WRONG!!!! there were no power vents in an olds it means cool/low speed fan cold means high speed fan. i know i owned one after my parents bought it new.
@@richardfeibel3154 If you don't know what you're looking at in that trunk is an AC unit, you're ignorant, so you might want to back- off before you show it any further. AC was an option that year, your parents probably didn't have it, most people didn't. I've seen the same setup in a 55 Lincoln.
@@frankpaya690 I think what he meant was cool for air conditioning with low fan speed versus cold for air conditioning with a high fan speed. Basically high and low air conditioning just like you haven't a car today.
The A.C. in my Uncle's 1965 Buick "Wildcat" was so powerful, it could freeze you out of the car! The .A.C. vents would ice up! And it would literally blow snow flakes at you!
Didnt GM have Harrison air conditioning from the mid to late 60's onward? My mothers Pontiac Bonneville had Harrison a/c- it would get so cold it had to be shut off
@@Someguy6571 Yes the R12 is better than R134. But there was something about the a/c in GM cars back in the 60s and later. Ive owned a few Fords as well as Chevy and the GM a/c systems beat Ford hands down in cooling
Beautiful rare Oldsmobile ! Those cars are built so well, that with a little maintenance they can last hundreds of years ! Really nice car young man ! Take care of her ! peace
I remember, in the early-mid '60s, seeing a car on the highway on the hottest day of the year. The windows were rolled up. We were envious of the fact that that car had AIR CONDITIONING!!! It was a rarity in those days. It must've been even more rare in the '50's! Can you even buy a car today that doesn't have A/C?
I'm pretty sure that my parents would be arrested and jailed for child abuse for all the summer suffering we went thru in the old Mustang with black interior. ;)
@jdslyman yep the ac compressor on my wrangler recently seized up and I just decided to bypass it instead of replacing it because I wont ever use it in the warm months anyways
Can you imagine in 1953, being the only one around with a car with air conditioning?! On a hot day everyone's driving around with all the windows down, miserable, sweating like pigs and you're out there with all the windows rolled up, wearing your suit jacket and hat, puffing on your cigar, with a big smile on your face! I'm so glad we're in 2021 and everyone breathes cool air!
I can’t believe I am seeing this A friend of mine who lived in Dallas had a 1954 olds 88 painted pink , gray and white it was a demonstrator from San Francisco with the dual a/c units and it was pristine with less than 15k miles on the odometer I sure liked that vehicle as my Grandfather always had Oldsmobile’s Thank you it’s beautiful
Had a '53 Buick Roadmaster with factory air. It was a $600 (!) option back then. It has a chrome-plated, directional outlet above each seating position. Cold air is generated up front by a compressor, then piped all the way back to the trunk where the evaporator unit was sited, under the package shelf. Twin fans blew the uncompressed cold air up through clear plastic tubes, through waxed cardboard tubes under the headliner on each side, to the aforementioned outlets. Only 4/10 of 1% of all cars made in '53 (about 1 in every 250) had factory air -- mostly by GM, but also a few Packards (which had had its own system since 1940) and special-order limos. GM turned to its Frigidaire subsidiary b/c the latter was used to designing equipment that used electricity from a wall outlet to cool a big metal box that sat in your kitchen -- why couldn't they "simply" adapt that equipment to cool a big metal box that generated its own electricity and rolled down the road? GM offered AC for Cadillacs and the highest-end (longest-wheelbase) models of the Buick and Olds brands (only), like your '98. Chevy, Pontiac, and the lesser Olds and Buicks would have to wait years for this option. The time pressure to get AC to market -- GM had discovered in early '52 that Chrysler had its own AC offering in development -- was so great that the Frigidaire engineers forgot to install a compressor clutch! So, every Spring you took your car in to your friendly GM dealer, who put on a special, long AC compressor belt that had come with the car -- and you had AC, whether you liked it or not, until the following Fall when you had the belt removed! In the meantime you could turn the compressor down, but not off. Needless to say, they corrected this "feature" the next model year. FYI, these systems were known for freezing the back of the driver's and front-seat passengers' necks. The aptly-named "H-Bomb" compressor weighed about 75 lbs. by itself.
