FJ40 Air Conditioning choices Vintage Air or CCOT

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As far as a/c goes for the FJ kits I would like to clarify a few things. My name is Jon deLucia and I am the owner of Nostalgic Air Parts. We manufacture a/c systems for old cars, jeeps, and british cars. I am not sure why the person wrote we do not manufacture in house, why we do not offer technical assistance, and that we do not help our customers with customer service. I have a few pictures below to show how the manufacturing process is handled. There is a picture of the FJ mold and a new prototype face for the FJ kit, a picture of the wrangler a/c unit still raw uncut, a picture of vents, wire harness, top and bottom case, as well as the evaporator core. The other picture is bulk foam needed to insulate the inside of the units. We understand there is competition in business, we are here to provide a less expensive kit then the other companies. If our systems are not exactly what is demanded by the consumer we will be happy to hear feedback to change the product. Our website states on it we will design kits for specific needs. Since we manufacture in house we can make changes on the "fly". We have a vacuum forming machine that will mold 24" x 32" plastic, for the larger jobs we have it outsourced to a local company.

The kit does include defrost for an extra fee, the kit will include all the necessary parts except the refrigerant to charge it, a belt, and heater hoses. If you need additional parts we will always help our customers without extra cost.

I am on this forum to give my personal guarantee that we will stand behind our products and make sure our customers are happy. As for the gentleman on the forum that states he is a distributor, I have to disagree. We do not have any dealers in Austin.

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I can't speak for the $1600 CCoT kit but I will say everything I have ever bought from them has been a compromise and would expect this to be no different. Uses stock heater/blower motor. This could be an adv/disadv depending on the argument. Anyone know who makes this for them?

From my research I can tell you a MAJOR difference in the Nostalgic and Vintage Air units.

According to the girl with which I spoke today, the $800 NA unit does not have any provision to adjust where the hot/cold air blows out. If one elects the defrost option, again there is no way to control the airflow to either...you get what you get. Additionally there is NO airflow to the feet with either AC or heat. The $1100 VA unit has the selectability of airflow to defrost, knees or feet like any modern system. Per Bob Hollingsworth of TPI, his system is a Vintage Air. Comes down to whether this feature is worth $500 to you.

Both systems recirculate inside air, no outside air is introduced.
 
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I have no problem with another vendor showing the IH8mud community what he has to offer. People are smart, and they will make the best choice for their needs.

I have yet to see a documented install with pictures of a NA unit in a LAND CRUISER FJ40. I have seen this kit in person. It is no where close to what the VA units are like. Also VA has worked closely with myself as well as several Land Cruiser Shop in the state of Texas. They really understand our our trucks, and our needs.

amaurer said:
We very much like mmw68 here, kinda pissing in your pool a bit, eh? Might want to double check your distributors.
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Question to those of you that have installed the Vintage air AC unit

Is the unit sensitive / unique for LHD 40 Series models or

Will the Vintage Air 40 Series AC unit fit a RHD 40 Series ???
 
uh, yea. look at the pics. the evaprator/fan unit mounts under the dash on the pass-side where a RHD vehicle's steering wheel/pedals are located.

Mark, where's that junk condensor you were goingto ship me for trial fit? I still haven't pulled the trigger yet but I am leaning your way.
 
Just so I don't confuse people - Iam only a Vintage Dealer. I did order a unit from several other A/C manufactures, in my effort to provide the best products I could to the IH8mud and land cruiser community. I did receive some dealer pricing from folks like Jon DeLucia, and bought a unit.

In the end I felt that the Vintage Air unit is the best solution for me to use in my personal truck. As a dealer and business owner, I felt the network and support that Vintage Air gives to there dealers is incredible. Every year there is a dealer training, and ongoing support. They have a entire R&D department and staff dedicated to helping me and my customers.

In the end I found that the other A/C wholesalers could not provide the same level of support I wanted, for me - or my customers.

