Vintage A/C Gen. IV

[lewain]

Sorry about another A/C thread.
But, I read about so many problems with either the install or satisfaction after install. Is there anyone out there that just loves theirs? I live in Florida and have insulated my Bronco and want to add A/C. Please tell me that it is worth it and not just going to present more problems for me. I have also tinted my windows very dark.

 

[Justafordguy]

I also live in Florida, have insulated floors, and tinted windows. I have the Vintage air unit sold by BC Broncos and it works much better than no AC at all but I do have issues with it. The unit is too small and doesn't have sufficient air flow. Unless I open the floor and dash vents and run the fan on high the evaporator freezes up and it stops cooling. I have to turn it off, let it thaw out and then turn it back on to make it work again.

 

[wsager]

Look into running the non-BCBroncos unit. I know some have modified their firewall to allow for more room and used the other Gen IV system. Some talk about using pieces from each system. Maybe someone will chime in with what they did and how they like it. I also live in Florida and would like to find out which system will work the best. Otherwise, no Bronco driving ~8 months of the year.

I have had good success with the ceramic tinting here in Florida. Has been worth the extra money. Also, their is a recent thread about heat shields for your exhaust. Sounds like something to definitely consider. https://classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=295591&highlight=heat

 

[blubuckaroo]

I've got one of the early Vintage Air units. Installation isn't for the timid. I was on the phone with VA sseveral times. Sometimes I doubted they knew more about AC than I did. Once it was in, it worked and siill works great. It moves lots more air than the old dealer installed unit it replaced.
The biggest gripe I've got is that , unlike the old unit, it doesn't allow any outside air to circulate. That's no problem when it's cooling, but for heat & defrost, it really sucks.
It requires the compressor to run for defrost. The old unit defrosted better with heated outside air.
Vintage Air needs to fix this.

 

[Edharris]

Having problems keeping the V-belt from squealing and the condenser makes it that much harder to keep the engine at a reasonable temperature.

 

[bronconut73]

Having problems keeping the V-belt from squealing and the condenser makes it that much harder to keep the engine at a reasonable temperature.

Go Explorer Serpentine.

You can run the BC Vintage Air Compressor with an adapter bracket on the Explorer brackets or you can use LINE adapters then use the Explorer compressor,
I did the latter.

If you're going to put air in a Bronco you really ought to go to the Explorer Serpentine system it will solve a lot of issues.

I love my BC Vintage Air ac unit. Even on the hottest days it almost cools my Bronco and I have zero insulation metal floor metal roof no headliner.

 

[DirtDonk]

I love mine. But then, I didn't have to install it either.
Sort of a hybrid of BC and Vintage parts, with both company's tech support put to the test and found semi-wanting. They were both helpful, but could never quite get the heater to go really warm like you'd expect. And that's just the heater!

The ac on the other hand, works half-way decently even on really hot days in my tin heater box. No real insulating on the body, other than Raptor liner so it's got to work hard to keep things cool. Which it does nicely.
After insulating, it should be even better.

It's not a modern ac in a modern car by any stretch, but it's very decent. And as was said, it's better than the no-a/c option!

Explorer serp setup means good fan cooling and no belt noise unless it gets wet.
Basically it seems that no matter what Bronco it's put into, there is some custom tweaking that needs to be done because yours is different than the last one they tested. But with that minor installation tweaking, the cooling result is pretty decent.
Now, with the top off? I can't say, but I doubt your toes would feel much.

Paul

 

[FordFarmer]

I have the Gen IV and I’m happy with it. Install was a pain in the ass and Blu is right on with his assessment of tech support. The hoses included didn’t work out well for me so I used a combination of custom cut/bent flexible and hard lines. Do a search and you’ll find more details from myself and others. I’d be happy to re-type if I wasn’t on my phone. Bottom line is that I’m very pleased with the performance in my un-insulated Bronco in Memphis in August.

 

[blubuckaroo]

Having problems keeping the V-belt from squealing and the condenser makes it that much harder to keep the engine at a reasonable temperature.

I might be able to help with your squealing belt problem.
Vintage Air makes some really goofy mistakes with their kits. Mine came with a heavy iron three groove crank pulley. The compressor uses a wider belt to run independently of the other accessories. The two other grooves however, aren't the same width either Those are the two that are shared for the dual water pump pulley. One then drives the alternator, and the other the power steering pump. So, now what you have is two belts driving a pulley but traveling at slightly different speeds. It was constantly wearing those two belts and chirping.
Vintage Air knew about the issue, but couldn't get a pulley any other way.
What I did was to replace the dual water pump pulley with a single groove.
It has worked perfect for eight years now.

 

[tbratz]

I had the BC unit installed for a few years and just took it out last week. I left the under dash part in, because the heater works better than stock. I live in AZ and it just never would cool things down unless it was under about 85 degrees. The compressor started to leak oil, and I wasn't about to put money in a new one. Actually it was the worse "up grade" I ever did to my bronco.

 

[RG75Bronco]

"You can run the BC Vintage Air Compressor with an adapter bracket on the Explorer brackets or you can use LINE adapters then use the Explorer compressor."

Can someone reference how to mount up a Vintage Air to an Explorer bracket? Any pictures?
Thanks

 

[bronconut73]

BC Broncos should have a photo as they are the ones that have the bracket that allows you to Mount Your Vintage Air Sanden compressor to the stock Explorer bracket. It also has a spot to mount your power steering reservoir which is kind of neat.

 

[RG75Bronco]

Thanks bronconut73!

 

[lewain]

After a lot of procrastination and too many other projects, I finally got the Vintage A/C installed. I love it, works great. PITA to install but, seems to be worth it.

 

[56f100bbw]

76 and 77

I installed vintage air in my 76 and 77 both work great and not heavily insulated like most people, didn’t have a time didn’t take out the headliner and insulate but they will freeze you out and I’m in Tucson the 76 is explore serpentine