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We are considering installing after market A/C into a 1956 400. Does any anyone have any suggestions? I am looking for a nice vintage option.

Thanks

Paul

I think the easiest and most comfortable will be an under dash hangon unit and the most period correct looking will be the Mark IV steel repro from Vintage Air. Those were very popular in the late 50's - early 60's. Unless you find an old serviceable unit in a junkyard, doubt you will find anything available today truly looking like the original styling of the period. Maybe a good thing because some of the older units used fans instead of blowers and were not nearly as efficient as modern units. Classic Auto Air and Old Air Products also have some units that look period but I believe their cases are modern molded plastic and a little plain looking. IMO the chrome and metal of the Vintage unit would look more correct for a 50's chrome laden Packard.

Downside to the Vintage unit is it is a tad larger than the offerings from Classic or Old Air. One thing to watch for if you do the hangon is the height and depth of the unit. You need to make sure the one you choose will fit over the tunnel yet mount low and back enough so the glove box door will fully open. You may want to make brackets to mount the evaporator on the tunnel rather than hang off the dash.

There have been other modern models chosen and installed but some of the more modern slim designs are fairly wide and encroach on the passengers foot space to package the works. It all boils down to what you want to offer in space and to see daily. Trunk units were a Packard option in 56 but nothing modern really duplicates them. You might be able to find some of the clear plastic ducts that go across the rear window and eliminate using the modern vent packages though. Downside is you also have the fact that with a trunk unit there is no cool air to blow in your face on a hot day.

Another problem is mounting the compressor. There are no commercial compressor brackets for the Packard V8 from the AC companies that I know of. One fellow does make a bracket that fits and works but it does not look 1956. There may be some used brackets of the period still available from one of our regular posters. Those could be adapted for use with the Sanden compressor by adding a universal York to Sanden conversion mount. There was some talk of others possibly making a bracket like ARA and some of the period aftermarket people made but I have not seen any offered for sale yet. Many just make their own bracket or have a one off specially made for their particular needs.

The correct smaller diameter crankshaft drive pulley is being repro'd so that is not a large obstacle but is somewhat expensive. Others have added a second power steering pulley, and while it is larger in diameter than ideal, should not pose a problem with modern Sanden Compressors.

Some of the aftermarket units come with a power relay but if not, be sure to run the unit thru a relay controlled by the ign switch and not powered directly off the switch. The switch capacity is marginal on the V8 ign switches and the added load of AC could hasten it's failure. Another item getting to be in short supply and not cheap to replace.

Roadster,

I have a vintage Mark IV unit that blew ice cold prior to removing from my 55 400. I also have compressor, dryer and all hanging hardware. Will sell as I have no intention of putting back into my 400. Keep in mind shipping will be the real issue beyond the cost of the unit. Send me a PM if interested and we'll 'talk'pricing.

I went through this last year, eventually installing a vintage air system with their version of a Mark III knee knocker.

Agree with the previous comments; here are some added/alternative ideas:

If your cooling system is in good shape, do not bother with an electric fan. After numerous overheating problems and adding the fan, my radiator blew. It turned out it had been cheaply recored in the past; going back to original specs made all the difference in the world.

My system is specifically not freon, but the new stuff.

I added an alternator (65 amp) which I do not regret. Makes a big difference, particularly at night. Didn't use the dash ammeter because I was told that in a high amperage situation the meter could/would be blown. Has a red light discretely under dash on left which turns off if alternator is ok. May yet put an ammeter down there instead.

If you wish to look original, there are folks that will put a modern alternator in a generator case but I remember it as expensive....

Brackets:http://www.1956goldenhawk.com/acpulley.htm

Mounted in cabin unit so glove box door opens enough, but not fully, so vents would have a chance. Your mileage may vary.

On a summer bake-off day going to an outdoor event it is great to arrive fresh; it's equally great to be revived before you get home....

I bought my 56 Esquire hardtop with a Frigi-King under-dash unit that looks almost as old as the car. I am told that it worked fine until the original Packard radiator could no longer be re-cored and a Ford F-150 radiator was substituted. That change involved a shifting of the radiator inlet slightly to the right so that the York compressor could no longer have its belt routed without hitting the relocated hose. I fixed that with some creative hose work and that's where I should have stopped. Instead, I decided to replace the thermostat of uncertain age, although, in retrospect, it wasn't really behaving badly. The Frigi-King compressor mounting plate is a thing of welded beauty but it passes between the waterpump and the upper inlet fitting. I don't know if the other aftermarket brands of the vintage units route their mounting plates in a similar manner, but this has bedeviled me in getting it to stop leaking after it was reassembled.

