Re: [FWDLK] Air Conditioners/Airtemp History
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: [FWDLK] Air Conditioners/Airtemp History



--- David VanHouten <dlvh@xxxxxxxx> wrote:

> 4wrdlkrs,
>
> I was sent this e-mail, but am not very familiar
> with after market Air Conditioners.

"Airtemp" was Chrysler's air-conditioning division,
and they used the Airtemp name on both home/business
units and car units until Chrysler sold the Airtemp
division to Fedders in the late '70s or early '80s. In
addition to dealer-installed underdash units, Airtemp
made or designed factory AC units for MoPar vehicles
from about '53-'54 on, although I don't think Plymouth
got this until '55 or so, and the earlier the rarer.
(BTW, the former Airtemp plant in Bowling Green KY is
now GM's Corvette plant...)

> Can anyone help this fellow out?
>
> The message was as follows:
>
> "DAVE,
>
> I AM LOOKING FOR INFO ON 1960 FURY AIR CONDITIONERS,
> CALLED AIRTEMP I BELIEVE.  I HAVE A 61 FURY WITH
> THIS ON IT, AND HAVE A PERSON WHO WANTS TO INSTALL
> IT ON HIS 60 WAGON.  DO YOU KNOW IF THESE ARE THE
> SAME STYLE UNIT FOR BOTH YRS.

A big question here is whether the Airtemp unit is
indash (usually factory) or underdash (dealer
installed).

The underdash unit interchanges over a number of model
years, and since it was dealer installed originally
it's as close to an easy installation as these things
get (IMO "easy" is a relative phrase)... As with the
indash model (see below) hang onto all parts no matter
how sorry they look, you never know when you'll need
them for comparison...

The indash unit is *probably* the same from '60 to '61
except for the external control buttons and temp
switch. Going from a '61 to a '60, you might be able
to get away with just changing the buttons, but IIRC
they won't be labeled properly unless you get a set
from a '60 with AC. I believe this control unit is
similar to that used on Chryslers & Imperials from
this era, in which the heat control lever pulls out to
actuate the fan.

This is just the '61 to '60 part of this swap. You'll
also need the ducting from the donor car and the
pop-up defroster pods, plus all the under-the-hood
stuff, and there's a lot of that. Pretty sure the AC
car uses a different heater core, and I know it'd have
a bigger radiator. Toss absolutely nothing out, no
matter how nasty, as you may need it for comparison
purposes if something needs replacing, which something
probably will. And I haven't even gotten on R12 vs.
R134, a question I'll leav to the experts...

I might do this swap in the middle of a full resto,
assuming I could find all the parts first, but I'd be
reluctant to do it on a
golly-gee-let's-throw-this-sucker-in-there basis.

=====
Mike Sealey, San Francisco CA
'57 Plymouth Sport Suburban

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices
http://auctions.yahoo.com/



Home Back to the Home of the Forward Look Network


Copyright © The Forward Look Network. All rights reserved.

Opinions expressed in posts reflect the views of their respective authors.
This site contains affiliate links for which we may be compensated.