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Maybe in the color I desire!

I read 40 was the first year for AC. How many were actually produced with it? Unlikely to find one. It would be easier to add modern AC components.

They are uncommon and finding components is very hard. (My car is missing most) An issue to address with modern add on is that they typically use a 12 V clutch on the compressor. The blower is less of an issue. Underhood look is pretty bad if that matters to you

When new it cost 30-40% of an entry level car. Packard 180’s were getting power windows around this time too

Joe Block had a prewar unit for sale last year but no idea if he still has it. Perhaps someone else has his contact info as I don't believe he checks in at this forum very often.

As far as modern compressors, unless you are into fabrication or find an older rebuildable York orTecumseh compressor which, while still wrong, would look more appropriate I believe you will be limited to one or two models of the Sanden unit. Universal mounts are easy to find and modify for the Sandens but you will still need to fabricate your own bracket. I think the simple design Ross came up with is one of the better and easier to make for the Sandens. In addition, there is no provision on the crank pulley to drive the compressor as Packard chose to drive the prewar compressors via a special fan pulley. You will need to figure out how that is best done and depending on how the engine sits, there may be no clearance room at the crossmember to add an extra groove to the vibration damper. Some have used one long belt to drive the fan, generator, and compressor pulleys but those were on postwar cars. I don't know if that will be feasible depending on which engine you use. Some of the engines have fairly wide belts but I don't know if whip would be an issue with heavy belts and long unsupported lengths between pulleys.

There are a few Sanden compressors working on 6v. Specs say they need 7+ volts minimum to pull in and if the generator is operating properly it seems to work. Dwight Heinmuller is running his 54 factory air car that way but don't know who has the other units or what type they are.

If you need some ideas for A/C on a prewar car I can post pictures of my dad's '38 Super 8. The car came out of Texas and was equipped by the previous owner with aftermarket A/C. I currently don't have it all hooked up after we rebuilt the engine, but all the parts are still there. It did work well in the past.

I'll be honest though....I hate everything about the A/C system. It takes up an insane amount of room everywhere. Engine bay, trunk, and under the dash. Oh man, under the dash is the stuff of nightmares. Part of me would love to remove it all but I fear that would cause way more problems.

-Kevin

As far as fabrication and such, I don't hope or intend to find someone to do all the work. I'm a little worse than a DIY'er, I'm a DIMwit ---a Do It Myself'er. Hiring people to do things has rarely ever worked for me. When trying to find someone to work on a car, if they did the work at all, rarely did they meet expectations, other things came back broken and the price was way above any range they mentioned with no communication. There has only been a few times when people have done good. I'm sure many have had these same experiences. With that, I did everything I could on my own car. Instead of paying people, I bought tools. Since 2006, I own a transmission shop with machining capabilities. The schedule is currently out to September which is love/hate. The reputation is good enough people will wait that crazy amount of time.
So, I don't mind some fabrication to make life more pleasant.

Mark

hi Kevin,
I'd like to see pics. The only time I will be using this car is in the summer. There seems to be a lot of different AC systems available. The passenger compartment of the coupe is so small, it doesn't need big AC components. Hopefully it can be done in a discreet manner.

Mark

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I'll post pictures in a separate thread, probably later tonight. That way it can be easily found and referenced by others who might be looking for the same thing. Most of the components for the system are from Vintage Air.

-Kevin

A new swamp-type cooler may be available. These were once popular in the Southwestern states. They attach to a window opening and blow fresh, cooled air into the car. They are ungainly looking, but period-correct, and they involve little or no modification to the car. They work well at altitude and in areas with a dry climate.

Auto Swamp Cooler (?)

There are several versions of swamp coolers, some old and some new repros are available on ebay, TxGoat is correct that they were a very popular option in dry desert climates. Not too sure how well they would work in the more humid areas of the country though. All need to have their reservoir filled with water periodically so depending on unit that can get a bit messy.

Versions that sit on the hump and plug into the cigar lighter were popular but their downside is with the car windows closed to keep out hot air they recirculate increasingly humid air until the air becomes very muggy and they no longer cool very well. Others that fit in a passenger side or rear window work much better but have the downside of not being able to open the window and sometimes a door but do usually cool quite well as long as the climate is dry. The pads on those also need to be kept moist which is done by pulling a cord periodically to rotate the cylinder holding the pad thru the water reservoir. That was kept filled by using the water hose at the filling station or by pouring water in a small opening on the outside of the unit. One thing you do not want to do with those units is pull the cord to rewet the pads too rapidly as you are going down the road or you are likely to get a seat or lapful of water.

There was a unit that sat on the hump that was popular where I grew up (southern part of New Mexico) that did not use water but had cans of something that was frozen in your home freezer. Several cans were placed in the unit which were positioned so they chilled some fins the air was blown thru. Cans lasted for a few hours and when they thawed they could be exchanged for freshly frozen cans. A small fee and your thawed cans at many gas stations meant you could continue using the cooler on a longer trip. No idea how often that unit was seen in other areas.

I’ve had a couple if the hump units and was surprised at how well they worked but I was in a drier climate.