Over the years I must have replaced fifty thermostats and never had a problem as persistent as this one. I will continue to try, no matter how frustrated and with back pain I become. A variety of sealants and gaskets has not remedied the situation. So, the adage of not fixing what's not broken is something I should have heded before attempting to get the old unit functioning in time for warm weather. If anyone has a suggestion, including removing every trace of Frigi-King, then I am ready to hear it. Until then, I will keep trying to keep coolant where it belongs and hopefully someday have cool air coming out from under the dash. This is definitly not a problem that can be laid at Packard's doorstep.

I believe most all of the period V8 brackets utilized the thermostat outlet bolts as a support point -- even Packards version. Here are a few variations. I agree, it is a royal P.I.A. to have to do any work around the thermostat on an AC equipped car. At least some of the aftermarket guys figured out a way to do theirs so the oil filter didn't need to move -- and the ones that did move the filter provided a separate bracket so filter didn't have to be removed when working on the thermostat.

AFAIK, the only way to do without that particular outlet support is to figure your own out or get one of Jack Nordstrom's modern mounts. Unfortunately you would have to make other changes with his. One, would be to get rid of the York compressor because his mount works with Sandens. The second (unless he has revised his mount) is to add an alternator and bracket because with the brackets shown, he utilizes the space the generator currently occupies for his compressor. I don't know if this alternator bracket can accept a compressor but there is a possibility he revised it. IIRC, he advertised a compressor mount and pulley in one of the Packard publications and no mention of any other changes required.

Can't link directly to the 56 Golden Hawk projects page where his photos are posted but here is a borrowed photo showing a pair of his brackets. If you want to look at all of the photos including one of his repro crank pulley or get his contact info, go to the sitehttp://www.1956goldenhawk.com/ select options and in the misc items column look for the AC addition info.

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Can't just drop the bracket on tbe engine and tighten up the bolts. The bracket must have any appropriate shimming between the t'stat housong and bottpm of bracket so as not to stress the.bracket nor the t'stat housing/water pump.
Mite require loosening water pump bolts and adjuating fit of bracket ay all points woth shims or filing etxc.
BOTTOM LINE: the bracket MUST BE STRESSED RELIEVED by fastidious hand fitting!!!!!

When tigbtening the bracket bolts tigbten the t'stat bolts FIRST!!!! Then run something like a .005 feeler gauge between the head and the bracket to make sure there is no large gap. Might have to loossen the t'stat bolts to slightly reposition bracket or change shimming between t'stat and bracket.
BOTTOM LINE; hand fit the bracket so that it is not stressing neither itslef nor the t'stat. Use what ever kind of shims or other hand fitting provedures as needed.

The outlet is a fairly thin stamping so another thing to check is make sure previous tightenings have not distorted the holes and sealing surface as happens frequently with oil pans.

Not sure what your AC bracket looks like but in addition to Keiths suggestion of checking the brackets flatness to head, a different tightening approach might work -- if there is room.

On mine, I didn't want to disturb the outlet gasket and seal if the compressor had to remove so I changed the bolts to studs and installed the outlet first using a separate pair of thin jam nuts. If you have separate spacers for your bracket, change those to thinner ones to allow for the thickness of nuts. Then install the bracket over the nuts and spacers and add final washers and nuts to the studs to hold the bracket. The fit to head is still important but you can get by with being a tad off better with the second nut approach & you can enlarge the holes a bit so the bracket can tolerate a little tilt.

If your bracket has built in spacers like the factory cast bracket, you can still do the same thing but you will have to add a shim on the head side the same thickness as the nuts. Possibly also need to enlarge the bracket side to head holes slightly to account for the raised height being slightly offset from the threaded head holes. I used this approach and with the thin 7/32 jam nuts, used a length of 3/16" x 1" flat bar as a shim. Also did the enlarged holes for the slight mismatch.

With either approach, it is easily reversible and back to stock for anyone who wishes to reverse the change.

Forgot to note that Mike Dulinski made the compressor mount for me...reasonably.

I also have the Packard 6 bladed fan, courtesy of a member of this forum.