T/A Addict

I'm fixing to weld up some panels on the firewall to smooth things out a bit and going to use Vintage air so I have a question.


What areas need to be left open for access of A/C, heater hoses etc?

ls1nova71

iTrader: (4)

If you get the "Sure Fit" one, they may use some of the factory openings, but most people fill them all in then make their own holes for the hoses, less places for hot air to enter the car that way.

33willys

iTrader: (1)

What I've done in the past is to locate the unit under the dash then figure where the hoses can be located as far to the pass. side as possible and as high as needed to insure they are out of foot area. Separate the under dash unit and the firewall pass thru as much as possible because it will be VERY tight bending the hoses. Two different methods of firewall pass thru. One is rubber grommets and the other is billet fixtures. I like the grommets better because there are less connections to leak but the billet aluminum ones look better. As a side note you may want to invest in an A/C hose crimping kit. Not expensive and you can recover some of the cost doing hoses for others. I also like your efforts to smooth the firewall. Makes for a class act on a swap. One last thing, I like to use the billet firewall wire pass thru. they look good, easy to add wires later and add to the clean look.

reedld

iTrader: (7)

This is what I did. Lower passenger side...PO covered original HVAC holes. It is all VA, coolant hoses run up under fender.

dlwilson

iTrader: (1)

I haven't put in a Vintage Air unit yet, but once the car is running I will. One of the car magazines recently showed an idea I plan to use. They mounted the VA unit under the dash, and ran the AC and heater lines through the passenger kick panel, then forward inside the fender to the front of the car. No holes in the firewall, and the lines were almost completely concealed.