At HotRod Hotline, we love spotlighting the companies that help keep the classic and custom car world cool — literally. We caught up with the team at Vintage Air, a leader in performance climate control systems for street rods, muscle cars, and classic trucks. In this 5 Questions feature, our very own ‘Big Al’ sits down with Vintage Air as they share insights on their innovative products, what sets them apart, and how they continue to support builders and enthusiasts across the country.

So, can you just tell me a little bit about the history of VINTAGE Air ? How it got started, etc?

  Jack Chisenhall founded Vintage Air in 1976. He was a dedicated hot rodder, and living in San Antonio, he recognized the need for air conditioning systems that were actually designed around the package space challenges that older cars presented. The earliest systems were designed mainly with street rods (1948 and older) in mind, but by the early 1980’s Vintage Air started developing bolt-in climate control solutions for later classic cars and trucks. The first cable-controlled SureFit kit was designed for the ’57 Chevy, quickly followed by the 55-56 Chevy system. These systems operated with the original control panels, and featured heat and defrost as well as air conditioning. From there, First Gen Camaros and classic trucks followed in succession and through the years kits were developed for many popular classics. In early 2000, we introduced modern electronically controlled systems in both our Gen II Builder Series and Gen IV SureFit kits and continued to expand coverage and features through the years. Our new OEM quality Gen 5 bolt-in SureFit systems are now available for over 175 applications, and our more universal Builders Series offer several different evaporator kits to make adding a climate control system possible for virtually any vehicle. We are proud to design, develop, and manufacture our systems at our facility in San Antonio, Texas and we are excited to have been a part of the industry for almost 50 years.

Is there much difference in A/C a modern day car vs in a hotrod or classic car?

  The basic principles of air conditioning have not changed, but the design and performance of a modern electronically controlled system is far superior to older original equipment systems while weighing far less. The major challenges are working around the space constraints that most early and classic cars present compared to the behind-the-dash space that a later model car or truck has dedicated to a climate control system. Our newest Gen 5 systems feature injection molded evaporator cases and blend doors like an OEM system.

What were some of your favorite projects or applications to work on during your time with the company?

  Developing the first electronically controlled systems was a big step forward in performance aftermarket air conditioning. We ran a lot of miles down road to test and demonstrate the performance and reliability of the new systems, including Rod & Custom Americruise, Hot Rod Power Tours, and our own annual Road Tours. Lots of good times with great friends. As we were introducing more of these SureFit kits, we were asked to develop and manufacture the climate control systems for the 2004-2007 Ford GT. Getting the opportunity to work with an OEM manufacturer on a limited edition flagship program like the GT was a great experience, and we again worked with Ford to design and manufactured the system for the 2016-22 GTs. This experience has been invaluable as we developed the current Gen 5 systems that incorporate OEM quality construction and performance.

Besides, in the muscle car, classics & hot rods world, are your products used in any other vehicles, such as racing?

  It’s pretty amazing to see the different types of vehicles our systems have made their way into. Many of the Pro Touring cars (and trucks) that you see set up to run racing events like the Optima Challenge are equipped with our systems. We have also been involved with quite a few “Pre-Runner” trucks for the Baja 1000. These race trucks run the course prior to the actual race so teams can get a glimpse of the terrain, and our systems make a huge difference in driver comfort. Our systems have also found their way into several models of aircraft, and even a few boats!

What does VINTAGE AIR have coming down for new products?

  We recently released our all-new Gen 5 Compac evaporator kit. The new Compac was designed and developed with the same overall package size as venerable Gen II Compac system that has been a great fit in a wide variety of vehicles for almost 25 years. Key features include increased performance, a variable speed blower and improved temperature blending along with microprocessor-controlled coil temperature that eliminates the need for an external thermostat and its capillary tube. We will also be releasing the new Gen 5 Super in a few short weeks to handle larger vehicles. These new systems are now compatible with all Gen 5 Builder Series and SureFit control panel options to give our customers a wide variety of choices.

 Visit our website at vintageair.com to see all of our newest products!