50zcarsman Thank you for that. My 1970 Lincoln had climate control that ran the compressor all the time winter and summer. A switch under the hood was supposed to turn it off at 29°. When I bought the car the compressor was locked up. I put a junkyard compressor on it and put in some freon with a suicide kit...no vacuum pump. It worked great. The rest of the climate control worked flawlessly. Some other things had “issues”.
WOW! This is a very rare car indeed. This was the very first year for factory a/c, and not many were built that way. I have a 1961 Olds Super 88 with working factory a/c and I thought that was pretty rare.... Thanks for making this video. Beautiful car you have there.
Yeah a 66 Olds 98 Town Sedan with 425 V8 Hydramatic, power steering and brakes had a base price of around $3950. With a radio, white wall tires, tinted glass, remote mirror and air conditioning it had an MSRP of about $4850 including destination charge so in a 1953 economy $4000 sounds about right for an air conditioned 53 Ninety Eight sedan.
Wow! That must have been nearly twice the price of an average car back then. I'm curious to know your impressions of the car and how long you kept it. Were you always an Oldsmobile man?
That's too cool. I haven't seen one of those since I was a kid. My dad had a 56 Caddy Coupe deVille and it had a similar setup with the intake scoops on the top of the rear fenders and that big box in the trunk. To bring in the cold ("ish") air, there were two clear plastic tubes that came up from the rear deck and delivered the fresh air. I loved that car, it was so smooth and quiet you had to look out the window to be sure you were moving. The hood alone on thing weighed more than the Toyota I'm driving now... Great video, thanks for posting it... BR Tim
I was flipping cars in the early 70’s and had a 56 Olds 98 4 door “Holiday”(pillarless). It had dash air like a modern car. It worked. The guy that bought it got a ticket on a two lane in rural Kentucky when he pulled in for an ice cream cone. He was unaware the cops were chasing him.
A/C must have been an expensive option. My gramps had a '55 88 I remember as a kid, he kept it until the mid 70s. Even in NJ the body had no rust, wasn't garage kept, daily driver, amazing car!
One of my father's friends owned a 1959 Cadillac Fleetwood that had the same type of trunk mounted A/C with vents near the side windows. At the time, the nozzles reminded me of the air vents above the seats on airliners.
That would be a Fleetwood 75 model as the Lesser model Cadillacs had air conditioning through the dash. With the model 75 sedan, you could have dash air only or dual air. With the 75 limousine with divider window you got dual air.
Amen and I appreciate the time from which these things that were produced from some of the finest men having been gone thru the depression and then a world war or two , people weary from strife embraced the future and were visionary and held ideals in their mind to bring to fruition of dreams and high hopes A friend of mine had a very pristine example and was a caretaker for awhile of a 54 88 Frigidaire dual ac equipped It was heaven like a refrigerator on wheels truly a beautifully designed vehicle Glad you appreciate this too
@@JackPepal357 a brand new telecaster was around $150 back then probably less. Today there around $1400 out the door new. A $200 option back then was pricey.
I still have my 1954 imperial 2dr Newport with working original Airtemp AC (unit in trunk) . Price was close to $500 . Total car price was $6200. Packard AC was even costlier , and similar in design . Chrysler's unit worked by far the best . Only unit that had automatic temp control . (adjustible temp setting) as present "premium" AC . One new compressor seal in 1971 is all my system has required . No additional charging since . Capacity rated at 1.5 ton cooling .Compressor is a monster 4cyl. V type that turns 1/2 engine speed . There is no 'draft' when in use , the interior just uniformily cools down . Car engine is early 331ci hemi , 235hp .
