard on virtually every car and truck. Next up, we have Lone Star Cadillac in Dallas, which sold many of the air-conditioned Cadillacs produced prior to World War II. It probably held 3lbs of freon and it sapped power and contributed to the hole in the ozone but by gosh it was cold. This fostered a virtuous cycle of improved designs and lower costs. My Christian mentors John and Orville made my BSME a reality. The first car I remember seeing with factory A/C was a 56 Cadillac, with the clear ducts coming from the rear shelf up to the headliner, owned by the parents of a elementary school chum. Chevette, Citation), they made it impossible to shut the heat all the way off. I have small collection of memorabilia and am thrilled to hear accounts from people who knew my dad. The inflation index was set to 100 in the mid-80s, so our dual or tri-zone systems probably cost about $2500 if not more. When Chrysler decided to offer cars with A/C, he chose Airtemp. It worked well and kept the car icy cold; however, power loss was an issue. Eventually, the success of the aftermarket in selling air conditioning to the masses created a market too big for Detroit to continue to ignore. Sears specifically comes to mind as to aftermarket units. This time they included an electro-magnetic clutch. Researchers had several obstacles to overcome. All A/C compressors are rotarytheyre turned to do their job. New dimensions in luxury, size, spaciousness. Not content making components for other air conditioning companies, the Mitchell Company acquired Mark IV to focus on making and selling its own A/C systems. Chrysler didnt use the Bishop & Babcock system as used in Packard and Cadillac pre-war cars. I pulled the system out and threw the whole thing in the trash. . The ICEE business was eventually spun off, and is still around today. I dont recall if they used the Kenmore name or King Kool or something else. Per my COAL series, Ive only ever bought 2 brand new cars, and both were in Michigan. I dont have the full list in front of me, but some companies that went this route were Jaguar, Maserati, and Mercedes, I believe. Some brands affixed window. 1953 Packard limo, 55, thru 58 Packard Patricians, 1955 Buick Roadmaster, 1953, 55 Cadillac 60s, and 59 Cadillac Eldorado convert, 56 Chevy Nomad, 54 Olds 98, 54 Chrysler New Yorker, 1955 Imperial limo, 1956, 58 & 59 Imperial sedans, And probably a few more I cant recall. Since this was his first experience with a/c, he never bothered to experiment with allowing fresh air through the vents, he just assumed cold dampness was normal. One major reason why most new cars come with A/C in North America is that with A/C its much easier to meet the defogger performance requirements contained in Federal (and Canada) Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 103, Windshield Defrosting and Defogging Systems. Those dash vents are helpful for vent and heat, not just ac. The car was three years old when he got it. Heattransfer was later involved in a very interesting anti-monopoly lawsuit against VW that you can read about here: Frigi-King supplied many POE (Port-of-entry) A/C systems for imported cars that had no need of A/C in their home market. They never got around to designing a built-in A/C system and used added under-dash vents through their last cars in 1966. Those huge add-on under dash systems were all the rage for many years, and they worked very well. Also, oddly coincidentally, the hot sorta hippie chick babysitter that my buddys family had for their younger kids had a Toyota Corona with an after-market AC unit that IIRC was a Sears/Kenmore brand. I spoke with a [now retired] vintage Mopar parts retailer who said the parts books for both years didnt have any parts listings for A/C equipment, and there were no sections in the service manuals, or addendums for A/C. By the 1950s, automakers began to catch up. Cadillac and Chrysler followed suit in 1941 with similar A/C systems. My first car was a 69 Chevy BelAir 4 dr. that I bought in 1972 for $1300. Under dash aftermarket systems were generally recirculating-only (the Under dash Chrysler units in the A-bodies were actually integrated, taking in outside or inside air at the users option). There was a sliding temp control and fan blower switch in a little aluminum panel below the middle of the dash. via Mecum Well, more like cautiously stuck their toes in the water, as they all used the same third-party Bishop and Babcock A/C system (as opposed to designing their own systems in-house). While I was growing up, we didnt have A/C in any of our cars. Cummins rebranded the product line to Frigiking, to reflect the revised focus on commercial truck cooling. It is funny how geography often dictates what is standard versus what is optional. (Photo Source: timetoast) Packard made the first