1959 adding Air conditioning

Notice: This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated. As an eBay Partner, and Amazon Associate I may be compensated if you make a purchase at no cost to you. Thank you for your support!
Jack Connell

Jack Connell

Member
Last seen
Joined
Jul 21, 2019
Thunderbird Year
1959
My bird does not have AC. I have spent countless hours and research procuring original factory parts. I am curious if anyone else has attempted this - it is a daunting task.t54.png
 
My '63 Bullet Bird came with factory A/C - actually made sure when I bought it - BUT my '69 Chevelle did NOT. Compounding the problem was the Chevy-direct crate 502 I put in cramped the engine bay almost like the V8 in those Baby Birds. MY SOLUTION came from Vintage Air, but it WAS a project. They don't make a kit directly for your Bird the way they did for my Chevelle (if it had the stock 327 it shipped with) but like I said, cramped quarters made it a much bigger project. They DO make parts (their "Builder" series) that you could use to add A/C to the '59 though and their people are terrific on the phone; I'd say give 'em a call. 1-800-862-6658 - can't hurt to try!
 
Thank you for your reply. The after-market Vintage Air uses small ac registers mounted under the dash, whereas I want the original center vent to be located above the radio in the dash. I drove to Phoenix where I visited a salvage yard and bought OEM parts including the evaporator and ducting. I shipped the evaporator to Classic Auto Air in Florida and had it restored. As you can see I want to bring the AC back to original. I am about 2/3rd's done with all new parts, however, I am now dead in the water. I cannot locate Roto-Locks for my rebuilt York compressor nor find a/c hoses that will fit. I have come to realize I am over my head and need to reach out to someone who can help me finish.

Thank you
 

Attachments

  • 59bi.jpg
    59bi.jpg
    72.7 KB · Views: 0
I need front bumper deck lid hood interior parts I have a convertible that I want to restore and a coupe for parts but the body is in good shape I don’t want to destroy for convertible the coupe needs trans and driveshaft and cross member
 
Back
Top