Anyone Using a Portable Air Conditioner in their Car?

[Angelfish]

I mean other the the window units you see spray foamed into Suburbans in the Walmart parking lot.  
A quick search didn’t turn up anything recent, if there’s a recent thread about this if someone would kindly direct me to it.  
Otherwise, does anyone have a recommendation for a portable AC for our base model sedans ordered by some cheapskate who figured he could just roll down the windows?   There are even cordless rechargeable versions  available.  Prices are $50 to $1000 in all shapes and sizes.   Almost sounds too good to be true. 

[Frank DuVal]

Let's see.....  That old 60s GM A-6 compressor system was good for up to 5 tons of cooling at 60 mph back in the 60s. That's 60,000 BTU/hr. Say you have filled all the holes from old worn weatherstrip so the wind doesn't blow through your car too much, you still need over 30,000 btu/hr to cool if the weather is hot. If you get a Prius or Tesla battery in your car, then you could get 30 to 50k btu out of electric vehicle AC. 6 or 12 volts? Not easy!

 

I don't know who you are insulting with your cheapskate comment. AC was not bought by a majority of people into the very late 60s. AC on a 1965 Chevelle added 15% to the purchase price! 

[Ohjai]

Don't be a cheapskate, buy an AC system that will really work from someone like Classic Aire.

[Angelfish]

15 hours ago, Ohjai said:

Don't be a cheapskate, buy an AC system that will really work from someone like Classic Aire.

That would undoubtedly be the most effective solution and I haven’t ruled it out, but it would involve irreparable modifications.  
 

 

On 7/13/2021 at 9:56 PM, Frank DuVal said:

...I don't know who you are insulting with your cheapskate comment...

Only people who take themselves too seriously. 

[61polara]

I think what you are talking about are evaporative coolers.  They work in low humidity areas, but not well in high humidity areas like the Southeast.

[misterc9]

What kind of car is this for?

[Matt Harwood]

I can't imagine there's a battery-powered air conditioner that can cool a car. It can't be anything more than a fan. There's a reason the engine bogs down when the A/C compressor kicks on and it isn't because the A/C requires just a little juice.

 

If you want A/C in your car, the best suggestion was to install an aftermarket system from one of the big companies that specialize in just that. The modifications don't have to be permanent--the brackets on the engine bolt on, the condenser bolts on, and they offer those boxes that go under the dash that look like vintage units you'd get from Sears or Montgomery Ward, which also simply bolt into place. The modifications required aren't drastic at all and could probably be undone in the span of an afternoon if it was critical. We're planning just such a system for Melanie's '56 Chrysler and I have no intention of cutting or hacking anything in that car.

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

I installed a "hang under the dash" unit in my '50 Buick.  The only modifications that were made were a few holes for the hoses.  They could have been hidden if I had gotten help from the [ gasp ] hot rod/ custom crowd.

 

  Ben

[Angelfish]

On 7/16/2021 at 2:00 PM, misterc9 said:

What kind of car is this for?

1957 Buick Special 

 

On 7/16/2021 at 2:13 PM, Matt Harwood said:l. We're planning just such a system for Melanie's '56 Chrysler and I have no intention of cutting or hacking anything in that car.

I’ll take a look. 

[shawnmichal]

Yes, I am using a portable air conditioner in my V8  The AC system of my V8 was not working so instead of repairing it I decided to use a portable air conditioner. Whenever we go to any picnic point we use it during travelling and when we reach to the destination we use it in our camp. 

Edited August 26, 2021 by shawnmichal (see edit history)

[Peter Gariepy]

There are units that work in a pinch.  I have a buddy with an older VW van who uses this:

 

https://www.icybreeze.com

[ted sweet]

On 8/26/2021 at 2:11 PM, Peter Gariepy said:

There are units that work in a pinch.  I have a buddy with an older VW van who uses this:

 

https://www.icybreeze.com

tried a similar unit. ice last about 45 minutes

[mcdarrunt]

I hope you realize that the heated air from the condenser must be discharged outside the car while the cooled air from the evaporator is discharged inside the car. No way can a unit all inside a car can work since the heat absorbed is exactly equal to the heat discharged.

[31nash880]

Try looking for small aircraft use. My son used one but don't know any more. 

[NewOldWood]

On 8/26/2021 at 1:11 PM, Peter Gariepy said:

There are units that work in a pinch.  I have a buddy with an older VW van who uses this:

 

https://www.icybreeze.com

I thought about this at one time, then did some math. One BTU will change the temp of one pound of water one degree F. To melt one pound of ice with no change in temp requires 144 BTUs. So one pound of ice at zero degrees will absorb 214 BTUs to bring it to seventy degrees. It's going to take a lot of ice to equal the 30,000 or so BTU output of a typical automotive air conditioner. An engine driven unit is really the only way to go.