Dear V-8 Buick summer heat sufferers . . . . . This morning, someone on eBay was trying to sell of all things a "Old Air Products" catalog. . . . . By the way, they guarantee that this catalog is a compatible part for a 1965 Buick Skylark . . . . However, always the curious type, I fed Old Air Products into my search engine of choice and found . . . . . Yet another manufacturer of aftermarket air conditioning systems for our classic cars and a company with tons of A/C parts for our classic Buicks. Here is the company website: Old Air Products . . . . And you can download a "glossy" catalog in PDF format here: Old Air Products catalog. Does anybody know anything about these guys? They actually claim to make a "drop in and it fits" air conditioning system for 64-72 Buicks. However, there seems to be a lot of additional work that isn't explained (see page 8 of the catalog for an example.) What caught my eye is that they seem to have a kit to deal with A/C controls for my trusty wagon. However, they seem to be missing a ton of other parts that the Vintage Air kit includes. Still, I would be curious to know if anyone on V-8 Buick had dealt with these guys. Certainly their selection of replacement parts for maintaining an OEM air conditioning system appears to be really good. Cheers, Edouard :beer P.S. Sorry if this has been covered somewhere before - I sure couldn't find any way to search for the phrase "Old Air Products."
I can't speak for their aftermarket systems, but I've used them many times for parts for OE systems. They are a good company and have been around for quite a while. I found OAP about 8 years ago while looking for a replacement Condenser to R/D line for a Chevelle. They were the ONLY supplier that offered it. I've purchased many parts from them since, no problems or issues.
They treated me well too. i bought an oversize A/C condenser from them for my 64 along wit hthe retrofit POV valve replacement. I would/will do business with them again when I get back to my A/C installation.
I got a Pro6Ten compressor and new condenser from them. Everything was shipped quickly, and when I called to ask a couple of installation questions I got a person who spoke perfect English and was knowledgeable and very helpful.
x2 on all of the above. Great company. Mine has factory a/c so I can't vouch for their aftermarket system but if I ever need anything they are the ones I call. ---------- Post added at 05:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:14 AM ---------- I don't want to steal the thread but how do you like that Pro6Ten compressor? I've been considering one of them for mine. They say they will take more RPM than the original A6 and use a lot less power to run. I can actually hear my engine pull down when I turn on the a/c.
I'd love to tell you, but the car's not complete yet and I haven't tested it. I'll give myself a reminder to report on it here when I do. The reason I got it was that my factory compressor was shot and I heard good things here on the board and elsewhere about the Pro6Ten. It's definitely smaller and lighter than the factory unit, and the guy at Old Air said it's quiet enough that you don't have to use that big old muffler, which is nice if you're not after an all-original engine compartment.
Golden Oldie, OAP sells the Pro6Ten, so you aren't stealing the thread. That's where I get mine. They usually arrive about 2 days after I place the order, well before their estimated UPS time. OAP gets Rep points for shipping, too. :TU: I've used 6 Pro6Ten compressors on customer cars over the past few years. They work exactly like they should and none have failed or given any issues so far. An Internet search will show up some problems with cracking around the mounting bosses, but those are older posts on early production units. That issue is long resolved. I always suggest the Pro6Ten compressor when using R12 in the system due to shaft seal leakage issues common to the A6. It's money well spent, IMHO. The Sanden based Pro6Ten has less displacement than the A6, but you'll never miss it unless you live in an arid climate that works the system at it's max. Those STV/POA systems had lots of overhead to start with so you are only losing some "reserve" capacity in most cases. It uses a bit less power, but is that really an issue? I've found that there's not enough difference to really notice an improvement in fuel mileage. Turning on the AC will just feel like you tossed out a "slightly smaller" anchor. As far as taking more RPM, I generally don't keep the AC on when I'm making a 1/4 mile run. That claim is absolutely true, but again, when is AC compressor RPM really an issue? The Pro6Ten is a really good product that resolves some common issues inherent to the venerable A6 (Shaft seal, mainly). It costs about the same as a New A6 and, as much as I hate to admit it, is a better bang for your buck. I've always been a big fan of the old reliable A6, but I have to admit that the Pro6Ten IS "a better mouse trap" if you arent concerned with originality. Hope this helps.
Thanks for the info, I'm sure others have wondered the same thing about these units. My A6 isn't giving me any problems, I was just thinking ahead in case it does. I'm not super concerned about originality and it would be nice to have a lighter compressor. I don't race with the a/c on either, but knowing that high rpm use might cause it some damage I usually turn it off when I plan to :3gears: It would also be nice not to have to do that.
