Factory A/C
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The General never kept records on that sort of thing... Later, Dave
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Considering A/C added 20 to 25% to the cost of the car new, you can be sure there weren't a lot.
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The 55 factory air total is just over 400 across all models other than convertibles which did not have air conditioning as an option. If it was a factory fitted option, it would be on the trim tag as AC.
I have a friend who has a 55 4dr BelAir which still has it's factory A/C fitted, the 55 also had an accessory oil filter unique to the A/C if fitted, those are rare!
So your Nomad would be rarer, with A/C, that's for sure.
I have a friend who has a 55 4dr BelAir which still has it's factory A/C fitted, the 55 also had an accessory oil filter unique to the A/C if fitted, those are rare!
So your Nomad would be rarer, with A/C, that's for sure.
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I have seen a 55 Nomad with dealer installed AC, it is very different from the factory installed AC.
Also, the 55 assembly manual shows the diagrams for AC, RPO 450, and I presume those diagrams are there for the assembly line personnel to install it. No other reason for the diagrams to be included with the assembly manual.
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6,388 Posts
Where did you get that 400 number? Not challenging it just curious about your source.
My father worked for a Chevy dealer in Dallas in 55 and 56 installing AC and yes they were different from the factory units. They were FrigiKing under dash units.
Jim
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My sources are from the CT Forum, there are some well informed members there some are also members here.
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"My father worked for a Chevy dealer in Dallas in 55 and 56 installing AC and yes they were different from the factory units. They were FrigiKing under dash units."
I'm sure that information is accurate, no reason to doubt, but I'll bet not every dealer installed Frigiking units.
As posted, there are some distinct things to look for to see if a car had factory air. Of course, over the years the major components may have been replaced or discarded. I doubt many of the steel condensers have lasted 55 years.
I'm sure that information is accurate, no reason to doubt, but I'll bet not every dealer installed Frigiking units.
As posted, there are some distinct things to look for to see if a car had factory air. Of course, over the years the major components may have been replaced or discarded. I doubt many of the steel condensers have lasted 55 years.
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Thanks for clearing that up Rick. I did not state that every dealer did that I said a dealer did. FrigiKing was the first after market AC available to my knowledge. So they very well could have been the only one installed in 55 and 56.
Jim
Frigiking is a well known brand name from those days, and I guess it's still around today in truck and trailer units. Automotive a/c was in its infancy then, and I'm sure the number of suppliers of aftermarket units mushroomed in subsequent years. I think until the late 60s there were as many aftermarket units installed as factory ones.
My 67 Nova has a factory underdash unit that really looks like aftermarket but it's not. An example of where they were on this stuff then.
My 67 Nova has a factory underdash unit that really looks like aftermarket but it's not. An example of where they were on this stuff then.
I don't see any concrete documentation (Chevrolet or GM paperwork) stating the number (ie. 400) of 55 Chev's with factory AC. That is because I highly doubt it exists. I wouldn't take the "I heard" or "someone told me" as anywhere near to being an accurate figure.
In 1955 Chevrolet AC was only available from the factory.
It is not shown in the "Accessories Installation Manual" which listed all dealer installed accessories.
Any dealer installation would be aftermarket.
In 1956 and 1957 AC was available at the factory or dealership.
For 1956 two systems are very different and very similar for 1957.
Of course there were aftermarket systems for them as well.
In 1955 Chevrolet AC was only available from the factory.
It is not shown in the "Accessories Installation Manual" which listed all dealer installed accessories.
Any dealer installation would be aftermarket.
In 1956 and 1957 AC was available at the factory or dealership.
For 1956 two systems are very different and very similar for 1957.
Of course there were aftermarket systems for them as well.
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The 55 Nomad w/dealer AC owned by my late friend Frank Collins was definitely a Chevrolet product. The unit was completely separate from the heater, and was extremely similar to the 56 dealer installed units.
Shown above is an installation booklet I have for the 56 dealer AC. Frank and I spent an afternoon poring over the drawings in the instructions and comparing them to the Nomad's AC. The instructions were specific to a 235 6 cylinder installation and the Nomad was a 265 V8, but otherwise the parts were almost identical. That said, it is possible that the dealer installed this unit after the 56 models were introduced, and was therefore a 56 AC unit, but the design on some of the parts was just different enough to lead us both the believe that the Nomad had a 55 AC unit. The hang down outlets, which are oval in shape, are very unique looking, and differed from the instruction drawings in that they had a slightly different grill design. I cannot remember the other details that were different.
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