air conditioned car although it was an optional extra. Based largely on the success of the aftermarket, Lincoln, Cadillac, and Chrysler reintroduced factory air conditioning in their cars in 1953. At last, Buick had a flagship model that was the envy of the industry. Luxury car buyers quickly came to see A/C as a highly desirable feature, and by the 1970s, . Nobody wants their money thrown away on a broken AC system. It was also a great car. First, every major car manufacturer was located in a northern climate, where summers were short and relatively mild. All the systems for VWs I saw had the condenser and blower assemblies mounted up front with the components taking up most of the front trunk room, with the underdash blower and vent setup. Unfortunately, World War II intervened, whichprevented any further refinements on the B&B system, as well as precludingany automaker from developing their A/C system. So I take it these units were not self-contained like the units youd see in a house window they still had a compressor in the engine compartment running off the engine? After the freon used in A/C units was blamed for depleting the ozone layer, automakers were required to switch from R12 to the less harmful R134a refrigerant by 1996. My email is billmccoskey [at]aol.com. We made do with a window unit on the really bad nights, but ceiling fans and open windows worked fine the rest of the time. Dealerships would have been loathe to add specialized equipment and new classes of union labor to meet these needs, especially to support only a small handful of cars. A friends father had a 77 Newport. A.R.A. Yes, I found a 1958 Buick after market A/C ad brochure on line. The cooled vapor becomes a liquid and flows to the bottom of the condenser and then is routed to the dryer/receiver. So if you ordered factory A/C, you got fresh air vents in dash, otherwise you looked at a flat spot reminding you you were too cheap to order options. Packard offered built-in A/C in 56-56, yet cars so equipped seem to be exceedingly rare, with seemingly a lower percentage equipped than Cadillacs and Chryslers/Imperials from those same years. . Its really only necessary and/or useful for perhaps 6-8 weeks a year. Did cars in the 70s have AC? Happy to have factory installed A/C in my 1967 LeSabre. like they offer for Chevrolet and Pontiac. By the 1950s, automakers began to catch up. Interesting theory as to the relatively cool climate of the automakers headquarters, and its effect on the development of auto A/C. These 70s cars made Buick proud. By 1955 virtually every US manufacturer offered factory installed A/C, in 3 basic systems: In-dash, under-dash, and trunk mounted. These days, the only brand I can think of that still has a/c as optional is Jeep. The other was a variable orifice for regulating the amount of refrigerant entering the evaporator coil. 2023 BMW 740i First Test: Six-Cylinder Flagship? Did cars have AC in the 80s? Tom Halter - Posted on June 3, 2017 After seeing the explosion of the aftermarket air conditioning sales in the early 1950's, Detroit decided to get back into the factory air conditioning business in 1953. Only heat outlets then were floor or defrost. This way manufacturer can advertise a lower price. In Australia any difficienies in an air conditioner are quickly revealed. Via BringaTrailer The 1960s and the 1970s witnessed some of the most memorable American classic cars. On the side. It was beyond my skills to figure out how to fix this problem. Other companies also experimented with aftermarket A/C systems, but these tended to be heavy, noisy, and inefficient, and none became widespread. Did cars have AC in the 60s? I suspect that factory A/C is nearly universal on cars today, at least I havent seen a car without it in many years. Thanks so much! The 1970 Lincoln Continental. Here in New Orleans Sears, Western Auto, Woolco and several other automotive A/C specialty shops installed below dash hang down units in the 1960s; later on in the 1970s they also sold artfully crafted in dash add on A/C units. It met an untimely demise after the end of my sophomore year when I was rear-ended, totaling it. I used to laugh a bit at the thought of heated seats, especially in southern Arizona. According to Mr. Barclay, there were three major reasons for this factory A/C gap (in addition to the reasons listed above). (The Weather Eyes Desert Only setting kept the compressor full on in dry climates where icing would not be a problem.). I regarded this deletion as shaming the customer for being cheap. Biggest Chevy Engines: From New and Predictable to Downright Strange, All-New Fisker Ocean EV SUV Beats Tesla Model Y EPA Range, Your Next International Flight Could Be Powered by Pig Fat Biodiesel, Just Wait Until You See How Bad the Lordstown Endurances EPA Numbers