I have seen a similiar set up somewhere I think on a early 50's Cadillac. Makes sense that the vents are on the inside on the headliner because cool air doesn't rise like hot air. Very nice car. BTW you have a great voice for narrating : )
Years ago, while wondering in an old automobile salvage yard, way, way in the back was a 1955 Cadillac limo, it was stretched longer than a normal caddy, but not like the limos of today, it was for rear seat comfort , and it had this very a/c system in it, i was fascinated by the clear “ acetate?” Sections poking thru the rear deck, and the chromed vents in the passenger area, it also had rear seat radio controls, so the passenger could adjust the station and volume, the adjustable footrests were amazingly chromed and leather covered, the whole interior was in great shape, and other than flat tires, it was complete,and liked like it was ready to drive, I had wondered who owned such a car, ( in s.w. Florida) then I spotted several old parking stickers in the front window, they were all for the Ringling Brothers Circus, ( Venice Florida was the winter home of the circus until the early 2000’s , and also home to the fabulous Ringling museum of art ) possibly it was John and Mabel’s car?, but why would it be in a junkyard 45 miles away?, I guess that’s a mystery lost to time.but I’m glad to see another a/c unit like this, as it makes think that the caddy was not a one off, thanks for sharing, and long may your olds roll down the road. As a side fact, Mr. Olds was from a small town in Florida that now bears his name “ Oldsmar” Florida, near Tampa, in in the city hall there are two Oldsmobile’s, 1 is an 1910 curved dash replica, and the last olds made, an Oldsmobile shilouette , my parents have one of the last 500 made, it has the emblems sewn into the seats,and custom doorsills with the production numbers on it as well as 1 of 500 on it. Gotta love Oldsmobile’s style, would you all agree?
When I was a kid living in Wisconsin I never thought that A/C was all that useful. Then I made a trip across the Mojave desert in July with my parents. It was one of the most miserable experiences I’ve ever had. I still remember it more than 50 years later.
Early A/C units have always interested me. Similar rear evaporator setups were used by Ford and Chrysler. The earliest unit I've seen was in a '54 Ford and a '56 Chrysler. Great vid! :) Jack
What I'm most amazed about, even more so than the like new condition of this almost 70 year old car? The fact that this A/C system still works! Oh and btw: $4000 in 1953 is about $38,000 now $5000 in 1953 is about $47,500 now Not bad at all if you ask me considering that if you were rolling around in a car in 1953 with A/C, something that hardly any homes had, you were pretty much a badass.
Timothy Antoine My grandpa use to work for Frigidaire. Yrs ago. You are right Frigidaire was owned General Motors . He was a tool & Die maker . He worked 49 yrs until he retired in the early eighties around 1982 .
Steve B that’s Right ! My dads mom had a Frigidaire washer from 50,S & had that logo bage on it ! Man that thing would get your clothes really clean ! That washer was built like a tank !
When the FAA sent my dad to Oklahoma City for training on a new radar system in 71, they put him in a 2 bedroom townhome style (2 story) apartment. He brought us (Mom, big sister, and me) up to stay with him the last week there. I remember the dishwasher was a Frigidaire. And the label read "by General Motors".
A former co-worker had a '54 or '55 Cadillac with factory air. His biggest beefs were twofold. First, in humid weather, condensation would form on the metal air registers which would then drip down on his neck (over time, probably played hell with the paint on the registers, too). Second, the air also blew down his neck or the side of his face. Because these old A/C systems were fairly primitive, the earliest compressors didn't have clutches on them, so the compressor was always engaged, always turning. In cold weather, the manufacturers recommended that the belts on the compressor be removed to prevent damage due to the registers being closed off. Now, it's entirely possible that by the time the '53 GM/Frigidaire systems came out, the compressors may have had clutches and thereby could be turned off without a worry, just freewheeling as modern compressors do. I think by the mid-50s, all automotive air conditioning compressors had clutches. Made them much easier to maintain.
Original owner must've been truly loaded but not flashy about it, which is why they maxed-out a black Oldsmobile sedan instead of going for a Cadillac hardtop coupe in a pastel color. Especially since a light-colored roof would've helped the a/c out a lot.
Considering what it takes to maintain the system, it is very special and rare that the R12 freon is still running through the system with no leaks after now 70 years. Truly rare indeed.
The very first automobile to have an optional air conditioner was the Packard. On the Packard the air conditioner was also located in the trunk. This seems to show that the very first automobile air conditioners were located in the trunk.
Nash (American Motors) perfected the modern under-dash A/C system that we see today. In fact, the first car that came with A/C as standard was the '68 AMC Ambassador, even before Cadillac, Imperial or Lincoln!
Thanks for sharing. I've never seen a '53 with factory air. My family had a '56 with A/C through the dash, it was also a black98 4 door. It worked great, but I always liked the trunk air models, they seemed to distribute cooled air more evenly.
