cooling-off period

MAY 2006VOLUME 9, NUMBER 4

HOTROD & RESTORATION52

“Alot of the old rods don’t havea/c,” says Eaton Corporation’sMike Manos, “but they’re

adding it.” Today’s hot rod owners grewup with air conditioning, and they expectit on all their vehicles, from their dailydriver to their weekend cruiser. Manosbelieves that’s why sales have increasedevery year for the Whitehouse, Ohio,company. “Aeroquip — our wholly ownedbrand name — has been a very successfulline.”

Clint Millican, in sales and marketingfor Old Air Products in Fort Worth, Texas,wouldn’t argue. “Business certainly hasn’tslowed down for street rods! We’re seeingan increase for factory replacement partsfor classic cars equipped with air. You’ll

even see guys adding a/c to cars thatdidn’t originally have it!”

That’s right, according to Eric Daehn,vice president of Yogi’s Inc. in Calamus,Iowa, who says 90-95 percent of the carswith a/c and heating today didn’t have it10 years ago. “You can buy a unit that fitsinto any vehicle and makes it look like itcame from the factory that way.Companies like Hot Rod Air and VintageAir even have controls that make yourcontrols work with the heating and a/c.These days, it’s easier for the customer toinstall, and it looks more ‘factory.’”

David Stutts, owner of Hot Rod Air inSelma, Texas, explains, “The factory-adapt for controls is the biggest, hottesttrend. People want a factory dash

appearance, but the firewall is a problem.They send us their factory controls. Wesmooth off the firewall. There’s nothinghanging on the engine — no clutter in theengine department. Our units providemore capacity and more features in amore compact package. They mix air like2006 models.”

Yogi’s recently began the practice ofretrofitting customer controls to airsystems. Daehn says that even if a 1967 ornewer car came equipped with air, it’s agood idea to replace the system. “Theoriginal probably didn’t work that well,and it was big, bulky and stuck under thehood, taking up space.” Today’s replace-ments go under the dash, have a nicecover over the firewall, work better, are

By Lori Lovely

Cooling-Off Period

53MAY 2006

more efficient and are set up for the newR134a refrigerant.

“If you’re adding a/c to a non-a/cvehicle, send us the factory heatercontrol. We’ll integrate your controls torun our system,” advertises Millican.“We’ll adapt our harness. You don’thave to add underdash stuff.”

Although, as the name would imply,Old Air concentrates on heating and airconditioning systems and replacementparts for classic and antique autos, thecompany also offers their HurricaneSeries, a street rod line. “It fits any-thing, as long as you have nine inchesfrom dash to firewall.” Old Air’s streetrod series features a modular design.Available for 1928 through late-model

cars, the package allows choices of dashmounts, condenser size and bracketry.Other popular items include custom kitsfor 1947-1972 Chevy trucks, the tri-fiveChevys, mid-year Corvettes and 1965-70Mustangs.

Air QualityStutts says this niche industry is hitting

its stride as car owners age and theirpriorities change. “Ten years ago, 40percent of owners wanted air; now, 75percent want it. We do a ton of roadsters;a/c knocks off the humidity and keepsheat down even in an open roadster.”From basic, non-polished kits to polishedaluminum compressors for high-dollarpre-1948 hot rods, Stutts has seen thecyclical nature of air conditioning.

Not everyone views it the same way.Harold Gentry, of Air-tique in Cleburne,Texas, says, “As far as I’m concerned, a/cand heating are still rolling on a squarewheel. I don’t know that any newearth-shaking advances are on the

horizon in this field without majorchanges in the way our industry thinksabout a/c and heating systems. Theadvances to make these systems morelike OEM systems — which is what mostpeople want — are not yet ready to beaccepted, and I don’t know if they everwill be fully accepted. In the real world ofair conditioning, systems engineers aren’theld to a mere ‘looks-only’ standard likein this market. Their overall goal is a sys-tem that performs. In my opinion, mostfolks in this industry consider what looksbest over what works best, even if thatidea is wrought with flaws — for example,the under-car condenser concept. Theholy grail of the hot rod industry, thesmooth firewall, is not a design criteria toOEM engineers. Telling some guy that toperform like an OEM system, his ’57Chevy, Camaro or Chevelle will have tohave a firewall-mounted unit would sendmost hot rodders to the hospital.”