-Mark

mmw68 said:
If you do order the Nostalgic Air kit, make sure you get everything. I also happen to be a Nostalgic Air Dealer, and it is not a complete kit. This kit is very generic, used for many applications. The A/C hoses are not crimped, and the defrost feature is not included. Nostalgic Air has never installed one in a cruiser, they just bought a FJ40 dash to make sure the unit would fit. So they are not going to be very much help with tech support. They are just a A/C parts house, then do not manufacture anything in house, or have a R&D or tech support department like some of the other aftermarket A/C manufacturers.

Here is a shot of the unit.
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dgangle said:
Mark, where's that junk condensor you were goingto ship me for trial fit? I still haven't pulled the trigger yet but I am leaning your way.
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It's still waiting for you! I'll send that out ASAP! Sorry, just for got to do it. :doh: You might have to send me your address again please.
 
A/C

Thanks for all who responded to the thread! I know have had 2 FJ40's with Vintage Air A/c units and also 2 with CCOT A/C. First I will say both do cool well. It all depends what you are looking for. If you want the one that cools the best it is difinitely the Vintage Air kit. If you are more interested in keeping the original look then the CCOT is the best.
 
I have been toying with the idea of AC myself. Not exactly in tune with the true restoration I am working towards, but then again, the heater is after market as well on a 1964.

So my question is, anyone have any pics of that Hurricane mounted in a 40?

The problem I am having with the other brands, including the Vintage Air, is that big unit that hangs down below the dash. I am not saying that this wouldn't be fine, but I find it just too much for my application.

Could I adapt half the Vintage unit, with maybe inner assembly from something else?

BTW...I also like the idea of having both heat, and AC from he same source.
 
We have a '76 40 with the Vintage Air. Had to due some measurements for the belt to be used. Also had one of the holes in the bracket that needed some "hogging out" to fit the engine block. No biggie. Seems to be a good system for the heat here in AZ.
 
I'm thinking of installing A/C on my rebuild. I'm being told its a must to get top Dollar when I want to resell. My FJ40 is a 1970 model, with the more modern options (brake booster, dual brake master cilinder, etc.) My question is, my car has the original F engine, I am having the engine rebuilt, and installing new refbbed alternator, pumps, etc., will the engine suffer with any A/C system, Vintage or CCOT?

Also, for restoration purposes, do purists really reject taking the stock heater system away? For what I see the stock heater is a pain. Also, the heater I have is the one for the 1970 model, not the slicker 80's model. Is the heater motor different? Will that prevent any good A/C installation/operation?

Thanks for your answers!
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/UNIVERSAL-U...Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item3ce4805f69

$500

Guys after 1000s of hours of research I am going to try this kit above. Made in china and imported by the company that is located near me in Largo, FL. I met them they seem professional. I have not installed one yet but will very soon on my 82 FJ43 that is down in Colombia. I like this kit bec it is affordable and not bulky. You need to buy a $125 bracket (or make one) to put on the motor. Note that it has heat and air. It is an affordable solution for those of you that don't run the car all the time. Not sure how effective the heat would be in very cold temps but atleast it has some heat. I have driven several FJs now with the AC on the passenger side. With a soft top not very effective but it helps keep the 2F heat off of you.

We just installed an AC only unit for a Florida client for her FJ43. It certainly looks like a lot of work thus I prefer to have it done in Colombia where the cost is less. I am going to see if they can do the heat lines too.

So far the grey AC unit seems to work well. Truck comes to hot Tampa soon and I plan to try it out.

Note we attached insulation material to the custom floor mat rather than glue it down. I like this much better. Truck will get tint too.
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No idea why i am doubling up on the photos sorry..

here is the grey 1974 FJ43 fixed hard top. very proud of this truck.

I like the passenger side AC in terms of aesthetics. Don't like the bulkiness of the vintage although I realize it is more effective. I may try to do a custom 4 outlet AC unit next time with my AC shop down in Colombia.

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