I have a feeling that this is about a one in a thousand of air conditioned olds made thus a1953 year. Certainly experimental and uncommon for the ‘53 year, please turn on and. Advise HOW it cools . It would be nearly impossible to go and visit her where she is near Palm Springs. Good luck, that is a great find! Please continue to share with the early air conditioning community.
In the mid-'60s I went with my father to a junkyard to remove a pair of those scoops from a '50s-era Cadillac. I don't remember removing any ductwork from the car. My father used the scoops, which were painted black and in good condition, on his '53 Chevrolet which I'd dubbed 'The Batmobile'. I recognized what those chromed scoops were for right away in your video. It's been decades since I'd seen them on any car out on the road but I still look when I see a classic car.
gorgeous car!! My parents had a new 1953 98 convertible no A/C. I can't believe your car survived in that condition. They were not a cheap car back then. I remember the globe in the steering wheel. I learned to drive in that car...
My grandfather loved to tell the story of the time in 1953 (the year I was born) when my grandma's brother came to visit on a hot August afternoon, and took them for a ride in his air-conditioned Cadillac. Granddaddy said people on the sidewalk stared at them for driving around with the windows up!
I had read in the past that 1953 was the 1st year that air conditioning was offered on a Cadillac, but it makes sense, in that the 98 Olds and Buick were the same basic car. At THAT time, GM owned Frigidaire, and the cost was ~ $800. for factory a/c -- definitely a rare car.
@@catinthehat5140 car Interiors are small nowadays, but the interior of that Oldsmobile is about the size of the interior of a full size four-door pickup truck today.
An amazing car in beautiful condition. It was the top of the line Olds, plus I saw other options such as the rear speaker switch and the park brake warning light.
An SPO. It was either a dealership owner, high ranking GM official, etc. that was able to get that system put on there from the Cadillac Division which was the source, in the beginning, of GM air-conditioning systems. Frigidaire was a Division of GM until 1980 when the appliances were sold off (imo a huge mistake!). Then Delco took over the refrigeration. Magnificent car. The Ninety-Eights were the unsung luxury cars from GM. Hang on to that one! Keep it out of the weather and direct sun as much as possible, and take it to shows! There were many years when the Ninety-Eights rode better and were more mechanically reliable than the Cadillacs.
Packard was first with "refrigeration" in 1940, but, the war intervened. You could SPO a/c on may GM cars after 1950, but it was not generally offered to the public until 1953. Most of the early systems could be found on the Cadillac Fleetwood Sixty-Specials or Fleetwood Seventy-Five cars of that era.
These cars are extremely rare and to find or even have one that is still in working condition is almost impossible. What you have there should be a very nice retirement package for you and yours.
I hope you’re right! I was offered 15k I smiled and said no thanks.. I think the people who know this cars value are dying off. I’ve been renting it to the movies. I’ve made 15 just from that. So it’s going to take quite a bit to want to make me sell this baby. I love it. Going to get it a nice paint job soon. It needs a little tlc
If I'm not mistaken,this was the first year that factory AC was available on a General Motors car - It was an expensive piece of optional equipment,and not many cars were sold with it...
Awesome Ryan, thanks for this. Gorgeous 53. Never seen any video description of that system. Only ever in print. To my thinking, since cold air sinks, having the vents up top actually make far more sense that having them at mid level in the dash. Must have been quite the thing to be proud of in it's time on a sweltering day. Is the system entirely self contained under the parcel shelf, or does it have a traditional engine driven compressor? Does it work well in the heat, in a black car? Drive and enjoy! Cheers, Mark
Hey thanks for the compliments! There is a compressor in the engine compartment. I forgot to show that. I've only had the car for 4 months now so I haven't really had a lot of hot days in it yet. I'm sure it wouldn't have a problem cooling it on a hot day.. The things a beast!
I have a 48 Ford that i want to install an A/C but not under the hood. I want to hide all the components and keep it looking original. This is nice setup.
If you want, you should get in touch with Jay Leno (as if that would be easy!). It would be ‘cool’ to see someone like Jay give this car a look over. But then he’d want to drive it... I don’t know how comfortable one would be with that...
