I just finished ordering a Vintage Air System for my 68 442. The price now is 1895.00. Last year I bought this same system for my 72 for 1395.00. Off the top of my head that's about a 37% increase. Inflation has not jumped that high. These companies are overcharging everything in my opinion and they know it. Just last month I looked at the same system and it was 1695.00 and now I wish I would have ordered it then. So if any of you guys are thinking about ordering Vintage Air you might want to do it now.

 

Yes, businesses find that when everyone else is raising prices, even if their product is not impacted, it is the perfect time to do so with not much push back. The customer is numb to it and no expecting it. As companies try to maintain % margins, it gets even worse.

The only real governor, is reduced demand and competition.

 

Ouch! that's some hike - I paid $1295 shipped for their complete system about 4 years back to replace the OEM in my '72 CS ragtop.

I have to presume the costs to rehab a factory system have risen in similar context, thus even today, VA probably still a better $$ deal than rebuilding a factory system from scratch (not to mention the performance improvements it provides).

 

The current economic situation is really sucking the life and fun out of the car hobby. Before jumping to the conclusion that the companies are taking advantage of the situation to 'gouge' their customers, consider the global supply chain and the absolute train wreck it's become in just the past couple of years. Even companies that claim 'made in USA' are likely sourcing small parts (hardware, o-rings, etc.) from, you guessed it, China. Hardly anything is moving these days and small suppliers across the globe are being forced to shut down. The cost of everything is rising and won't improve any time soon. Even if component costs aren't rising, fuel and shipping costs are exploding. It stinks. When major auto manufacturers are being forced to scale back production, you know things are bad. We need to hope the small suppliers and parts manufacturers we rely on for our old cars make it through the storm. I've had a set of wheels on back order going on 14 months now. What do you do? Give up or start 'serenity now'.

 

yea, i was looking into that myself for my 65, just makes me wonder if going with an original system, that i already own, is more feasible right now.1900 bucks sure buys a lot of parts, even with inflation.

 

To me there is something magical about those old systems working, even if they aren't as efficient as the new stuff.

 

Food for thought (since we are all Olds brothers here). To me overcharging is billing you for more than they advertised at the time of purchase. The price went up significantly which is upsetting, but I wouldn't blame VA for that - the buyer is the one that has to make the decision to pull the trigger. There are alternatives to buying VA, and if there was a better one it is always the buyer's responsibility to be able to determine that. I'm not sure inflation is really a way to judge what costs should be on individual items - isn't it a broad metric that gives an average change in costs over time? Average meaning that some products exceed it, and some are below it?

I've had one purchase from VA, 8+ years ago when I had the interior torn out of my '68. I installed it 99% of the way but never put power to it. Fast forward to last Fall when I am trying to finish the install, and the blower speed doesn't respond to the controls (always on high). I worked w/ their phone support to no avail. I thought for sure I was in for being charged for a new control panel because of the time since the system was purchased and that I purchased on ebay instead of directly from them. Instead, the tech asked me for my address and shipped me a new one free of any charge, which fixed the problem. They had every opportunity to charge me list price ($200 if I recall) for a replacement but didn't. That made an impression on me that will last.

P.S.
I can't find the receipt now but am pretty sure when I bought the system 8 years ago it was either $1300 or $1400.

 

I decided to cancel the order.

 

I can't speak on the performance upgrades of Vintage Air. I've never used it. I do know that I redid my entire factory ac to run 134 about 4 years ago. All told, it cost me about $600 in parts.

 

R12 is relatively cheap these days. There are also modern R12 substitutes that are supposed to work well. These old A/C systems are fairly simple and not difficult to overhaul.

 

Where do you live that r12 is cheap? Around here in Maryland, if you can find it, it's running about $200 a bottle. That was one of the main reasons why I converted over to r134 in the first place.

 

I was wondering when R12 became cheap. It’s been a while since I shopped for it, last I recall it was 35 buck for a 12 oz can.

I found a unopened can of R12 in a car a parted years ago that had a K mart sticker with a price tag of 39 cents. I bet half of that price is for the can.

What is it worth now? 😁

 

I must admit that I haven't looked for R12 in the last year, when the price of everything has gone up, but over the last few years the price had come down significantly compared to where it was 15 years ago. I used to see all kinds of R12 in small cans on Facebook marketplace for very reasonable prices.

If the price of R12 is the main driver for an extensive R134A conversion, or buying a whole new A/C system, it is a very poor business decision.

 

I looked on the evil auction site and saw 4-pack of 20 ounce cans for $299.

I still have a case of 14 ounce cans and a 30 pound jug, so maybe I’m set for a while. Or have a retirement income source.

 

R12 is not cheap by no means at all. Prices are 30 to 55 bucks for a 12oz can. It takes about 4lb to fill a system and pray you have no leaks because then you lost 4 cans of the stuff. Some people convert to the 134a but even the guys who I personally know who have done this say it does not cool adequately. The Vintage Air in my own opinion is a much more efficient unit than the old factory system the car was born with. How do I know this is because I put the Vintage Air in my 72 and it is leaps and bounds better than my original system in my 68, which by the way does still work, but does not function/cool like I want it to. I do still have several cans of the r12 which right now is almost like having gold. I ordered the Vintage Air thru Summitt and they gave me a 2 month turn around which was ok. I then called Vintage Air a couple day later and they said the turn around was about 16-18 weeks which I did not want to wait especially since you have to pay up front for it so I cancelled the order. Just last year I had ordered some Wheel Vintiques SS1 rims and it took almost a year to get them, but I did not have to pay for them until they were shipped.

 

Sort of off topic, but vintage air related:

Digital Climate Control (dakotadigital.com)

 

I am using the DCC-2500 in my car and it works awesome. The 4000 series was not out yet when I built my car, or I might have gone with it. I did have to send the control head back to dakota digital becuase the main **** would not switch between modes when It was pressed. Once I got it back it has been fine ever since.

 

not as expensive as you think.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/40205517543...3ABFBMrq33tvhf

 

That is R12 substitute, not R12. It is compatible with R12 systems. While it is not too expensive, it may not cool as well as R12 either. That is what I plan to use for the system in my holiday coupe, as I will save what is left on my 30 pound cans in case I need to top off my Toronado. Original 12 can cases of real R12 sell for $400 and up. This is still down from what R12 was bringing 8-10 years ago ($500 - $800 per lb) Charging a 4 - 4.5 lb system was VERY expensive at that time which is why so many systems got converted.

 

[QUOTE=Loaded68W34;1415807]That is R12 substitute, not R12. It is compatible with R12 systems. While it is not too expensive, it may not cool as well as R12 either. That is what I plan to use for the system in my holiday coupe, as I will save what is left on my 30 pound cans in case I need to top off my Toronado. Original 12 can cases of real R12 sell for $400 and up. This is still down from what R12 was bringing 8-10 years ago ($500 - $800 per lb) Charging a 4 - 4.5 lb system was VERY expensive at that time which is why so many systems got converted.[/QUOTE

oops.. i shall read more carefully next time. i think vintage air is going to get the vote for my ride so. newer, more efficient, cleaner look under the hood.

 

4 cans of R-12 for $140. Get it before it’s gone.


https://www.ebay.com/itm/13406015197...oAAOSw-ZtiN7Du