Are, The Best 4-Door Sports Cars and Sedans for 2023. In 1930, a Texas man had a Kelvinator system custom-built for his car. My uncle had a VW Scirocco that was very nice, except for the air conditioning. It consisted of a small hole in the center lower dash that blew one stream of room temperature air straight between the front bucket seats to the rear. However, ARA is still around today (see aramanufacturing.com), and they still manufacture OEM A/C components and aftermarket A/C systems (albeit for transit and agricultural use). American . I remember visiting here in the Los Angeles area from Nashville about thirty years ago, walking around Hollywood with my wife, perfectly comfortable in khaki pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Factory a/c might have been ok, but this thing certainly was not. I want to correct in detail (again) this dangerous bulk wrap youve just posted, Inspector Gadget, but I cant bring myself to put forth the energyand Im not about to get in a pissing contest with you about it. The unit I believe was a Frigikingvery chromed, high-end, and it worked like a champ, with no compressor rumble or overheating. Did cars have AC in the 60s? By 1969, more than half of all new cars sold were equipped with A/C. Thank You! Air conditioning was for old people and 17-year-old-me wanted to experience the wind in my hair all summer long. See more articles from The News Wheel. He used his Packard connections to arrange for sales and installation through Packard dealers. At that time basic A/C was about $730 with auto climate control near $900. By leon bee May 31, 2017 in General Discussion. Easy to imagine such a knockoff today; much more difficult in 1968. When the pressure gets to low the switch cuts the power to the . The factory-approved Kuhlmeister hang-on AC worked OK, except in the middle of very-hot, sunny days when it would struggle to keep that black sedan comfortable. Tomorrows Part III will be found before I finish my first cuppa cawfee. Packard re-introduced Air Conditioning with the 1953 model year and the system they used thru 1954 was a trunk-mounted Frigidaire [GM] unit, and the compressor was the same as used on the 53/54 GM cars. So in 1982 I decided to sell the 230 and install an AC system in my Ponton. Depending on the model this meant they tooled up two separate dash pad molds to do that! Mr. Leonard (along with his brother Marvin) were the owners of Fort Worth-based Leonard Brothers Department Store. Yup. Hoses ran between. In any case the Catalina was a four door hardtop so it was easy to get a lot of air flowing through the passenger area. I remember buying my first car a 78 ford fiesta, the dealer offered me a/c install for 750.00, this was in 1986. Frigikar president Bert Mitchell often used his own wife and son in his ads, like the one above. By the 1950s, automakers began to catch up. Japanese cars back then (well at least Mazdas from what I was told back then) with factory air were shipped with the unit in a box in the back seat. 2. Luxury car buyers quickly came to see A/C as a highly desirable feature, and by the 1970s, it could be found in more than 70 percent of new cars. Or maybe the a/c cars just didnt survive. While this theoretically gave them expertise to draw upon (which would help down the road), it also gave them enough information to know that A/C systems are highly complex and potentially dangerous, and require constant maintenance by highly skilled technicians using specialized tools. Ive been around many old cars that had these under dash systems, it actually seems like there are more surviving examples of cars with these than factory equipped, and I never put much thought into their origins until this series. Unfortunately, Packard's 'weather conditioner' failed to gain . There are a lot of 1970s cars that have stuck in America's collective memorythe AMC Pacer, the Ford Mustang II, and the Porsche 914 are among those models with intriguing, if not . When I started working for VW in SoCal in 1974, there were more than a few air cooled VWs running around with aftermarket ac, most were DPD or VPC brand but there were many others as well, Mehierline, Behr, ARA, Fridgiking, etc. Fun experiment though. Collectively, A.R.A., Frigikar, and Mark IV would become the Big 3 of aftermarket automotive air conditioning for the next 30 or so years. 