I’ve met him at bobs and when I was younger. Nice guy. Id trust him to drive my car off a cliff lol he can drive anything. Don’t think he knows about my car though. I’ve got a few cars he’d probably enjoy looking at. Don’t know if my cars are unique enough for his channel though. That’d be very cool though.
Squirrel Master The original A/C might be enough to spark his interest. I can’t recall if he has shown anything as early as a ‘53 with aircon. Of course, even without it, it would still be a fine looking car!
Great car never seen an A/C like it clever stuff just shows there is nothing new. The aeroplane style direct-able vents look cool the perforations could make a come back incorporated into modern head-linings, which are often moulded now.
Steven Quinn that's funny I didn't even think about that. For having the most expensive option you would think it would have power windows.. like my dad always says, it's just one more thing to break. Thanks for the comment!
Power windows would have been hydraulic in 1953. They were pretty much standard on the Oldsmobile 98 convertible, as well as the Buick Roadmaster convertible and the Cadillac Series 62 convertible. Plus the Cadillac Fleetwood and Cadillac limousine always had them. Electrically-operated power windows replaced hydraulic ones in 1954.
Although it seems like it would be nice to have the power window option on this car,you are actually better off without it - the hydraulic window lifts that were used in 1953 (and earlier) were quite problematic as they age - each window had a reservoir of brake fluid (I believe) that was very prone to leaking after a few years - The all electric windows that came the following year were much better.Fabulous car with a rare option...factory A/C!
Whoever bought this car with a/c must have been rich
Don't forget that they are dead.
David Brown
😂
I mean, my great grandmother is born near 1940’s and she’s living. Her husband or my great grand father passed away near 2015
@@beedslolkuntus2070 I was born in 2002.
David Brown
My brothers birth! I was born in 2005
Cared about it for a long time too if it is that good looking while unrestored
My dad worked at GM South Gate. He said that in the early to mid 50's they could install A/C on two cars a day, one per shift.
Southgate, Michigan or SouthGate UK?
@@GTVAlfaMan South Gate, California, one of two Los Angeles area GM assembly plants. The other was in Van Nuys.
Yeah I am not aware of GM ever having a plant in Southgate Michigan lmao
@@GTVAlfaMan The GM Southgate plant was was near Los Angeles. Ford was in Pico Rivera, Chrysler was in Maywood & GM had another plant in Van Nuys.
@@Karmy. South Gate California, just south of Los Angeles.
Money. Whoever ordered this originally had money. Muuunneeeeeyyy.
MOOOONNAAAAAAHY
"Cool" means opening the vents to the outside air. Switching to cold activates the air conditioner system.
WRONG!!!! there were no power vents in an olds it means cool/low speed fan cold means high speed fan. i know i owned one after my parents bought it new.
@@richardfeibel3154
If you don't know what you're looking at in that trunk is an AC unit, you're ignorant, so you might want to back- off before you show it any further.
AC was an option that year, your parents probably didn't have it, most people didn't.
I've seen the same setup in a 55 Lincoln.
@@frankpaya690 I think what he meant was cool for air conditioning with low fan speed versus cold for air conditioning with a high fan speed. Basically high and low air conditioning just like you haven't a car today.
The A.C. in my Uncle's 1965 Buick "Wildcat" was so powerful, it could freeze you out of the car! The .A.C. vents would ice up! And it would literally blow snow flakes at you!
Didnt GM have Harrison air conditioning from the mid to late 60's onward?
My mothers Pontiac Bonneville had Harrison a/c- it would get so cold it had to be shut off
Yep the older AC systems with R12 would get so cold you would have to turn it off. It was crazy how cold they got.
@@Someguy6571 Yes the R12 is better than R134. But there was something about the a/c in GM cars back in the 60s and later. Ive owned a few Fords as well as Chevy and the GM a/c systems beat Ford hands down in cooling
Robin Jacobs : Nice! I know a guy with a 1967 Buick Wildcat Coupe and it has a Frigidaire compressor the size of a big/tall coffee can lol
that amazing for a car that old
You're lucky to have it. Take good care of it.
