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Thread: When was the last time you had a car without AC?

  1. #11
    Senior Member stevedmc's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cobrajet View Post
    This 1978 F150, about 2-3 years ago. I am glad it didn't have AC because it wouldn't have worked and my OCD would have compelled me to spend a bunch of money making it work.

    AC really isn't necessary around here. It only gets over 90 degrees for a total of about 5-6 weeks a year.
    ]
    AC is pretty much a requirement if you want to survive the summer in Louisiana. I had a 1985 F 150 that didn't have working AC when I got it. I simply put some r134a adapters on the system, pulled vacuum and filled it with r134a. I didn't do a proper conversion and the AC lasted a good year until the vehicle caught fire one day and went out in a nice boom. It was a spectacular sight.

    Dad liked my truck so much that he went out and bought himself an identical F150 the following year, without working AC. We did the same half baked conversion simply by installing adapters, pulling vacuum, and filling it with r134a. For a proper conversion you are supposed to at least replace the compressor oil with ester oil and flush the lines. We did neither and the thing is still rocking and rolling. In fact, his vent temperatures are slightly lower than what I get in the Mirage.



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  3. #12
    Senior Member Cobrajet's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by stevedmc View Post
    AC is pretty much a requirement if you want to survive the summer in Louisiana.
    I certainly believe that! I have also heard it is pretty damned nice in the spring and fall, too.

    Before this truck I actually had another '78 Ford. That one was an F250. While the brown F150 was a basic, low-option truck (302-2V, C4), the blue F250 had a few more goodies...namely, the 460-4V. I loved just standing behind that truck and listening to it idle. "Wub-wub-wub-wub-wub..." There is no sound on earth like a big-block V8! That truck pulled like a bull elephant.

    Both were local trucks, so neither came with AC. Not surprising. It was a $400-$500 option on a $5,000-$6,000 truck that people around here figured they could do without. Believe it or not, I bought the blue one at a local wrecking yard.


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  5. #13
    Senior Member stevedmc's Avatar
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    That’s beautiful.

    I’m an in-line engine man. I wouldn’t own a ford unless it had a straight 6. Those engines are hard to kill.

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    A 1998 Fiat Punto. I bought it in 2008, and traded it in 2013. One of the reasons to trade it was that I wanted AC.

    Fun fact: that was the first time I considered to buy a new car. When searching for a replacement for my Punto, I found two top ten lists on the site of the ANWB, the 10 cheapest (TCO) and the then 10 most economical (km/L) cars. The Space Star was on both (exclusively), and was not yet available as used car.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2013 Space Star Cleartec Intense 1.0 manual: 55.7 mpg (US) ... 23.7 km/L ... 4.2 L/100 km ... 66.9 mpg (Imp)


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  8. #15
    Senior Member Cobrajet's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by stevedmc View Post
    That’s beautiful.

    I’m an in-line engine man. I wouldn’t own a ford unless it had a straight 6. Those engines are hard to kill.
    You'll never hear me complain about a 300 six, but those old iron block V8s are pretty tough hombres as well..especially in low-compression, low-output, late-1970s tune.

    I made the mistake of running some old 'sweet' gas through that 460. It had sat for a LONG time before I got it. It gummed up the intake valves to the point that I bent a few pushrods! Other than that and some leaky exhaust manifold gaskets, both V8s ran like tops...nearly 40 years later.

  9. #16
    Moderator Eggman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cobrajet View Post
    I certainly believe that! I have also heard it is pretty damned nice in the spring and fall, too.

    Before this truck I actually had another '78 Ford. That one was an F250. While the brown F150 was a basic, low-option truck (302-2V, C4), the blue F250 had a few more goodies...namely, the 460-4V. I loved just standing behind that truck and listening to it idle. "Wub-wub-wub-wub-wub..." There is no sound on earth like a big-block V8! That truck pulled like a bull elephant.

    Both were local trucks, so neither came with AC. Not surprising. It was a $400-$500 option on a $5,000-$6,000 truck that people around here figured they could do without. Believe it or not, I bought the blue one at a local wrecking yard.

    That's a beautiful truck - and from a wrecking yard.

    Pickup trucks have come a long way since these.

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)


  10. #17
    Senior Member Cobrajet's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Eggman View Post
    That's a beautiful truck - and from a wrecking yard.

    Pickup trucks have come a long way since these.
    Thanks! It really was quite nice. Had 107,000 original miles, IIRC. I was actually heading to Portland to look at another truck when I stopped at this wrecking yard on my way out of town. I needed a part for a different car, and saw this truck just sitting there! Pure chance that I stopped, but I was glad I did.

    This truck came with factory cruise control, and much to my amazement IT WORKED! The interior was very...ah, "1970s"!


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  12. #18
    Senior Member timw4mail's Avatar
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    All 3 cars I've owned have had AC. So to answer the thread, never.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2018 Mirage SE 1.2 automatic: 33.6 mpg (US) ... 14.3 km/L ... 7.0 L/100 km ... 40.4 mpg (Imp)


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  14. #19
    Senior Member Subcompact Culture's Avatar
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    My 1995 Suzuki Sidekick, aka the Teal Terror, didn't have A/C. I sold it in December, 2016. Great little rig, but hot in the summer!

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  16. #20
    Does anyone know offhand if you can still buy a new mainstream car in the US that doesn't come with factory air?


        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


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