Printed in The American Tri-Five magazine in Volume 9 : Issue 8

Do you have a ’57 Chevy with Vintage Air? Or do you have that kit sitting on the shelf and have not gotten around to installing it yet? Over the years, Vintage Air has been the leader in creating Climate Control Systems for our beloved hot rods. The newest thing they have been working on is the fully electronic switch panel. In my opinion, this isn’t just a wanted “upgrade” but a needed one.

The conversion levers are now a thing of the past with the all-new Gen 5 Vintage Air system and Gen IV kits. The new control panel will work with any system that has the 246204-PUA Evaporator ECU, making this a plug and play upgrade. In some cases, if your kit is not equipped with such an ecu, a new one can be switched out to accommodate the new control panel.

Removing these levers is actually a huge step for the way you cool the inside of your car. By now I have installed multiple of these panels. Earlier this summer, I put one in a ’55 2dr sedan, it was the middle of summer and 90+ degrees outside, after driving around for 10 minutes with it on full blast, I had to roll the windows down because it was so cold.

Generally, AC systems have the opposite effect. By removing the old sliders, it actually created a more efficient cooling capability. Sometimes the sliders would get stuck, or they weren’t able to actually fine tune the desired temperature. After 5 minutes of “set-up” time, the switch panel was all set. The hardest part about this installation is getting the old face plate out and reaching all the little hardware behind the dash. Luckily, the Gen 5 panel install was a breeze, about an hour long, and you’re off to the arctics.

Not only did the control panel get updated, but there were other upgrades Vintage Air made to create better efficiency. They now offer several new OEM-quality features, including injection-molded case assemblies, new higher-torque actuator motors, and rubber over-molded blend air doors for increased durability and efficiency. It delivers 20% more cubic feet of air per minute than the standard blower for increased cooling capacity. The entire system replaces outdated air-conditioning components and delivers superior performance in a smaller package to free up valuable under-hood space.

If you have struggled with the cooling in your car or just want to upgrade it, switching over to the new control unit is well worth the money. Heck, even for the look alone, I would personally switch it out.