My need for A/C is rare unless I am traveling out of my area. I would be
happy to have an indash unit that cooled mainly the 2 front seat
passengers. Under severe heat conditions I would expect to put a curtain
up behind the front seats so the dash A/C had a better chance of
accomplishing this. This discussion began with  talk of adding A/C to a
DOKA where such a curtain would not be needed.

My main objection to the loss of fresh air is not related to the effect
it may have on the A/C. I simply like the ability to have a variable
amount of fresh air blowing on me and the other front seat passenger. We
often want differing amounts and she fiddles with her settings more. I
value this feature more than A/C, but I don't live where it gets real
hot or humid.

There are some hitches in the  idea that one could remove the stock
front heater/air box and fit an A/C heater combo unit in it's place.
Doing so would remove the stock fresh air capability that I find very
useful. The A/C units under discussion don't even appear to offer any
fresh air setting. They could perhaps be installed such that the
original fresh air body hole supplies them. But this would mean they
then lost the recirculated air advantage and I am not sure that this air
flow could be completely turned off with the controls these units come
with. If it could, that might largely resolve my concerns.

 In measuring the stock dash and heater unit, it appears that one of
these units might fit and still allow for some other ducts to supply
fresh air from the exposed hole to dash vents. I would like to try this.
The problem is the highly irregular shape of the original heater unit
and the dash. The indash A/C units are box shaped but the available
space in the Vanagon is far from that. Also the stock radio location
projects into the dash area right in the middle of where such an A/C
unit would go. The stock heater box has an indentation molded into it
for the radio to go.

Mark

------------- wrote:

> Mark, etal,
>     Auto. AC in most cases  is at best marginally exceptable
> in the worst  case situation.  It must work hard  to cool
> a car fast that has been sitting all day in the hot sun.  This is
> why hotter fresh air is not the best to be cooling.  In the
> case of a vanagon with the large volume of air,  AC will
> never work with this situation.  Think of it this way.   A
> good working AC unit in your vanagon,  with one or both
> of the fresh air vents opened.
>    Besides vanagon leak enough air fresh anyway.
>
>