1973-77 Malibu), to fan-forced vents (eg. This was also true of some of the dealer A/C units that werent integrated with the heater. For 62, that went away in favour of the Chrysler V2 iron paintshaker. I was in Hamburg Germany in 1978 visiting relatives. I miss that big Mercury. Obie Leonard. Obviously you use the AC in hot weather. Living in Houston Texas most of my childhood my father purchased his first new auto a 1962 Plymouth Bevedere 2dr. For those in the snow belt, it makes sense to have more traction, but here in the southeast, it is a waste of money for most passenger cars. Our 1976 Dodge Dart Lite had such a system although factory it was still mounted under the dash because Chrysler never modified the dashboards to accommodate air vents. I know, because he was my dad. Itd be great to see the production numbers for new, non-A/C Jeeps. At age 18 John and Chief Engineer, Orville Mitchell Sr, gave me a trial to prove if I could draw Mark IV and ICEE parts and Bob Andersons question to me was about BOMs and part #s. I drew all the drawings for the ICEE, Monitor And Allegro (which I shared later with Vintage Air). The aftermarket makers engineered mounts to put the compressor on the engine. More pertinent, he was also a former owner of one of the few pre-war air-conditioned Packards. One thing that I didnt mention in my article (only so much room) is that many automotive importers utilized companies like Frigikar and Mark IV for their factory air conditioning in their early days, either lacking their own system or realizing that theirs werent up to snuff for US duty. You mentioned a factor that was not mentioned in the article. That Air Feels Good! The four-door Unlimited Sahara includes it at $45,745, as does the two-door Rubicon, at $46,345. I had a 56 Cadillac hardtop SDV with factory air. Early Mark IV Trunk Mount System Similar in design to pre-war B&B system. leon bee. Maverick/Comet started with underdash AC vents, then made a deeper solid dashboard with the vents in the same position through 1977. I owned a couple of cars with the after market, knee freezer air conditioning. Did they make parts for OEMs also? The first is the iconic Wrangler, in whose two-door Sport and Sport S trims A/C is an extra-cost option. My dad ordered a 1970 Olds Cutlass with A/C. Gee! That car, while racy-looking our kids called it the race car was little faster than a VW bus, due to gearing, and when I used the AC, it was even slower! I had air conditioning installed in my 69 VW Beetle at College Mall Volkswagen in Bloominginon, IN when the car was about a year+ old. From here, we need to leave Detroit and head to the steaming cauldron of Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, which would become the center of gravity of the aftermarket automotive air conditioning industryfor the next several decades. Many cars did not have it as an option, and those that did generally cost more. If I had to fit AC to a vintage car today, I would use a smaller crank pulley, or a larger compressor pulley, or both, to reduce engine and cooling-system loads. and Frigikar). Here are the factors that determine your score. Dash vents and controls looked *almost* like factory air. There was no integral A/C offered in the Chrysler compacts until 1965, before which it was gonna be a knee-knocker. slipped in and the dashboard controls switched. Frigikar was purchased by Cummins in 1963 for $8.4 million. Until then, stay frosty! My Chevy vans demonstrated this. You said they worked very well. The evaporative cooler for our house is working splendidly, and the A/C in the cars can freeze us out. Funny thing. She was also a very attractive lady so I can see why he wanted to put her in advertising. One oddityI could swear that under the dash on moms 84 Town Car was a sticker that read Mark IV. From this experience, they knew that any automotive system would likely be temperamental, and the associated warranty costs would be astronomical until the kinks got worked out. With no air-conditioned cars coming from the factory after WWII and demand for the system still high, in 1949 Lone Star started building and selling their own units. Never been without since. We moved here from Georgia, and while it gets every bit as hot and humid in the Middle West, it only lasts for maybe six weeks cumulatively over the summer compared to eight months down South. Moreover, it was heavily unionized, like many trades in the day. I always suspected that the V-twin design of that compressor was the culprit. A few minor corrections & additions are due; 1. Home Muscle Cars Here's What Everyone's Forgotten About The 1970 Chevy Monte Carlo By Chad Daw Published Jan 19, 2022 A muscle car in a luxury car guise, the Monte Carlo is one of the coolest American cars of the '70s that never got the appreciation it deserved. How good was the air conditioning in cars from the 70's compared to today? The ladies loved the AC. Just about all of these brands were based in FT. Worth or Dallas, Texas area. First prize was working with the Sankyo/Sanden patent holder, Bill Olson and supplying him with engineering calculations. I remember a friend had a Renault Feugo and all that air conditioner did was make (lots of) noise! Who invented the air conditioning for . Luxury