The Ford Barn

glennpm · 06-30-2025, 01:17 PM

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showp...4&postcount=14

Default Re: air conditioning on a flathead?
I put A/C on my 40 Ford more than 10 years ago. I have driven anywhere I desired without engine overheating regardless of the terrain or temperature. That includes over the Rocky Mountains, in August, to Bonneville from southern Georgia. That trip was with STOCK Ford waterpumps and STOCK Ford radiator. I installed a blow-through electric fan on the condenser to help the exchange rate at low speeds to provide cold air from the A/C. The fan is not used at highway speed and it is a restriction to maximum air flow. But, still NO OVERHEATING. I have since changed to a Walker radiator with their condenser because the stock radiator braces repeatedly broke loose from the top tank. I think the extra weight of the condenser and blow-through fan contributed to the breakage. I still have the stock waterpumps in place. I suggest the Walker radiator with their condenser because the recovery rate of the radiator is superior and the condenser is a nice arrangement. I built my brackets and special reinforcement gadget at the front of my aluminum intake manifold. These days there are brackets advertised in magazines(as noted above) and they should work OK. I would only add that some aluminum intake manifolds are not well designed at the generator mount so they might not handle the additional loading. The Edmunds on my car was one such example.

06-30-2025, 01:17 PM	#10
glennpm Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Mid-Coast Maine Posts: 3,346	Re: My new project. And introduction. https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showp...4&postcount=14 Default Re: air conditioning on a flathead? I put A/C on my 40 Ford more than 10 years ago. I have driven anywhere I desired without engine overheating regardless of the terrain or temperature. That includes over the Rocky Mountains, in August, to Bonneville from southern Georgia. That trip was with STOCK Ford waterpumps and STOCK Ford radiator. I installed a blow-through electric fan on the condenser to help the exchange rate at low speeds to provide cold air from the A/C. The fan is not used at highway speed and it is a restriction to maximum air flow. But, still NO OVERHEATING. I have since changed to a Walker radiator with their condenser because the stock radiator braces repeatedly broke loose from the top tank. I think the extra weight of the condenser and blow-through fan contributed to the breakage. I still have the stock waterpumps in place. I suggest the Walker radiator with their condenser because the recovery rate of the radiator is superior and the condenser is a nice arrangement. I built my brackets and special reinforcement gadget at the front of my aluminum intake manifold. These days there are brackets advertised in magazines(as noted above) and they should work OK. I would only add that some aluminum intake manifolds are not well designed at the generator mount so they might not handle the additional loading. The Edmunds on my car was one such example.