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1962 Gran Turismo Hawk Vintage air AC/Heater conversion

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  • Cool/Heat: 1962 Gran Turismo Hawk Vintage air AC/Heater conversion

    We want to put a Vintage Air AC/Heater in a 1962 Gran Turismo Hawk ... Is there a better way to go? Anything to watch out for? Any coaching available would be wonderful ... Thanx

  • #2
    I like the small, under dash, AC evaporator/heater. It works great, and in California that heater will probably be all you need in cooler weather. In rainy weathere, just turn on both the heat and AC simultaneously, and you will stay toasty, and the windows will remain fog free. I also use the OEM heater here in Kentucky. Combined with the under dash unit they work great down into the single digits, and the windows remain fog free.

    The AC is marginal, even when at its best That is because the 'K' body Studes leak a lot of hot air, from the outside to inside. The heater works differently, since the fender vents over pressurize the car, so cold air does not leak in, but you do still leak some warm air to the outside. What I am saying, the heater works much better than the AC. In temps 90 and above, the AC is OK for folks in the front seat, but just OK. Those in the back seat will be uncomfortably warm.

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    • #3
      Here too if you check the search and find Jerry Forrester, he has a vintage unit in his '53 (named Buttercup) and there are some pic's of it. Jerry has a note at the bottom of his posts that say's click here for all of Buttercups photos. It links you to IMGR and has lots of pic's. Bill

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      • #4
        Using their Slim Line heat, A/C, defrost unit in Wife's 57 Silver Hawk. can ride 'round in summer with windows down and stay cool! Luck Doofus

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        • #5
          A couple pictures of Vintage Air in the Speedster
          Attached Files

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          • #6
            Originally posted by doofus View Post
            Using their Slim Line heat, A/C, defrost unit in Wife's 57 Silver Hawk. can ride 'round in summer with windows down and stay cool! Luck Doofus
            I have always heard the 'C' body Studes are ore air tight, but never owned one. I do recall the AC worked quite well in a 65 Sport Sedan I owned in the 1980s. Also, the heat/AC unit in my older brother's 1949 Stude pickup worked as good as most modern setups. I attribute that to the truck being fairly airtight, and much less cubic feet of space to heat/cool in the small cab.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Dancnman View Post
              We want to put a Vintage Air AC/Heater in a 1962 Gran Turismo Hawk ... Is there a better way to go? Anything to watch out for? Any coaching available would be wonderful ... Thanx
              Vintage Air is probably the best way to get a cool '62 Hawk. If you are interested in originality for your Hawk, get a 1962 Studebaker unit and install it. It will be approximately the same amount of work, perhaps less for an original unit since it is basically an add-on under dash unit.
              Gary L.
              Wappinger, NY

              SDC member since 1968
              Studebaker enthusiast much longer

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              • #8
                I agree with Joe Hall regarding the A/C in K car. I put one in mine and it was not too effective; too much A/C loss from warm air coming in. Folks in back seat had very little cooling. The heater part was great and provided what was needed. As a result I seldom used the A/C. I have one complete system on the shelve and am reluctant to install on my '62 GT that I am working on considering past experience. Chet445

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                • #9
                  AC aside, I was burning my feet on any trips over 20 minutes so I decided to see what was going on. If you added up the total square footage of all the holes in the firewall it would probably be the equivalent of a side window rolled down. I used an insulating material on it and the rest of the interior. The old original cardboard with padding crumbled as I removed it
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                  Last edited by Chartrain; 08-20-2019, 01:16 PM.

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                  • #10
                    I used a plumbing roof boot to cover the hole where the steering column goes through the firewall as the original style has metal in it making it difficult to install w/o removing the column. Works and they are cheap.
                    Attached Files

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                    • #11
                      Agree, sealing the firewall holes definitely makes for less air transfer into the cab, winter and summer. With motor out and firewall cover removed, I like to put a strong electrical light under the hood, turnout the lights in the garage, then lay in the floorboard and look under the dash. All the light coming through the holes is an eye opener. There are tiny screw holes, and larger holes around rubber grommets, heater/AC hose holes, etc.. I use, "Dum Dum" to seal most of those holes. Anytime the steering column is removed, if in doubt, I replace the rubber seal; have also used the plumber's boot trick to seal them if no plans to remove the column (but it looks like the angle of the roofer's boot shown above would be a better fit). Have also taped off the engine bay side and then sprayed insulation foam into the rubber boot for a 100 percent seal.

                      At the Louisville NSRA convention recently, I see technology continues to advance in materials used in floor matting and exhaust sleeves, but the price is also going up. The Dynamite is now old technology, but very cheap to buy. I do not like to add anything to the floor that won't dry quickly, if soaked in a heavy rain. Not an issue in the desert, but certainly a concern here on the east coast.

                      Thinking out of the box with creativity certainly helps in sealing the firewall. LOL
                      Last edited by JoeHall; 08-22-2019, 12:07 PM.

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