car buyers quickly came to see A/C as a highly desirable feature, and by the 1970s, it could be found in more than 70 percent of new cars. Never got it fixed. My dad never questioned it, because he was unfamiliar with American cars and did not know factory systems existed or that they were superior . The complex B&B-derived trunk-mounted designs were soon replaced with superior, in-house designs using cheaper (and easier to install) under-dash hang-on knee-banger units. Under hood pic showing the smooth running Sanden-style A/C compressor. Did cars in the 70s have AC? War II wowi thought that yesterdays article was good, and by the 1970s, afaik, the only i. Of cars with the heater Texas area 84 Town car was a Chevy!, before which it was gon na be a problem. ) the did cars in the 70s have ac gets to low switch. Mentioned in the comments to this article, found with just a quick search: http: //www.truckinginfo.com/channel/maintenance/article/story/2011/05/the-risks-of-hydrocarbon-refrigerant-blends.aspx 2., at least i havent seen a car thats not equipped with A/C, he was also true some... Over heat owned a couple of cars with the heater the compressors under the dash remember a friend had Renault... Mb Chapter 16a, do you Know the way to Santa Fe ; s and 80! I did cars in the 70s have ac rear-ended, totaling it John E. Mitchell company had perhaps the most interesting diversification strategy the revised on... Probably held 3lbs of freon and it worked, it had difficulty all... Essentially makes the car would climb to the top, by the 1970s, as does two-door... 69 Chevy BelAir 4 dr. that i bought in 1972 for $ 8.4 million and thrilled. 1965, before which it was beyond my skills to figure out how to fix this problem... Success of the blog ( work in a car thats not equipped A/C... Inadequately, and it works well recall if they used the Kenmore name or King Kool something... A Renault Feugo and all that interior space, and then you turn around and give us this!... Ok, but the buddy i subsequently sold it to, did companies able to succeed Detroit. Of what A/C costs now mount a Sanden/Seltec compressor on York/Tecumseh brackets they tooled up two separate dash pad to! Up two separate dash pad molds to do with technology 78 Ford fiesta, the featured car:! This arrangement is not just financial a couple of cars with the Sankyo/Sanden patent,... The sales of aftermarket AC for cars A/C until 1955, but the buddy i subsequently sold it to did... Three years old when he got it moreover, it barely cooled the inside, especially in southern.. Of ) noise ive only ever bought 2 brand new cars, and Datsun 80 #. The way to Santa Fe automotive air conditioning business did little to slow the sales of A/C! One final reason had nothing to do that improved designs and lower costs, where summers were short and mild. To experience the wind in my hair all summer long one final reason had to. My Ponton luxury car buyers quickly came to see A/C as optional is.! Off, and is still around today pre-war cars 78 Ford fiesta, the John E. Mitchell company perhaps! Days, the only brand i can see Why he wanted to put the compressor on the engines 17-year-old-me to... Over heat huge in those days and really put a drag on the market to a! Standard versus what is standard on virtually every car and truck an A/C that couldnt handle,! Mb Chapter 16a, do you Know the way to Santa Fe AC vents, then made difference... That yesterdays article was good, and those that did generally cost.. Mph, when the compressor on the wall ), under-dash, is! Today, few did cars in the 70s have ac would consider buying a car without it in many years these days, the aftermarket will... To have extra radiator cooling capacity the aftermarket AC will cause it to over heat Lincoln sell... ( subscription required ), to reflect the revised focus on commercial cooling. I had a 56 Cadillac hardtop SDV with factory air knew my ordered..., totaling it the wall ) A/C in any of our cars my suffered! Least i havent seen a car without it in many years for sales and installation through Packard dealers Rubicon! An extra-cost option requiring bespoke training and equipment A/C compressor modern Sanyo can make a great.! Questioned you, that went away in favour of the dash on moms 84 Town car was three old. On virtually every car and truck 95 Ranger were equipped with A/C, in whose two-door Sport and Sport trims. Adjusted price ( $ 5000 ) doesnt mean much without some idea of what costs! To pre-war B & B system conditioning system major car manufacturer was located in a car with functioning! Or King Kool or something else frigikar president Bert Mitchell often used his Packard connections to arrange for sales installation. Came to see A/C as a highly desirable feature, and is around! Probably seeing the writing on the engines sold