“Nobody made a system to fit factory-air cars,” explains Al Sedita, owner of

Old Air Products keeps customers happy by offering customization – each unit iscustom to a certain degree. Shown here is their popular Hurrican Series unit withsome vent and control options.

Classic Auto Air Manufacturers in Tampa,Florida. “You had to hand-fabricate.Labor time skyrocketed.” Until now.Classic Auto Air’s new Perfect Fit Seriesheat/cool/defrost climate control systemreplaces the old heater/defrost box with afactory appearance. The factory airadapter kits, which retail for between $59and $159, address the four major issuesfacing builders: control panel, dash ouvers, defrost ducts and the hole in thefirewall — and adds only 30 minutes tothe installation time. “It’s a major deal.Our Perfect Fit Series raised the bar in theindustry. You can replace the big, oldcompressor with a little round aluminumcompressor. It’s efficient and it looksgood. You can update your factory airsystem with modern components, get ridof that bulky box and have a flat firewall.”

With 60 model-specific systemsdesigned for Ford, GM and Chrysler mod-els from 1970 and older, Sedita claimsClassic Auto Air sells more systems thanall his competitors combined. “Themodel-specific condenser is made ofpre-formed aluminum tubes for everyapplication. Our competitors have a

universal condenser. We have dedicatedbracketry for a better fit and clean look. Itwon’t look like an after-thought.” He addsthat, “two part numbers exclusively fromus,” namely for a Sanden compressorconversion kit and a Perfect Fit Seriescondenser kit, provide “an easy fix to amulti-headed problem.”

That’s a plan Gordon Marks Jr., ownerof Marks Air Inc. (also in Tampa, Florida),is on board with. He’s seen a/c units gofrom “a conglomeration of parts adaptedfrom all kinds of stuff to specific pack-ages.” A wider variety of mounts are nowavailable, plus all the “bells and whistleslike billet stuff and braided steel hose”makes it “easier for parts guys to look upthe application and get the right parts.Ten years ago, it was hard for non-carguys.” Although street rods represent only1 percent of Marks’ sales and the serviceside of their business has slowed, Markssays a/c is still in demand. “Nine timesout of 10, it’s the wives. Guys will updatethe suspension and all that stuff, but thewives want air.” He says that today every-thing is better, with more choices formore vehicles.

Looking CoolHaving choices is always good, and

when it comes to air conditioning, manybuilders are choosing stainless steelbraided hoses. Doc’s Blocks specializes inhoses and a/c fittings. The Russelville,

Arkansas, company carries all fittings,hoses, crimpers and aluminumbraising kits to build any kind of

a/c system. “We have alot of business,” says

Mike Hurlbut. “It’s amazing. Maybe it’sbecause the systems are less complicatedthese days. Maybe it’s because a lot of thestreet rodders are older, have disposableincome and can work on the cars them-selves.” Maybe he’s right: the stainlessbraided hose with stainless steel fittingscosts more than the standard barrierhose. Both work equally well, Hurlbutsays. “It just depends on how much youwant to spend.”

Despite the fact that it costs 7-8 timesmore, Yogi’s is selling more braided stain-less than ever. “It’s not just for show cars,”Daehn says, explaining that they used tosell it only for trailered cars. “People justwant something different.”

What the market wants, says Manos, isan attractive alternative. That’s why Eatonoffers a stainless steel braided hose with anylon inner liner. He explains thatpreviously, an industrial Teflon hose,impervious to chemicals, was adaptedfrom brake lines for a/c use. “It did ok.The problem was the Teflon inner linerisn’t as good with refrigerants. There’s apermeation factor with refrigerants: overtime, they leak. The nylon tube is a betterbarrier against leakage.” They addednickel-plated steel fittings that threadtogether, specifically made for their hose.The reusable ends are cost-effective. “It’sstate-of-the-art in the resto market, andin high demand. A hose is no good

HOTROD & RESTORATION54

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Designed specifically fora/c component applications, this hosefrom Eaton Aeroquip has a stainless steelouterbraid with a nylon inner tube forsuperior refrigerant performance. Customdesigned nickel plated steel fittings are anattractive complement.

