[HWYSTR455]

I got my 71 LeMans Sport with around 68k original miles on it. The AC in that thing would freeze you out of the car, no kidding. I was so used to just setting AC on high and leaving it in other cars, but in that car, no way you could do it.

Years later it had a hose issue, it had those worm clamps from the factory that had a little 'hook' that went over the end of the hose were cut. Guess it was to ensure the clamp was at the proper position, but the ends of the hoses over time started to split from dry rot, and, well, you know the rest.

I attempted to repair it multiple times, but I ended up chasing the whole system part by part and finally gave up. During the tribute build I went to the VA setup, and although it's not as good as the original system, it's pretty dang good. I get low 30 degrees coming out of the vents. And the blower blows harder than I remember the original did.

The original had an issue with the vacuum control switch panel in the dash, and yes, I used all new hoses and even found that funky 1 piece hose fitting, but it was never 'right'. If it weren't for that, I probably would have kept the OE setup.

I do like the simplicity of the VA setup though, all contained, nothing on the firewall in the engine compartment, and much easier to troubleshoot/repair. Guess that's the trade-off.


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