Vintage Air: Weekend Install?

[Bruce Wingate]

1984 K10 pickup originally with factory air but with half of it removed by the PO when he put in the new engine.

I just ordered a Vintage Air Surefit kit, Front Runner serpentine kit and associated bits and pieces.

Assuming 1) I work slow, 2) I am average with mechanical skills but not the best at fab work, so am even slower at that and 3) I can get most of the prep work and removal done on a Friday Night, is this a job that can be done solo over a weekend?

If I were to split this over two weekends, I could do the AC work one weekend and the serpentine kit the other but what do I do about the coolant going through the heater core Is that something I can just put short hoses with plugs on. Goal is to keep the truck running during the week.

I've read the instructions several times and watched a billion videos. The videos make it seem like you can do it before lunch.

Any input on a plan of attack?

 

[Craig 85]

I would loop the heater hoses for now and tackle the cab install first.

 

[Bruce Wingate]

Thanks Craig. Did a little googling and found variations on that technique for "heater delete "

 

[Bruce Wingate]

Parts have been ordered (and some have arrived). I've read the instructions about 10 times looking for gotchas (like you need a reverse fan). After vacation next week, the project starts, sort of.

This all started because I was tracking down some dodgy wiring behind the dash (no lights, no radio, volt and temp gauges are wonky). So things needed to come apart. Once I straighten that out, the AC project starts:

0) Basic disassembly - remove grill, whatever else I can find that I can take out but keep the car running; assemble the dash parts
1) Radiator and fan out; stock AC parts removed - this marks when I'll have to start working with a purpose as the truck will be non-operational
2) Installation of Front Runner serpentine system
3) Installation of Radiator and electric fans [see reverse fan gotcha above]- If I loop the heater hoses the truck will be operational again if needed
4) Installation of Vintage Air cabin components and connection with heater hoses - technically, the truck will be operational from this point on
5) Remaining components of Vintage Air installed
6) Put everything back together [and onto other projects]

I'll probably use this thread to talk to myself until I pull the trigger and then do a build thread if I can.

 

[Doppleganger]

Picked one of these up at the zone for about $8 for just such a project. Have used it 4x now.

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[Bruce Wingate]

I was basically done with this two weekends ago. I started the weekend after July 4 - so rough math, this took 3 months to do.

I hit a few major, to me, road blocks: first, the crank bolt would not go in - this tied me up for weeks until I finally go the right sized chasing thread. Next, the Vintage Air ac hard lines did not line up with the holes in the firewall, I was scared to bend and kink the lines, so that took a week to straighten out. Finally, power steering parts and lines took some time. This probably added a month total and then another couple of weeks with family obligations and waiting on parts and little "while I'm in there" stuff. If I would have worked diligently and had everything in hand to start, I could have probably done the serpentine belt kit and radiator/electric fans one weekend and then the AC in two more. Add in another week of wiring cleanup and a month is reasonable for an inexperienced hack like me. Better planning would only have the truck non-driving for a week at most too.

What would I have done differently:
1) Gather all my parts and triple check directions before starting to make sure I could work through the project
2) Break the project up into smaller parts with an eye specifically on getting the truck back to running on Sunday.
3) Keep the "extras" to a minimum. I added an aluminum radiator and fans, interior bits, wiring upgrades, steering box upgrade, new radio and a lighting upgrade to the mix that added time. My thought was to keep from having to redo to much, but really they could have been done separately.
4) Local help would have been great to have. I did this alone and only on weekends due to work. A lot of the stuff I ordered through Amazon or the big truck vendors I found out I could have gotten from a local speed shop (S&K Speed - I thought speed shops were extinct! ) I was worried that the younger staff would be, well, clueless or JDM centric, but they all knew their stuff

All in all, a fun project. I still have to clean up the wiring, get the system charged and put the dash back in, but everything works and the truck runs

 

[Randy and Easton]

This was a good thread. We bought Easton Vintage Air for his 16th birthday and his plan (his budget) was to pay a local hot rod shop to do it… well, we are having trouble imposing on this guy that has helped us so much the last year. We thought by letting them do the vintage air we could pass back some for all the advise he has given Easton during this project at no charge… they local vintage air distributor here said $2500 and 5-7 days to do it. E. Said no way… so unless we get some response over next week or so looks like dad and son will be tearing his square down and doing it ourselves…..

Been watching videos and going over the installation manual for some time.. we are scared but at the same time, fairly confident we can do it. Then find a local shop to vacuum dry and charge system is all we will need hopefully….

 

[Jdgrant96]

It’s really not that bad once you have everything out and apart. If I remember right I did it in two weekends, and that’s only because I had to fab a compressor mount out of the air pump mount on my I6. I think the most difficult part was getting the box in by myself. I even did the vacuum and charge by myself, just watch a few videos and borrow the
tools from O’reillys.

 

[SquareRoot]

I did it. It's not hard, just time consuming..VA had great instructions. I even bought a vacuum pump and guage kit for under a $100 and did the evacuating and charging myself with cans of 134 from AutoZone. Been working great for a couple years now. And, now I know how it works and have the tools to maintain it.

 

[Bruce Wingate]

Its really not that hard, but I did the whole Front Runner system which includes the brackets. (Fabrication is really my weakness - I can bolt things on and take them off all day long ). I did end up buying a few tools mostly for wire stripping and crimping and the AC line crimper.

The hard part will be the under dash wiring just because of how awkward it is.

 

[Randy and Easton]

Never even began to to entertain the idea of vacuuming and charging but maybe if we end up this far in.. why not? He is going to decide by mid week next week after he is back from church camp.

Thank you all so much.. I am encouraged by your support.

Randy and E

 

[Randy and Easton]

Will we have to fabricate a compressor mount? I thought that was all in the kit?

 

[Randy and Easton]

Well we have done as much as we can do until we find out if our local hot rod shop is interested in doing the VA install.. If not it will have to wait till end of the month after Easton’s church camp..

 

[Jdgrant96]

Will we have to fabricate a compressor mount? I thought that was all in the kit?

It depends if you included it in your purchase. I had to, they don’t make a mount for the inline 6. I think a basic mount should have been included but can’t be sure.

 

[Randy and Easton]

Better open the box and see i guess