Here's a chilly conversation for those of you knee deep in winter. I am
considering adding A/C to my 76 TR6. Some years back, I had a 73 TR6 with
the original dealer installed AC and it never worked well at all. About six
months ago, I hooked up with a guy in Austin, Texas who is developing an
in-dash, after market AC system using the newer, far more compact and
efficient compressors available today. These new compressors use very
little horsepower compared to the old piston style York and they are much
smaller. His plan is to develop and build an in-dash set-up that is
invisible to the casual eye. It would replace the existing heater/blower
unit, use the existing vents in the dash, and the control switch would fit
into the stock switch plinth in place of one of the heater switches using an
original knob. His setup was estimated to run about $1200 as a kit but was
not ready to market yet. Since then, I've gone through the Vintage Air
catalog (they sell aftermarket AC systems mostly for street rods and
antique) and found everything needed except the custom compressor bracket
that would need to be fabricated. The only real problem would be the
in-dash installation. That is where the guy I talked to in Austin was
having the most difficulties. He also found the need to add another air vent
in addition to the two existing vents in the dash. I was just curious if
anyone on the list has any experience with adding AC to a TR6 or has an
"original" system that actually works well in the summer. Thanks, Greg
(looking forward to another 110 degree July drive)
76 TR6
68 MGB/GT
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