Dan O Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Has anyone here had experience with an A/C on a 320 straight-eight? I have seen an after-market A/C installed in at least one Roadmaster before but have never heard how it worked. I would think it would be a heavy load on the motor and might not cool very well while overheating the engine. There is room for it under the hood apparently. I live in Houston and the A/C is much needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buick5563 Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 I imagine the biggest pain would be coming up with a compressor mount. Also, if you have not changed over to 12 volts, that'd be the first thing to do. I run AC on both generator and alternator cars, so I don't buy into the "You have to run an alternator" argument. A rebuilt radiator with a decent core has always cooled the car enough for me.Granted, I have not air conditioned a 40's car, but they cool well enough if your weatherstripping and insulation are decent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stoneberg Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 You have to build the mount so it holds the A/C COMPRESSOR AND Alternator. A GM one wire alternator works will. But then, as Mike says, you are running 12 volts which means every light bulb in the car changes.You can bolt the mount to the two bolts that holds you generator and run one belt for all of it. Problem I find is with heat gain under the dash you have to control or the A/C won't help much. You will also need to make sure your cooling system is up to snuff and you put a fan in front.I drove my 47 around Houston for 10 years and while uncomfortable in mid summer it was bearable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 The old swamp coolers show up quite often now and you might be able to get a reproduction. Give one a try first they really do work as long as the humidity is not too high.Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stoneberg Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 Sorry Bernie Good idea but Swamp coolers dont work in Houston which it is already a swamp. Summer norms in Houston are 95 degrees / 95 % humidity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric W Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Ok, it's not a '49 Roadmaster, but it is a Buick straight 8 ('53 Special). I grabbed these off ebay a while back. Might give you some ideas as to how someone else figured it out: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric W Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 How they did the dashboard side: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Problem solved: http://www.jegs.com/p/JEGS-Performance-Products/JEGS-Remote-Mount-Electric-A-C-Compressor/3151133/10002/-1You still need everything else (and a big ol' bucket of money)...12v and a healthy alternator too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Proud of that dude, aren't they, Willie! Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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