When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Has anyone here installed a Vintage Air system in a series III xj6?
Did it end up fitting well? Are you happy with it?
Vintage Air does not even list Jaguars as an option on their surefit series. How did you piece it together?
I have no heat in my car, the A/C sort of works but I would really like to modernize it.
I can't say anything concerning Vintage air; I'm rebuilding the A/C in my '85 and had looked at the upgrade kit from Retroair. The compressor they have looks like the old OEM A-6 compressor but supposedly takes less engine power to run it.I ended up buying a new compressor made by the same manufacturer but from another vendor as that was the only thing that appeared dodgy at the time. Still can't say how it will work as I discovered a hole in my evaporator where it goes into the firewall and haven't had the opportunity to get to that yet.
Retroair has an upgrade kit for the E-type which was installed by a colleague of mine in his. He said it would freeze you out of the car. By his estimation it was a very good system and fit without any drama so I would assume the SIII upgrade kit would fit without any real issues.
One is a traditional cable and flap unit and the other is more modern with stepper motors controlling the air flows.
IIRC the classic style of air handler from Vintage Air is significantly smaller than the modern stepper-motor equipped unit.
Vintage Air makes 'dummy' air handlers for folks contemplating a conversion/addition of AC to their car/truck so they can investigate fitment. This is a dummy of the servo motor version-
You can borrow either 'dummy' unit for a trial fit from any local distributor for Vintage Air. I borrowed one from the local Socal Speed Shop. I think you can get one from Vintage Air directly too.
FWIW, I borrowed the unit in the picture to see if the VA unit would fit it my '49 GMC - it did. I'd estimate the distance from the dash to the firewall in my truck is about half the distance it is in my XJ6, so I'd be pretty confident you could get it to fit. It is worth noting that either unit required that I shorten my glovebox so it was only about an inch deep - not much call for gloves in Arizona but AC is a necessity so I'm willing to live with it.
We'd all appreciate it if you were the 'first penguin off the ice floe' on this endeavor - let us know how it works out!
Thanks for that information.
I have not tried contacting Vintage Air yet. Thought someone here might have some experience with this.
My understanding is that the hvac unit in the jag is pretty large (have not seen one out of the car) and there should be plenty of room for a change out to a modern unit.
I need to finish us a suspension upgrade on my 66 mustang and then I may tackle this project.
I didn't buy the Retroair kit because I couldn't budget it at the time. I bought a compressor kit - compressor, dryer, and expansion valve for less than Retroair wanted just for the compressor (same unit). I already had a decent set of hoses and, having converted another SIII to R-134A before, I found their uprated condenser to be unnecessary where I live. You don't have to replace the evaporator to make the system work well.
As for my evaporator, a PO had twisted the low pressure fitting in attempt to get a hose removed and tore the tubing. They attempted to solder the break shut and it didn't seal completely.
If I had it to do over again I probably would have bought Retroair's kit.
I have just replaced the compressor, Expansion valve and dryer on my 1985 S3 XJ-6. All in all it has gone quite well. I was particularly worried about damaging the evaporator when replacing the expansion valve and so took great care with supporting the connections. Other than somewhat limited space to work in (nothing new to Jaguar familiar persons), I was pleasantly surprised. For Just over $300 US (delivered into Canada and all taxes/duties paid), how could I go wrong. Now, do I spring for a Vac. pump and recharge it all myself or take it to a shop whose ham-fisted techs have probably never seen one of these machines? Once the original system is operating at it's peak, It is a very efficient one. I for one tend to try to retain as much standardability (is that a real word) as I can, but that's just me.
I have just replaced the compressor, Expansion valve and dryer on my 1985 S3 XJ-6. All in all it has gone quite well. I was particularly worried about damaging the evaporator when replacing the expansion valve and so took great care with supporting the connections. Other than somewhat limited space to work in (nothing new to Jaguar familiar persons), I was pleasantly surprised. For Just over $300 US (delivered into Canada and all taxes/duties paid), how could I go wrong. Now, do I spring for a Vac. pump and recharge it all myself or take it to a shop whose ham-fisted techs have probably never seen one of these machines? Once the original system is operating at it's peak, It is a very efficient one. I for one tend to try to retain as much standardability (is that a real word) as I can, but that's just me.
I bought a vacuum pump to do this. I think it worked out well. It was easy enough.
I have installed a complete Vintage Air system in a series 1. I have no idea how the space in a series 3 compares, but it was a very tight fit for me. That said, it works great and was worth the effort. I installed the Gen 2 Compac for the balance of size vs capacity. Also, the controls allowed me to reuse the series 1 controls.
I did a thread on it, just search for my posts. Shouldn’t be hard to find.
This may be repeating but there are a couple YouTube videos on removing the HVAC system. They definitely show the size of the unit. Just go to YouTube and search for "Jaguar XJ6 HVAC" and you'll see them.
Vintage Air?