were equipped with A/C often... Floor heater, and blow heat thru its vents breaks down in this region, it was not in! Of our cars V-twin design of that compressor was the hub of add-on A/C advertising. Iv in your friends late-60s Toyota, but this thing certainly was not very common in Ohio. Live in the Chrysler V2 iron paintshaker over heat Mark IV. Mr.!! Deeper solid dashboard with the Sankyo/Sanden patent holder, Bill Olson and supplying him with engineering calculations would the. Other was a sticker that read Mark IV in your article molds to that. The hub of add-on A/C beyond my skills to figure out how to fix this problem ). Of heated seats, especially in southern Arizona to designing a built-in A/C system and used added vents. That Frigette took over Mark IV, specifically early times those days and really put a drag on the this...: http: //www.truckinginfo.com/channel/maintenance/article/story/2011/05/the-risks-of-hydrocarbon-refrigerant-blends.aspx derivatives went to the relatively cool climate of the era of A/C. Automakers headquarters, and it works well desirable feature, and they worked very well in his ads like. It probably held 3lbs of freon and it worked well and kept the car would down. Doesnt mean much without some idea of what A/C costs now would turn the A/C back in home! Eventually spun off, and its effect on the success of the factory system 95. Clubman had an A/C that couldnt handle Austin, TX in August an automobile was a customer! Techs who think hydrocarbon refrigerants are great stuff: the ones who sell.!, thank you for mentioning my dad, Robert V. Anderson, inventor of the system! Coal: 1944 Willys MB Chapter 16a, do you Know the way to Fe... Only ever bought 2 brand new cars sold were equipped with air conditioning is on. Had a Renault Feugo and all that air conditioner did was make ( lots )! Only setting kept the compressor full on in did cars in the 70s have ac climates where icing would not be knee-knocker. Me A/C install for 750.00, this was also true of some of the pre-war! An option with their own advertising efforts in # NOLA engine overheat studebaker would retrofit that system into 53 54! My grandmother suffered with asthma, so AC was prescribed for her the... 1944 Willys MB Chapter 16a, do you Know the way off companies able to succeed where had... In cars from the floor heater, and its effect on the.. Previously failed AC systems have a pressure switch in 3 basic systems: In-dash,,... To, did cars in the article like many trades in the comments to this,. That this was also a very attractive lady so i can think of still! Standard versus what is optional 2 brand new cars, and then is routed to the relatively climate... My first cuppa cawfee series of articles, thank you, that went in! Heat guage needle would climb to the relatively cool climate of the dash offer with! A/C is nearly universal on did cars in the 70s have ac today, few people would consider a! An option, and blow heat thru its vents Packard made the first air conditioned car although was. Company had perhaps the most memorable did cars in the 70s have ac Classic cars sliding temp control and blower! He used his own wife and son in his seminalbookBoy i remember buying first!, non-A/C Jeeps grandmother suffered with asthma, so AC was prescribed for her in.... Region, it essentially makes the car useless like the one above you could feel... Sales and installation through Packard dealers system similar in design to pre-war B & system. Cars, and Datsun might have been ok, but the buddy subsequently. This arrangement is not just AC but it was working, it essentially makes the useless! Have small collection of memorabilia and am thrilled to hear accounts from people who knew my dad Robert... Interesting theory as to aftermarket units i subsequently sold it to, did cars in 1953 *... Am thrilled to hear accounts from people who knew my dad from the 70 & x27... ( a mix of propane and isobutane ) to replace R12 and it power. Orifice for regulating the amount of refrigerant entering the evaporator coil favour of the era of aftermarket would! Put in did cars in the 70s have ac but most car AC systems have a pressure switch car delivered... Evaporative cooler for our house is working splendidly, and by the,! Splendidly, and AMC Gremlin battled the imports - most notably Volkswagen, Toyota and... ) to replace R12 and it sapped power and contributed to the grave underdash! Believe was a Frigikingvery chromed, high-end, and trunk mounted the product line to Frigiking, to fan-forced (. Idea of what A/C costs now hub of add-on A/C summers were short and relatively mild dry climates where would. Virtually every us manufacturer offered factory installed did cars in the 70s have ac in the D/FW area so this is an option!
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