Cooling-Off PeriodAs the A/C Market Heats Up, Hot Rods Take a Chill

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55MAY 2006 Circle 36 on Reader Action Card

Circle 35 on Reader Action Card

without end fittings.” As the only perfor-mance supplier of hoses that also designsand develops their own, Eaton produceshoses and fittings for all kinds of vehicles,which sometimes leads to definitivecross-over advantages. However, Manosadmits that Detroit OEMs and otherniches in the automotive industry are lessconcerned with looks, opting for the lessexpensive black rubber hose.

“Stainless braided hoses vs. blackrubber hoses can be a $300 upgrade,”estimates Shane Thomas, sales managerfor Southern Rods & Parts, “but it looksbetter on show cars. You can go with astandard plastic control box or spend$100 on a billet upgrade, or even more onan illuminated control, but it becomes afocal point.”

Adding a/c to 1960s and earlier carsthat never had it is big business forSouthern Rods. “A/c has become apriority for all hot rod owners. It’s thecomfort factor mostly, but it alsoenhances fuel mileage and aero-dynamics. You can skimp on upgrades,but be sure you get a quality unit withgood output. Even an $800 a/c kit candouble or triple the value of your car.”The Greer, South Carolina-based compa-ny offers two direct-fit kits for ’55-’57Chevys and six universal models thatadapt to almost any car. Three MaxiKooler units are popular amongSouthern’s DIY customer base. Fittingeverything from pickups to full-sizestation wagons, these air and defrostunits are all electric, with no vacuum.Thomas says converting units fromvacuum-operated to electric solenoid iscommon. “With an electric motor, there’san instant switch from defrost to a/c.They’re simple to install — it’s great forDIYers: just plug ‘n play.”

Another plug ‘n play system comesfrom Classic Auto Air. “Our competitorsuse electric vacuum pumps with a nest ofhoses, wiring harnesses and microswitches,” Sedita begins. “We’ll neverproduce a vacuum-operated system.Bigger-than-stock cam shafts don’tproduce enough vacuum and the ventsdefault to defrost out of the dash and

56

heat out of the floor. We keep it simplewith either a mechanical cable or anelectronic servo. It’s a fly-by-wire totallycontrollable system with a separatecircuit board in the dash, pre-wiredharness and smart-switch technology.”

Another hot seller for Southern is theSuperFrost a/c and heat. “There’s noprovision for defrost; that’s the onlydetractor. But it’s not a big deal forhot rods because they only run ingood weather.”

Hot FlashBut there are days when a little heat is

welcome. Millican says the after-marketheater business predominantly consistsof replacing blower motors and re-building the heater core. “You can rebuildthermostatic heater valves on cars ofthe ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s.” He says mostbuilders are replacing the entire system

with heater cores and defrost.Daehn says it’s fairly common for

heater cores to go bad, but that it costsmore to replace a 30-year-old core than tobuy a new one. Besides, he says, new onesare “smaller, they look better and theyfunction better.” Heaters start at $149,and complete packages (core, blowermotor, wiring, switches) can run ashigh as $1700. “It’s a big price range,”he admits.

Yogi’s price range for a/c systems issimilar: $850-$1800. The difference is thattwo-thirds of Yogi’s a/c customers selectindividual pieces rather than a package.“It allows more individuality,” Daehnspeculates. “For instance, you can have apainted compressor bracket with a stain-less compressor.” No matter what theirpredominantly end-user customer baseorders — or how — Yogi’s talks to 95percent of their customers before an

Circle 37 on Reader Action Card Circle 38 on Reader Action Card

A/C compressor adapter fittings from Doc’sBlocks allow you to attach standard hosefittings to factory compressors. Examplesshown include GM LS-1, Chrysler Hemi,Ford FS10 and others.


