C body newbie, looking at a 68 VIP

Reed · Jan 17, 2017

Greetings. I am a long-time Mopar fan. I have had a bodies, b bodies, trucks, and vans, but never a c body. Well, a 68 VIP caught my eye and I might check it out next week. Here is my question: this VIP doesn't have ac and I really want to have ac. What is involved in installing factory ac? Will I need to swap the whole dash frame or are there plugs filling the holes for the ac vents in the dash? I can get modern aftermarket components for under the hood, I am just investigating if it would be easier to go the in-dash or under-dash route.

Thanks in advance!

68 4spd Fury · Jan 18, 2017

Well, anything is possible. The dash itself has the openings for the vents but the lower trim piece would need to be changed, (and find one the right color). Also, the heater box and control would need to be changed as well as the instrument trim panel, (A/C cars have a push button control as opposed to the levers on a non-A/C). If you want the factory look, best to find a parts car. Good luck.

Reed · Jan 18, 2017

Thanks! That is what I hoped to hear. The interior is black, so color matching a lower trim piece would be easy. Sourcing the factory in-dash parts would be the challenge. A parts car would be ideal for sure. Thankyou for your quick answer.

commando1 · Jan 18, 2017

Actually it's best to keep looking for an A/C car.

Reed · Jan 18, 2017

Ideally, yes, but C bodies are getting hard to find.

commando1 · Jan 18, 2017

You can't wake up one morning and decide you have to have one and after looking for a week decide there's nothing out there exactly like you want.
They are out there. It takes time. Sometimes years.

mrfury68 · Jan 18, 2017

Installing a factory A/C system in a non A/C car would be a daunting job to tackle. Even if you had a complete donor car with everything intact, removing & replacing the A/C components from one to the other would be a huge project. A lot of the parts you would be dealing with like vacuum switches, diaphragms, & hoses are almost 50 years old, thus prone to breaking as soon as you touch them. An after market unit would be the way to go IMO. They are made for projects like you are thinking of. Back in the day dealers actually put add on under dash units in cars for customers who had to have it. Hope this info helps.

Reed · Jan 18, 2017

Thanks. You comments are exactly what I am thinking. I have dealt with the factory Mopar AC systems with the control heads and iaphragms that fail and I much prefer the simpler cable-style controls. I can get a universal "street rod" underhood component kit to add AC (R134 to boot) for about $350, and I can source a vintage under-dash evaporator assembly for about $150-$200. That is way cheaper and easier than trying to track down a factory correct in-dash system. I have no interest in building a show car or trailer queen, I only want a car that I can drive and enjoy every day. I actually have a underdash AC unit I removed from a Duster years ago but I am saving that for my 76 D100.

Reed · Jan 18, 2017

I tried searching this site for information about VIPs, but the Google powered search function says VIP is too common a term to use as a search term. Too bad. I know they were the top-of-the-line luxury Plymouth C body above the Fury III, but I haven't found much info about VIPs out on the web.

carrman · Jan 18, 2017

Don't just grab the first C body you find. Take your time and look for exactly what you want. I've made that mistake myself, but this last time I waited and got the perfect (for me) ragtop.

65FuryPaceCar · Jan 18, 2017

If you love that particular car and the price is right, just go with an aftermarket under-dash system. But only consider this at all if you are quite handy with the tool box. Nothing made to fit these cars actually fits these cars. Don't expect to bolt it in and go.

mrfury68 · Jan 18, 2017

Fury IIIs & Sport Furys are more common & essentially the same car but with different trim & upholstery fabric. VIP was the top of the line but my Fury III came with A/C, power seat, fender skirts, & a 383. It all depends on how the car was ordered by the original buyer. Unlike today where the model dictates how well appointed the car is. VIP trim pieces are hard to find & Legendary Auto makes seat covers with the factory correct vinyl grain for Fury & Sport Fury models, whether bucket or bench seats. I love the VIP for its luxury & style but due to its low production number & one model only features it can make restoration difficult & costly if those things need replaced.

68sportfurys · Jan 19, 2017

I might consider selling 68 sport fasttop w/ac

fury fan · Jan 21, 2017

I don't think anybody has mentioned this yet, but the firewall is different on an AC car, so to get a donor car and retrofit is a huge job. It all depends on how much you want to retrofit, how badly you want it to work properly/reliably, how important the appearance is. Then there are lots of options/hurdles for the underhood stuff, too.

Mike Browne · Jan 23, 2017

fury fan said:
I don't think anybody has mentioned this yet, but the firewall is different on an AC car, so to get a donor car and retrofit is a huge job. It all depends on how much you want to retrofit, how badly you want it to work properly/reliably, how important the appearance is. Then there are lots of options/hurdles for the underhood stuff, too.

If you keep looking you will find the car your looking for. It took me two years to find the car I was looking for. I was close to buying a car I was not happy with when the car I wanted came up just three hours from my home. Vary Happy with this car. If you must have this car the only why to have A/C is to buy a complete Vintage Air system about $1,200.00

70bigblockdodge · Jan 23, 2017

If you are looking for cold air I would retrofit a non A/C with aftermarket system condensers and evaporators, compressors, and lines have all gotten smaller, more efficient, and more compatible with 134. If you want originality search for a A/C car.

polara71 · Jan 23, 2017

commando1 said:
You can't wake up one morning and decide you have to have one and after looking for a week decide there's nothing out there exactly like you want.
They are out there. It takes time. Sometimes years.

Stans advice here is best and most wise. Sometimes it takes years to find the right car. If you NEED an option or certain car, keep looking, it'll come up. It may take longer than you want but that is part of the thrill . If you dont wait and settle you will never be happy

fury fan · Jan 24, 2017

polara71 said:
Stans advice here is best and most wise. Sometimes it takes years to find the right car. If you NEED an option or certain car, keep looking, it'll come up. It may take longer than you want but that is part of the thrill . If you dont wait and settle you will never be happy

Yeah, but sometimes you can can't always get what you want, but you'll find sometimes, you get what you need.

If I found a car that I really liked, but didn't have AC, I'd put a retrofit setup in as 70bigblockdodge suggested. One thing to consider is whether you have a console, and if not, an underdash is a good way to go. I've had AC cars where none of it worked, and would need $1500 worth of repair anyway.

And if you go aftermarket, you can put the smaller/better Sanden on, route the hoses more cleanly, and have something that will work for years, instead of throwing money at a 40-year-old system.

bluefury361 · Jan 25, 2017

I have a friend in Crossville Tenn that has a 68 VIP. It's a nice original 20K mile car with one repaint. I'm sure he would sell and I considered it myself. I have no idea what he would want for it but, if interested, I could hook you up.