Beautiful rare Oldsmobile ! Those cars are built so well, that with a little maintenance they can last hundreds of years ! Really nice car young man ! Take care of her ! peace
Unless you have comfortron like mine does from 1966,
Fan decided it only wants to blow low speed now, yayyy
I remember, in the early-mid '60s, seeing a car on the highway on the hottest day of the year. The windows were rolled up. We were envious of the fact that that car had AIR CONDITIONING!!! It was a rarity in those days. It must've been even more rare in the '50's!
Can you even buy a car today that doesn't have A/C?
I'm pretty sure that my parents would be arrested and jailed for child abuse for all the summer suffering we went thru in the old Mustang with black interior. ;)
It's rare to see a car with the windows down these days, even on blue bird days.
I believe you can still buy a wrangler without ac
@jdslyman yep the ac compressor on my wrangler recently seized up and I just decided to bypass it instead of replacing it because I wont ever use it in the warm months anyways
My dad had a 66 Mustang Convertible that had AC.
Can you imagine in 1953, being the only one around with a car with air conditioning?! On a hot day everyone's driving around with all the windows down, miserable, sweating like pigs and you're out there with all the windows rolled up, wearing your suit jacket and hat, puffing on your cigar, with a big smile on your face! I'm so glad we're in 2021 and everyone breathes cool air!
I can’t believe I am seeing this
A friend of mine who lived in Dallas had a 1954 olds 88 painted pink , gray and white it was a demonstrator from San Francisco with the dual a/c units and it was pristine with less than 15k miles on the odometer I sure liked that vehicle as my Grandfather always had Oldsmobile’s
Thank you it’s beautiful
Had a '53 Buick Roadmaster with factory air. It was a $600 (!) option back then. It has a chrome-plated, directional outlet above each seating position. Cold air is generated up front by a compressor, then piped all the way back to the trunk where the evaporator unit was sited, under the package shelf. Twin fans blew the uncompressed cold air up through clear plastic tubes, through waxed cardboard tubes under the headliner on each side, to the aforementioned outlets. Only 4/10 of 1% of all cars made in '53 (about 1 in every 250) had factory air -- mostly by GM, but also a few Packards (which had had its own system since 1940) and special-order limos. GM turned to its Frigidaire subsidiary b/c the latter was used to designing equipment that used electricity from a wall outlet to cool a big metal box that sat in your kitchen -- why couldn't they "simply" adapt that equipment to cool a big metal box that generated its own electricity and rolled down the road? GM offered AC for Cadillacs and the highest-end (longest-wheelbase) models of the Buick and Olds brands (only), like your '98. Chevy, Pontiac, and the lesser Olds and Buicks would have to wait years for this option. The time pressure to get AC to market -- GM had discovered in early '52 that Chrysler had its own AC offering in development -- was so great that the Frigidaire engineers forgot to install a compressor clutch! So, every Spring you took your car in to your friendly GM dealer, who put on a special, long AC compressor belt that had come with the car -- and you had AC, whether you liked it or not, until the following Fall when you had the belt removed! In the meantime you could turn the compressor down, but not off. Needless to say, they corrected this "feature" the next model year. FYI, these systems were known for freezing the back of the driver's and front-seat passengers' necks. The aptly-named "H-Bomb" compressor weighed about 75 lbs. by itself.
50zcarsman Thank you for that. My 1970 Lincoln had climate control that ran the compressor all the time winter and summer. A switch under the hood was supposed to turn it off at 29°. When I bought the car the compressor was locked up. I put a junkyard compressor on it and put in some freon with a suicide kit...no vacuum pump. It worked great. The rest of the climate control worked flawlessly. Some other things had “issues”.
WOW! This is a very rare car indeed. This was the very first year for factory a/c, and not many were built that way. I have a 1961 Olds Super 88 with working factory a/c and I thought that was pretty rare.... Thanks for making this video. Beautiful car you have there.
Regarding first factory a/c...
Packard Super Eight one eighty, 1940:
*Hold my beer*
@@BubbaSnipe But 53 was the first year for Oldsmobile.
