How To Add A/C to a Truck Inexpensively

[Pete44ru]

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[2ndovc]

My Dad used to call that the Redneck A/C 2-50.

Put two windows down and do 50 mph!

[GunnyMack]

I always knew it as 270...
Put the 2 windows down and do 70.

[JerryB]

I drove many many miles with 2 50 ac

[M. M. Wright]

Hey Jerry, my old '49 chevy actually has Vintage Air in it. Cost about a grand but has been well worth it. I'm too old to put up with that 2-50.

[Sixgun]

When I was growing up in the sixties, nobody had ac in their house and the only ac in cars was when someone had a windfall of some sort and they had these big boxy aftermarket things attached under the dash.

Today, America is the only country where you can be dirt poor with home ac and a Cadillac parked out front.----6

[JerryB]

I did know of a few rigs that had AC, none of my did. In 1964 I bought a 1962 Pontiac station wagon, our first one with AC. My first pick up with AC was a 77 Ford.

[Rusty]

I can remember back in the early 60's, around 60, or 61 my dad bought a Cadillac that didn't have AC from the factory. He took it back to the shop and had an aftermarket unit put in under the dash. I have pictures of myself being on vacation in Florida around that time and have fuzzy memories of the time. I remember sitting in the middle of the front seat and having my legs near frozen off from that cold air that made everyone else so happy. Sometimes I wish you could still buy those units. I think they were more efficient that the in dash units sold today.

[piller]

Rusty, they were more efficient in some ways. They used Freon-12 which is more efficient than R-134A. I won't go into any more detail so that I don't get political.

[rossim92]

we called them 2-55 acs- two windows down at 55mph

[jeepnik]

I'm an oddity out here. I frequently drive the interstate with my windows down. Most folks are buttoned up inside their climate controlled rolling coffins. Me, I like to see, smell feel and hear the world around me. Crank the music, rolls down all four windows and the rear truck window and go. Just don't have any loose stuff floating around or it may just go out the window.

[AJMD429]

My wife and I have had eight vehicles in the four decades I've been driving; two brand-new and six used. Every one had A/C, one after-market in a truck, and the others all new.

Only TWO of the A/C' s have worked consistently (one in a 1983 pickup, and one in a 2010 Honda), so I don't have much faith in automobile A/C...

[Old No7]

Gee, how about this idea ? ? ?

Old No7

Redneck A-C.jpg

[piller]

That is a prime example of Southern Engineering.

[claybob86]

My wife and I have had eight vehicles in the four decades I've been driving; two brand-new and six used. Every one had A/C, one after-market in a truck, and the others all new.

Only TWO of the A/C' s have worked consistently (one in a 1983 pickup, and one in a 2010 Honda), so I don't have much faith in automobile A/C...

Interesting, we've been driving approximately the same length of time, I might have had more vehicles, but overall, A/C has been pretty reliable for me.

[3leggedturtle]

I saw that coming, dad called 4-55!

[gcs]

Grandpa said he had air under one condition, he opened the windows...

[Griff]

I didn't have A/C in any of my vehicles until I got a 1982 Oldsmobile Cutlass wagon... used in 1985. But... I'd been driving around in A/C equipped squad cars since the late '70s... and kinda liked it... when I had to work days... but you can't hear stuff with the windows up, so it seldom got used except when I was sitting still, writing reports... My wife on the other hand... I bought a new p/u in 1974 for my horseshoein'... and bragged on the fact that it had "Polish A/C"... roll down either or both door windows, slide open the rear window, and keep movin'! Even had those twist wing windows... for a more direct air flow!

Nowadays... if the A/C doesn't work in my Kenworth... it ain't passin' up a repair shop that can fix it!

[jeepnik]

That is a prime example of Southern Engineering.

I have a friend from Ohio that call that West Virginia engineering.

[Rusty]

I can rember driving a Ford F-100 that didn't have factory a/c. what it did have was an excellent vent system with vents in the floor you could open up and get a free flow of fresh air. It seems that when Ford when with A/C they stopped putting the floor vents in. It was a bad day at black rock.

[Malamute]

I just put a window AC in my 4 runner. The issue being traveling in the summer with a dog. I used to only travel much in the winter, but its not a choice right now. Trying to keep all stops under 5 minutes is tough, and so-called fast food isnt always. I detest drive-thrus and eating the the truck.

Leaving the vehicle running with AC on isnt legal in some places or smart, and I certainly wouldnt do it at some random rest stop on the interstate in the middle of the country, so there needed to be another way.

In researching how to keep a vehicle cool, the ice in a bucket or cooler with a fan blowing thru it is not very effective and not practical for random stops or unexpected stops, and doesnt last very long. Google revealed the AC in a rear van or suburban window with small generator seemed somewhat common. The small window units were good on small camper also, they use less power than the rooftop RV AC. Solar was sort of workable, except when it wasnt, like night time, overcast, or parked in the shade. You had little time to keep it running without lots of batteries. So, generator.

The gold standard for reliability and quietness seemed to be the small Hondas. It took a long time to save up to get one. I made a compartment in my hitch mounted cargo box for it, and eventually settled on the side window for the AC unit. Aluminum angle make decent mounting bracket material. It did need a hard start capacitor ($11) to get the AC compressor to start every time reliably with the 2200 watt generator and be able to run it on Economy mode. Eco mode allowed it to run at lower rpms and the fuel to last a LOT longer. The RV, truckers and boat people had all this figured out, so it was just a matter of finding the info.

It looks pretty hillbilly, but I dont care, it does what I need, and I could sleep in it and stay cool if need be. I can also take the dog around town now without worrying about her cooking or somebody breaking the window out to rescue her. I think I will paint the AC to match the truck color though. It makes a little wind noise, Im goin to try some thin plywood pieces over the vent when driving that can come off easy when I want to use the AC.

RE the vehicle AC not working, ive had several that the charge leaked down over the winter and needed recharged. One charge at the beginning of summer would usually do it. After paying shops to recharge it, I found out my neighbor had the gadget/gauge to refill them, I ended up buying one ($18) and just recharged the 4runner. I think the can of refrigerant was about $4 or $5. FYI, one can didnt work, the nipple on the can was too short for the tool to pierce the seal. I got the tool that used the most common type of refrigerant can. If its just low on refrigerant, thats pretty easy to fix in about 15 minutes at home. I used to suffer a while before spending the $40 or whatever to have a shop recharge the AC. Never again. I like the AC at about 66 degrees.