Without buying vintage air can any other car a/c system work in a 1967 camaro. thanks

Without buying vintage air can any other car a/c system work in a 1967 camaro. thanks

By the time a group of AC parts was adapted to a 67' to work, I think that the Vintage Air setup would be less costly, and a lot more effective to boot. Just an opinion.

Or you could step up to the Classic Auto Air (http://store.fastcommerce.com/prod_bought4less-ff80808116f363070116f36a8dfa04b5.html) kit.

Yes,
The 67 Camaro A/C will work fine.
But, if you are NOT doing the car original, I would not do the A/C original.
Maybe Steve Z can add to this next part. This next part is just MY Opinion.

To me the Camaro A/C was a last minute design to make it better than the Mustang.
The Mustang in 66 was just a big bulky Chrome Unit under the dash and looked really stupid. I think Chevy felt that this was not very appealing (and they were right) and that giving it a better look would give the car more appeal. So, they (Chevy) crammed it into a car that it was not really designed for. But, Ford liked to keep everything simple. The Camaro A/C is far from Simple.
Again, my OPINION.

i've heard it all now. The great thing about the GM ac is it really works. And it works good.

The 68 and 69 camaro acs would probably work with your 67. Just keep in mind that the bb case and sb case are different.

The GM system works good but so does the vintage air. The plus with the vintage air unit is that it is compact and doesn't have that big ugly evaporator box in the engine compartment. My car is a factory A/C car, but due to what it would cost to repair it all, I chose to go with the vintage air unit. If your car is not a factory A/C car, you can almost forget trying to go the factory system route. The hole for the heater box in the firewall is completely different from an A/C car. Go with the vintage air, you will be glad you did.

The GM system works good but so does the vintage air. The plus with the vintage air unit is that it is compact and doesn't have that big ugly evaporator box in the engine compartment. My car is a factory A/C car, but due to what it would cost to repair it all, I chose to go with the vintage air unit. If your car is not a factory A/C car, you can almost forget trying to go the factory system route. The hole for the heater box in the firewall is completely different from an A/C car. Go with the vintage air, you will be glad you did.

What yr. is your car? Did you get the Gen IV kit? I to have a 69 that is a factory air car. And found out that by the time I replaced the bad parts it was about the same in cost as the aftermarket units. Did you install the unit yourself? Any hidden issues that you ran into during the install? Or wish you had gone another route? Do you have any pictures of the engine bay to show us?

Smokey, if your car is not factory air your best option would be Vintage, Old Air or Classic Air. If you car is a factory ac car, you can add the factory option. I have had both factory ac and aftermarket ac. For me, it's hands down factory if the car was a factory ac car. But, as you can see, many others prefer aftermarket. Many people like the way the aftermarket acs look under the hood because it eliminates the evaporator. I think it leaves a void and makes the engine bay look uneven. But that's just me. If you have all the major parts to the factory ac like brackets, evaporator box, control unit in the car, heater/ac box under dash, ac wiring harness, I cannot see how refurbishing the factory ac would cost the same or more than buying an aftermarket unit. You could replace the compressor, evaporator, condensor, POA, wiring harness, dryer and expansion valve and still be under the cost of the aftermarket units. I know you have lots to think about. Good luck with your decision.

To anyone,
Is there a size or performance difference between the small and bb evaporator (1st gen)? I know there are 2 different evaporators but I assume the it is for the difference in the POA valve kook-up.

Bob C

it's not performance or size as far as I know. It's the direction the tube turns out of the top. The tube the poa connects to. I think the small block turns towards the engine and the bb turns towards the fender.

We sell a lot of Vintage Air, and also sell Classic Auto Air. I get asked the "should I restore my original A/C or replace with new" question a lot. The official answer is the Vintage Air Gen IV will blow circles around the factory air or any of the other aftermarket. We have installed them all. The Gen IV is factory OEM quality air originally designed for the $200k 2005 Ford GT and now adapted to our old muscle cars.

HOWEVER! If you car is original, numbers matching, the factory A/C can be a big value option. In some instances when you have A/C in rare applications, lets say a 396 / 350HP convertible, you absolutly have to restore the original A/C purely from a added value perspective

it's not performance or size as far as I know. It's the direction the tube turns out of the top. The tube the poa connects to. I think the small block turns towards the engine and the bb turns towards the fender.
Eric,
Thanks for the reply.
Just wondering if there was a size difference as the BB case has a bigger cutout in the side of the case to make room for the heads and exh. manifold.
One another subject, I have opened a thread on BB oil dipsticks (in restoration) and was wondering if you could take a look and see if you could help . If you know anyone else with a BB with original dipstick , let them know about the thread.
Thanks again.
Bob C

What yr. is your car? Did you get the Gen IV kit? I to have a 69 that is a factory air car. And found out that by the time I replaced the bad parts it was about the same in cost as the aftermarket units. Did you install the unit yourself? Any hidden issues that you ran into during the install? Or wish you had gone another route? Do you have any pictures of the engine bay to show us?
Mine is a '67. I didn't get the gen 4 kit, just the one before it. I did install it myself and had no problems installing the unit, but I am a 20 year professional mechanic. And no I have never regretted the choice of the vintage air unit. It keeps me cool even on 95 degree, high humidity days. http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e22/tlewelling/camaroengine.jpg