Alternative to A/C?

[ventureforth]

Have an '82 Rabbit 1.6NA.  Doesn't have A/C.  I was wondering if anyone has experimented  with alternatives to adding OEM A/C that are lighter, less expensive, more efficient, etc.  I could probably find all the parts I need for factory style A/C, but since I'm starting from scratch here I was thinking there might be a better option.  Right now, I have a clip fan plugged into the lighter and the windows open.  Not really helping when sitting in traffic with 100+ temps outside.

Thanks...and stay hydrated!

[truckinwagen]

swamp cooler.

they are way cooler.

-Owen

[ventureforth]

For economy sake, I actually found KoolerAire.  It plugs into the lighter and uses a cooler (i.e., Igloo) filled with ice or ice packs or something ice-like.  Seems to work pretty well and it only cost $40 and uses very little energy and is very portable.

[Baron VonZeppelin]

Show us some pix and tell us more about it when you get it.

[ventureforth]

So I tried it out.  Not bad for $40, but not great either.  On a warm day, it may help a bit.  But on a hot day, it doesn't stand a chance.  I tried various amounts of ice and various forms (blocks, cubes, frozen bottles, etc.).  I might say it's better than nothing, but just barely.  Still, it might be good for camping or some other application, so I'm not completely unhappy with my purchase.  And on a modestly warm day, I will certainly enjoy having it on board the Rabbit.

[R.O.R-2.0]

thermo-electric plates?

build a a/c unit out of peltiers? i know those get ice cold on one side, and burnin hot on the other side..

the igloo a/c unit sounds a bit too much like a ice cast to me, with the ice cast removed and a heat exchanger and fan added..

there has to be something better and less ghetto than a igloo cooler..

[dennis]

If your in a low humidity climate I vote for the swamp cooler. Some of the air-cooled guys use those. If your in a high humidity area then it just makes it harder for your sweat to evaporate.

[R.O.R-2.0]

swamp cooler as in the kind that hangs off the side of the car, out the window?

[dennis]

Yep in most cases. Just uses evaporation to cool. Regular A/C does the same thing, but the refrigeraqnt is recirculated where as water cools as it evaporates, and must be re-filled.

[ventureforth]

Yeah, I was gonna go for one of those classic cooler deals that hang off the side of the window, but the place that came highly recommended was out of stock for the foreseeable future and I needed a right away solution.  Plus, the KoolerAire was $40 and the swamp cooler was a few hundred dollars, so I figured I'd give the lower cost option a shot.  The summer is almost over now (though today it got up to 105 or so), but I might invest in the out the window classic cooler before next summer rolls along.

[79rabbit4dr]

YES!!!

[R.O.R-2.0]

YES!!!

this is WIN right here...

[dennis]

That would be an afternoon Caddy upgrade. I could even strap it down in the bed and duct the air into the sliding window.
Dennis