RV roof top ac

[jdeoliveira74]

has anyone used a roof top ac unit on m1009. I was looking for cheaper alternatives to ac from an rv

 

[Bighurt]

I haven't nor do I have a CUCV. However with the amount of that GM body style in junk yards. I'd be willing to bet you can rip out a condenser relatively cheap that will bolt in. Getting a bolt on compressor is a little harder but not impossible. I bet you can DIY the whole thing cheaper than a rooftop like Red-Dot.

 

[midcounty]

For 1200 bucks there is a company that makes a bolt in unit for the CUCV. It is supposed to fit just like it came from the factory. It sounds expensive, but if you figure the time spent removing old used parts from a donar, paying for those parts, probably having to replace those parts with in a year or two because they are old and worn out.... I say spend the extra and do it right the first time. That's what I am hoping to do after I finish some other projects.

 

[jdeoliveira74]

yeah i was searching for a cheaper alternative. I have looked at the ones made for the truck. Just dont want to spend the money and it so hot here now every time i get out of the truck i am completly soaked from the back of my neck to the bottom of my shorts.

 

[jdeoliveira74]

i have a civi doner truck with ac the fire wall is the issue the rest of the ac looks pretty easy. would have to mod so stuff but it is a vaccum system from what i can tell. not sure how that would work with the diesel. doner is gas

 

[camojcory]

i am also looking into using a civvy a/c set up in my 1009.

things i know- i do not want to convert to 12v, i do not want to spend big bucks, and i do not mind getting my hands dirty.

things i think i know- i can get all the main parts (compressor, evap, condenser) for around $250 from local salvage yard, you can buy the bracket to relocate a compressor, you can buy a bolt on pulley extension for compressor belt

things i don't know- where to relocate black out light switch and battery gauge, if i need a compressor and other parts off a diesel truck or will the gas engine stuff work, how much the duct work and controls and hoses will cost from salvage yard.

has anybody done this before? or is there some really obvious reason, that i am clearly not seeing, that would prevent this from working?

 

[jdeoliveira74]

camo i have a civi with ac i was thinking about pulling it just seems like alot of work. Plus some of it works on vaccum which may make it different. i think i am gonna pull the compressor cond, and evap anyway. and see what else i can salvage.

 

[Smokingman]

Op you talking about something like this?

COLEMAN 13500 btu RV AIR CONDITIONER with CEILING ASSEMBLY - $509..

 

[armytruck63]

That is a 120 Vac model. You'll need an invertor capable of providing 15 Amps at 120 Vac before you can even think about running that thing.

 

[southdave]

napco 649 bucks

 

[Recovry4x4]

Vacuum isn't an issue, the CUCV has a vac pump. Would require some parts relocation but no real reason you couldn't make factory stuff work. Compressor bracketry may need to be fabricatied. Relocation the volt gauge and B/O switches? They could be moved to the radio blockoff plate. Let me tell all y'all a story about retrofitting A/C. Going back a decade or so I purchased a 1988 V-30 crewcab from the water mgt district. 350, 4 speed and no A/C. I didn't want the generic in dash air which had seperate controls by the vent. I found a company that did the air and integrated the controls into the factory heater controls. The install was as clean as one could imagine and worked pretty well. The evap/blower were mounted behind the dash completley out of sight but no where near out of hearing range. The sound of that fan running at WOT was irritating to the point I sold the truck. That coming from a guy that puts whistlers on all of his deuces. Move forward 7 or 9 years and I always kicked myself for selling that truck. Well, Thursday I dropped my Oh-8 off at a friends place so he could use it, in place I drove an Oh-9 back which was refitted with A/C. I was at my wits end by the time I got that truck home. It had that same dam irritating sound in the truck. Moral of the story is that for this person, I'll either use a factory retrofit or deal with the heat.

 

[jdeoliveira74]

south dave napco 649???

 

[southdave]

Sorry
Chevrolet Work Truck Underdash A/C System - Chevrolet AC Kits for Trucks
I have convert to 12v 1028 so I went this way. figured it the easist way.. but I also have a stick shift

 

[Recovry4x4]

Dave, is that unit loud? I've considered it but also concerned about clearance of the 208 tranfer case shifter.

 

[camojcory]

southdave, are you or is anyone else currently running this unit? how well does it cool the truck down?

can you order the kit as is, or do you have to specify a few changes before ordering?

the description says it mounts in the middle and you don't have to modify the existing heating components. but that would place it right in front of the heater vents, blocking them. it doesn't look like there is enough room for both of them under there.

anyone have some pics? this would definetly be the easiest way to go if you don't have to alter the heating system or relocate gauges and switches.

 

[cbvet]

You might need 2 RV rooftop units to equal the BTUs of an automotive AC system. NOT practical.

 

[flyxpl]

A rooftop RV untit would look like a big turd on the roof .

 

[southdave]

southdave, are you or is anyone else currently running this unit? how well does it cool the truck down?

can you order the kit as is, or do you have to specify a few changes before ordering?

the description says it mounts in the middle and you don't have to modify the existing heating components. but that would place it right in front of the heater vents, blocking them. it doesn't look like there is enough room for both of them under there.

anyone have some pics? this would definetly be the easiest way to go if you don't have to alter the heating system or relocate gauges and switches.

I had a 67 ford pick up with one similar to it.. My fall back position is bucket seat the darn thing , extend the hoses and reverse mount at the bottom of a center consul type thing...
recovery? I havn't figured that one out yet. maybe I just get a rosebud and some stock and get billy with it..

 

[camojcory]

Bad news, i called Nostalgia Air today. they informed me that they no longer sell the kits for the CUCVs (stopped selling them just last month!) and they also said the under the dash unit was not big enough to cool the 1009. i think it is made for a pickup cab.

not interested in mounting a RV unit to the top so it looks like i either have to shell out the bucks for the OD Iron kit or piece one together from the salvage yard.

two quesions-

do you have to relocate volt gauge and black out lights with the odiron kit?

what would be the problem with the firewall doing the salvaged route? is it just the hoses going through it?

 

[Recovry4x4]

Bad news, i called Nostalgia Air today. they informed me that they no longer sell the kits for the CUCVs (stopped selling them just last month!) and they also said the under the dash unit was not big enough to cool the 1009. i think it is made for a pickup cab.

not interested in mounting a RV unit to the top so it looks like i either have to shell out the bucks for the OD Iron kit or piece one together from the salvage yard.

two quesions-

do you have to relocate volt gauge and black out lights with the odiron kit?

what would be the problem with the firewall doing the salvaged route? is it just the hoses going through it?

Yes...sort of. There is an M1009 in the yard with the ODI kit installed. The volt gauge was removed to make way for the vent with the controls on it. The B/O switches remain in the stock location leaving only 3 vents. It does cool but it won't freeze you out, at least not in our weather. The Oh-9 that Devilman96 built got a rear A/C as well to compensate for this.