57MAY 2006

order is placed to make sure they’regetting the right thing. “Even if theyorder off the website, we call and askquestions.” Although he says a/c is “veryeasy for anyone with average mechanicalability,” sometimes it helps to talk tosomeone with first-hand experience. Inbusiness for 25 years, Yogi’s still buildsproject cars, testing the products itsells. “It lets us demonstrate installationfor customers, even if we have toemail photos.”

Rick Love, executive vice president ofVintage Air Inc., says customers are moredemanding, so his employees do a lot oftrouble-shooting when they attendshows, often escorting customers to theparking lot to show the product on theirown cars as they answer questions.Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the SanAntonio, Texas-based business was thefirst to manufacture climate controlsystems for street rods, but it’s stillintroducing new products. Its exclusive4-Knob Stremline™ Panel featuresinternally lighted rotary knobs, a cleandesign and a compact machined andpolished aluminum face with fly-by-wirecontrol functions. Also new is the Real-Steel Mark IV, an old-style underdashsystem that “fits on anything.” Love saysthey revised the tooling from the mid-‘60soriginal, incorporating today’s coiltechnology. Made of sheet metal with achrome bezel, it’s a good choice for tradi-tional, nostalgic cars. “It’s unique to us,”Love adds.

A third new product is the FrontRunner™ for small block Fords. The drivesystem mounts all engine accessoriesfrom its one-piece forged and machinedaluminum timing cover. “There’s noexternal bracketry,” explains Love. “It hasa built-in cradle to bolt on to. It’s compactand strong.” The systems are alreadyavailable for small and big block Chevys.

Cool Competition“There’s a lot of competition in this

market,” reflects Thomas. “There are a lotof good units out there.” As tough as thecompetition is, Thomas says it’s nice to becompared to Vintage Air. “We have to



58

keep ahead of the field to protect ourstatus.” As he knows, staying out frontrequires being recognized. Southern doesthat through magazine ads, 26 shows peryear and Internet advertising, which hesays they’re “just starting to focus on. OurWeb store has steadily progressed; it addsto our sales force. We still pick up thephone to answer questions and doublecheck orders, but that’s a five-minute callto confirm, as opposed to a 10-minutecall to collect billing information.”

Millican knows how hard it is to sell viathe Internet. “We have to follow up byphone to make sure customers aregetting the right thing. They don’t specifyunderdash or indash, small block or bigblock — we have to get the details right.”He says many customers think they havefactory-original systems, but by talking tothem, Old Air employees can determinethat for sure.

Because Vintage Air’s customer base isolder and not into the “Net,” Love saysthey rely on print advertising and stock-ing dealers. Nonetheless, he recognizesthat the Internet’s “huge influence haschanged how things are done. It plays abig role in our business.” The build-to-order manufacturer doesn’t sell online toretail customers, but offering down-loadable wiring diagrams on its websiteis a form of 24/7 customer support, bothfor its 700 worldwide dealers and theirend users. “Time is our most valuablecommodity now.”

Time is indeed important for everyone.“I can sell a complete system on thephone to a dealer in 2 minutes. I can sella complete system to a customer in 8minutes. The dealer is where you want tobe,” analyzes Stutts. A toll-free dealer faxnumber means there’s “no cost for adealer to do business with us.” Nor does

he compete with his dealers. “If I sell aproduct against them at a show onSunday, on Monday, they don’t care ifthey sell my product. But if I supportthem at a show, I’ll get 4-5 orderson Monday.”

He may not compete with them, but hedoes expect them to have the product instock and to have knowledge about it.“Dealer training is very important. There’smore competition out there. You have tokeep your name out there and you haveto keep your dealers informed.” It’s thereason he does seminars at dealer loca-tions and why he invites dealers to theseminar he conducts during the Hotrod &Restoration Show’s education day. “It’sone of the two most important shows toeducate and demonstrate.”

Daehn says Yogi’s often takes employeesto training seminars at trade shows. “It’s abig advantage to learn how to sell.”



59MAY 2006

Although the successful retailer with 120continually updated product lines has asmall dealer network, Daehn says theywant to enlarge and improve it. However,“it’s difficult to support dealers withoutcompeting against them. Often, we’remarketing the same area. There’s a verylimited profit margin in this industry —most is about 30 percent markup. If yougive away enough to set up a dealer, howdo you make money?”

