Cooling the inside of a Mustang isn’t really a unilateral problem. Some areas of the world simply don’t need air conditioning—or do they? Even areas that have low humidity need the occasional cooling effects of air conditioning. Unfortunately, air conditioning was the one item that didn’t appear to be a high priority for the Ford dealer network, as well as buyers, in the ’60s. Maybe people were built of stouter stuff back then, or they just didn’t know any better. In the modern day, we like the creature comforts in our classics. Until now there was a lack of equanimity between the ’65-’66 and the other model years. Ford installed an underdash unit in these cars, and therefore the driver unit offered by Classic Auto Air appears to be right at home. Install the same unit under the dash of a ’67-’68 and the thing looks—well—out of place.
Recognizing this dilemma, Classic Auto Air designed a completely new and updated system that fits under the dash in practically the same location as the original Ford heater system. The registers are almost identical to the stock units, and the system runs on 134a to meet federal regulations. It also features a separate heater core and a separate evaporator to help the system cool and heat with greater efficiency. One great benefit is that the installation uses most of the existing holes and requires only one nonfactory 5/8-inch hole in the firewall for the case drain.
The installation is quite straightforward, and can be accomplished in a weekend. So let’s dig into the cool.