Air Conditioning in a Bug???

Has anyone put Air Conditioning in a 1500 bug?

Can the compressor be fitted to a standard 1500 engine?

Is there someone who does it in the Brisbane area?

I wouldn't want to try it. It would take a lot of power out of your engine and it would be quite an expensive exercise. You really don't need air conditioning anyway, just use your quarter vent windows to direct air and wind your windows down. Air conditioning is what modern cars are for.

Mines installed in an Lbug so not much help but I've noticed more and more at shows with it installed.

Waveman, todays modern rotary compressor only cause minimal power loss.

There were 1000s of beetles sold in the US and Japan new when they only had huge old piston style compressors availble which robbed alot more power than modern ones.

you'll certainly notice when it's on but a 1500 engine will still cope fine.

Gilmore reckons even 1200s can handle their systems.

Thanks for your replies.

I was hoping it could be done because we are considering getting rid of the Barina and making our 1500 our daily.

Sitting in Brisbane traffic with no AC is not really fun anymore.

Joel! is yours a Gilmore Unit? Would you recommend it?

The new multi-piston compressors use a lot less power than the older type A/c systems. A good condition 1500 should be able to deal with A/c OK.

Talk to Jack at Gold Coast V-dub (Labrador) - they have fitted A/c to a couple of Bugs, Kombis and even a Karmann Ghia over the past couple of years.

R 🙂

bugsandoil wrote:Thanks for your replies.

I was hoping it could be done because we are considering getting rid of the Barina and making our 1500 our daily.

Sitting in Brisbane traffic with no AC is not really fun anymore.

Joel! is yours a Gilmore Unit? Would you recommend it?

People seem to forget the smokers windows only work when your on the move, not fast enough to slam them shut.
They do nothing when you're sweating your ass off sitting at the lights.

Mine is a home grown setup, but heres some info on it and A/C systems in general just to show what's involved.

http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=68443&page=8#pid813309

Gilmore setup is pricey, especially being shipped from US but a reasonably well thought out setup if your car isnt lowered.

If you can find an automotice A/C technician they could probably mount a universal underdash consol in the car and fit the compressor, condenser etc cheaper than importing a kit.

People on thesamba speak highly of Gilmore kits though.

Driving fast enough to slam quarter vents shut? Yours must be too loose I think Joel! Mine stay exactly where you leave them even at 110km/h and beyond. I did have a Type 3 with loose quarter vent hinges which annoyed me immensely.

I certainly do understand why you would want A/C, it's a very nice luxury to have.

They were speed limited to about 80km/h when I bought it but I tightend the clamps up when I resprayed the bug.

They still blow shut but not till I get over 150km/h now.
I never use them anymore, they get in the way of my mirrors.

I've been thinking about somehow squeezing aircon into my Ghia project, but without having anything visible at all.

Current thinking is the main guts similar to a Gilmore system, but instead of an underdash unit using a VintageAir Gen II Mini mounted under the back seat and plumbed thru the existing heater channels, controls mounted in the glove box.

http://www.vintageair.com/catalog10/2010%20VintageAir%20Catalog%20web%20hi-res%20(Page%2017).pdf

You would be better off ducting it up and out of the parcel tray.

A/C + metal and condensation = bye bye heater channels

THeres a guy on the goldcoast with a sweet WRX powered ghia with a/c that all hidden. I've got pics of it somewhere his evap was mounted in the boot i think and ducted in to small outlets under the dash.

waveman1500 wrote:I wouldn't want to try it. It would take a lot of power out of your engine and it would be quite an expensive exercise. You really don't need air conditioning anyway, just use your quarter vent windows to direct air and wind your windows down. Air conditioning is what modern cars are for.

I don't drive My beetle a lot in Nov-Dec-Jan-Feb because of the Very hot temperatures in the Upper Hunter area..

even today at only 34C but with very High Humidity because of some very light rain...
I couldn't drive My beetle...

Normally in those summer months I very rarely drive My beetle as the temperature is over 36C and this year We have had up to 45C here...
so, being in a car or even out of a Car...
its just too hot....

Virtually ALL cars have Air Con in Malaysia and the Phillipines
including beetles... otherwise you would sweat away and have to change your clothes all the time....

Under 32C the quarter windows do work great when you are moving..

You can tighten the bottom quarter window Hinge by removing the door trim.... and tightening the hinge...
You can have them as tight or as loose as You want...

Joel,
Air conditioning air is Humidity Free.... so no moisture in the heater boxes... and treat them with Fish Oil... First..

cheers

LEE


PS: You can use the late type 3 fresh air vents in a ghia...
just a hole about 45mm... and push them in and connect to hoses..

68AutoBug wrote:Joel,
Air conditioning air is Humidity Free.... so no moisture in the heater boxes... and treat them with Fish Oil... First..

Lee, you're talking to an ex refrigeration mechanic here.
The average car air conditioner on a 80% humidity day creates 1L of condensation every 15 mins.

haven't you ever wondered why there's a big puddle of water under your car when you park after having the A/C on?.

Watch the video tour of my bugs A/C on youtube, you'll see how the temp coming out of my vents is 4c.

4c is normal air off temp for car A/C, when you feed 4c air into a metal tube that is 40c underneath it's gonna sweat, that's science.

On one of these 40c Scone days put the swifts A/C on the windscreen and watch how quickly the outside of the glass starts sweating.

Joel wrote:A/C + metal and condensation = bye bye heater channels

Yeah, "plumbed thru the heater channels" wasn't the best way of wording it.

What I'm thinking of is running dedicated a/c ducting, but having it inside the heater channels so you can't see it at all. So the cold air will be contained within rubber/plastic ducting, and so shouldn't come into contact with metal until it's coming out of the dash.

Means I won't have heaters of course, but then that's not really an issue here in Brissie for the like 2 week long winter we normally have.

😂

Hi Joel

Yes, the water comes from the condenser ..
and pipes...

and OK on the moisture on the outside of the metal..

and running tubes down the heater boxes is the way to go...

but Heaters are needed in Scone just as much as an air con...

thanks for the info Joel...

LEE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxTzePjYwGE

http://shop.vintagespeed.com.tw/aircondition.html

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=784758

Cheers Reub... that's a VERY neat setup IMHO !!!

👍

Its such a bummer the decklid doesnt shut with Vintage speeds compressor mounting cos it's an excellent idea, an engine you can actually work on.

Can you imagine trying to replace the points and set the gap on this?



The only let down to their setup is the Crank pulley is too small.
It would work fine out on the motorway but sitting idling in bumper to bumper slow moving sitting traffic when A/C is needed most and working the hardest with the compressor underdriven it will constantly trip out on HP.

EA and EB falcons used to be shocking for it with the viscous drive cooling fan and no condenser fan.

You can get Idle up solenoids from any 80s carbed car with A/C so that a normal sized pulley can be used.

This is a nice setup, Aussie too. 👍