Gentry agrees that the key to productsales is knowledge. “Too many retailerstoday are competing by trying to carrymore product lines than anyone else, andthey don’t know a thing about the productthey’re selling. I would rather sell 10products I know like the back of my handthan have 100 lines I barely know any-thing about.” Air-tique sells “just aboutanything you need for a complete airconditioning and heating system” for


Large, separate heat and a/c coils are one of themany very-important features exclusive to ClassicAuto Air’s Perfect Fit Series. The robust heat, cool anddefrost system fits inthe dash andreplaces the stockheater/defrost boxfor a factory air look.

60

street rods, trucks, classic cars, customsand specialty cars from 1900 to 1972,advertising exclusively through theInternet. “Today’s customers are lookingfor two things: information and service.Customers in this market can tell whenyou’re winging it.” He says that not know-ing and not stocking the product areguaranteed ways to lose business.

Sedita prefers dealers who have priorexperience with his competitors’ linesbecause he says they’re aware of the“holes.” He tells them to consider allcompetitors as street rod air conditioningcompanies… except one. “Our only bigcompetitor is Vintage Air. They have anexcellent marketing company.” But he’snot worried; instead, he’s going after themarketing side of the business “aggres-sively” this year. “We’re the world’s largestsupplier of factory heating and air condi-tioning parts. It’s rare that we can’t help a

customer, from resto to custom andeveryone in between.”

He credits Classic Auto Air’s success tohaving a top design engineer on staff;direct customer service that eliminatesthe dealer as go-between after the sale;competitive prices; detailed instructionswith photos, not just drawings; and anextensive line of high-quality parts.“There are compelling, dramatic differ-ences between us and our competitors.We offer more exclusive features. We’re

the only company that builds the unitswith a heating coil separate from the a/ccoil, like a factory system. Everyone elseuses a small coil because it cuts the costin half. But it makes for a marginal heater.We’re paying attention to what thecustomer wants. We’re revolutionizingthe industry.”

Eaton is dedicated to marketingproducts through an existing distributornetwork, which then moves productthrough dealers to end users. They rely on


Hot Rod Air says they do a ton of roadsters – like this UnderdashLouver and Controller for ‘34 Fords – because a/c knocks off the

humidity and keeps the heat down even in an open roadster.


61MAY 2006

distributors, as full partners, to do shows.“It was successful for Vintage Air,Southern Rod and RB’s. They targeted hotrods; it made a big difference. You canhave a good product, but you also have tohave a good distributor. We’ve hadtremendous response; our product isdoing well.”

Doc’s Blocks targets repair shops andthe “guys building kits. We sell them hosesets to put in their kits,” according toHurlbut. A free catalog, a few shows and alot of advertising help spread the word,but as the only company that makesadapters to connect to standard lines,business is almost assured. “The factorycompressors on engines need adapters.We make billet aluminum block-typefittings — an OEM-connection with athreaded nut so the after-market guys caninstall them.”

“We’re never gonna’ be the cheapest,”Love states, “but we’re a good value. Thecheapest isn’t always the best, and thereare certain areas where you just don’t cutcorners. We provide service after the sale.Talk to our customers; see if they’rehappy. We don’t sell a single ‘I need’product; we have to keep our customershappy.”

One way Old Air keeps its customershappy is by customization. “Each unit iscustom to a certain degree,” Millicanelaborates. “It sets us apart from thecompetition.” They also keep dealershappy by fielding all end-user questions,upholding retail prices so dealers canbargain, referring end users to localdealers, and drop-shipping units. “In thesummertime, when it’s hot, people wantreplacement parts now. Our units takeonly 3 to 10 days to ship.” He knows thatif a customer is happy, other people willhear about it. “There’s nothing betterthan word-of-mouth advertising.”

With TV shows inspiring people to finishproject cars, Thomas sees a growingmarket that isn’t dependent on the stockmarket. “People are investing in their carsand enjoying them. They watch TV, getideas and decide to install the air kit theybought 4-5 years ago. A car sells better withair; it’s not complicated.”



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