Hi Guys,

Last fall I let one of my friends convince me that I did not need AC as a must-have, being in Washington State. I now curse his name at least weekly!

I bought a sweet '94 Pickup - V6 4x4 Excab SR5 with EVERY SINGLE OPTION, EXEMPT FOR AC!

We take 3-4 hour road trips every week or so and heading into Eastern Washington. Maybe I am a wimp, but I just die in the sun. Oppening windows at 70-80mph does not work well - the noise about pops my ear drums. My wife and I cant have a conversation because the vocal cords hurt after a while. My poor radio blares it's guts out... Bottom line, its not fun.

I WANT AC! Problem is, installing AC into a car that didnt come with it, sounds problematic. The compressor, condenser, lines, etc... If I ever do an engine swap, maybe. I was thinking about is a roof-mounted system like they have in RVs. Problem is, I dont need to cool a whole RV, just my cab and the systems that I am finding are $800-1200 - a bit pricey. Is there anything out there thats made to cool a pickup cab and works well?

 

I would think that installing factory AC wouldn't be that hard. You could hit a scrap yard and pull all the stuff you need (don't forget the compressor bracket and the interior controls and maybe the AC belt pulley) and then add them to the truck. Once that's done you can rent a vacuum pump to draw the system down to check for leaks. It's also a great time to rebuild the compressor before you install it. I'd bet you could do it for a lot less than 800$.

Then you have every option.

 

If and when I decide to do 3.4L upgrade on the truck (another thing I didnt know about when I got it) I might look into it. Right now, it just seems a hell of a lot easier to cut a hole behind the sunroof...

 

There's a compant (ackits.com) abecedarian showed me in one of my threads. It's an aftermarket AC kit for the 22re that costs about $850. I'm gonna pick one up, but another user on these forums has one and he recommended it.

 

squirt bottle and open window....... $0.99

squirt bottle with little fan attached.......$6.99

Driving around topless on a 90 degree day..................








in the 4runner.................priceless

 

Im glad i have ac for the 3 months out of the year lol.

Nothing like goin 65 down the highway with the ac on.

But I WOULD NOT cut a hole in your roof for a stupid roof mounted ac system.

 

please dont cut a hole in your roof for an a/c system. ill trade you my truck for yours. i live in friggin florida and i dont ever use my a/c (works perfect though). the only time is when its raining too hard to have the windows down. ive never used the a/c in my trucks.

 

you will be kicking yourself even harder if you cut a massive hole in the roof. Get one of those hats with the fans on the bill.

 

Even my ice cold A/C was struggling to cool me off today. It was HOT....still is actually. I wouldn't drive right now without it. I'm spoiled I guess.

 

You need to find a pick up in the junkyard of the same year (NOT a 4Runner). You'll need to pull the compressor, lines, condensor, and evaporator box (under the dash). Everything should swap over with little to no problem as everything should be a direct bolt in. Some guys have reported doing this in as little as 5 hours.