You are the owner of a truly magnificent classic car. My respect to you, sir!
i had a 1953 olds 98 4 door with the factory ac. they are rare. my car cost around 5000.00 in 1953
more like 4,000
Yeah a 66 Olds 98 Town Sedan with 425 V8 Hydramatic, power steering and brakes had a base price of around $3950. With a radio, white wall tires, tinted glass, remote mirror and air conditioning it had an MSRP of about $4850 including destination charge so in a 1953 economy $4000 sounds about right for an air conditioned 53 Ninety Eight sedan.
I'd say more like 2600.
Wow! That must have been nearly twice the price of an average car back then. I'm curious to know your impressions of the car and how long you kept it. Were you always an Oldsmobile man?
I'm also curious to know why you picked the Oldsmobile over the competition
That's too cool. I haven't seen one of those since I was a kid. My dad had a 56 Caddy Coupe deVille and it had a similar setup with the intake scoops on the top of the rear fenders and that big box in the trunk. To bring in the cold ("ish") air, there were two clear plastic tubes that came up from the rear deck and delivered the fresh air. I loved that car, it was so smooth and quiet you had to look out the window to be sure you were moving. The hood alone on thing weighed more than the Toyota I'm driving now... Great video, thanks for posting it...
BR
Tim
I was flipping cars in the early 70’s and had a 56 Olds 98 4 door “Holiday”(pillarless). It had dash air like a modern car. It worked. The guy that bought it got a ticket on a two lane in rural Kentucky when he pulled in for an ice cream cone. He was unaware the cops were chasing him.
@@sammolloy1 Oldsmobile did not get through the dash air conditioning until the 1957 model. You may be misremembering the year of the car.
@@danielulz1640 I had a 1956 that had it. And it worked.
@@sammolloy1 my mother bought a seven-year-old 1957 Buick Roadmaster with Factory air and it would freeze you out!
A/C must have been an expensive option. My gramps had a '55 88 I remember as a kid, he kept it until the mid 70s. Even in NJ the body had no rust, wasn't garage kept, daily driver, amazing car!
It’s amazing to see a car of this age in this condition and not in a museum.
One of my father's friends owned a 1959 Cadillac Fleetwood that had the same type of trunk mounted A/C with vents near the side windows. At the time, the nozzles reminded me of the air vents above the seats on airliners.
That would be a Fleetwood 75 model as the Lesser model Cadillacs had air conditioning through the dash. With the model 75 sedan, you could have dash air only or dual air. With the 75 limousine with divider window you got dual air.
So happy you have this car! I'm 25 and it feels like I'm the only one that finds this stuff cool (literally). Keep up the good work!
Amen and I appreciate the time from which these things that were produced from some of the finest men having been gone thru the depression and then a world war or two , people weary from strife embraced the future and were visionary and held ideals in their mind to bring to fruition of dreams and high hopes
A friend of mine had a very pristine example and was a caretaker for awhile of a 54 88 Frigidaire dual ac equipped
It was heaven like a refrigerator on wheels truly a beautifully designed vehicle
Glad you appreciate this too
19 here!
Anyone who appreciates antique cars would be charmed by this, it looks to be a remarkably good condition for a 60+ year old car with original parts.
No, I m young also, but I love those old huge cars. I am a cadillac guy, but I love this ols!!
22 here brother I’m with you!
I saw a Lincoln premier with clear tubes in the back window and just thought it was for looks. But now I know, it's A/C! Very neat thanks for sharing.
I saw the similar Lincoln at the London England motor-show about 1954
Wow, you have a gem of a car there. Finding parts for the AC would be difficult at a guess.
Would be nice to see under hood the compressor and condenser etc.
Yes, and the trunk where the evaporator was. Transparent vents were an interesting touch, must have been pretty pricey options back in the day.
Kenneth Schaaf I’m sure it was like a $200 option but how much that is today idk. I do know that car was like $5000 new
@@JackPepal357 a brand new telecaster was around $150 back then probably less. Today there around $1400 out the door new. A $200 option back then was pricey.
I still have my 1954 imperial 2dr Newport with working original Airtemp AC (unit in trunk) . Price was close to $500 . Total car price was $6200. Packard AC was even costlier , and similar in design . Chrysler's unit worked by far the best . Only unit that had automatic temp control . (adjustible temp setting) as present "premium" AC .
One new compressor seal in 1971 is all my system has required . No additional charging since . Capacity rated at 1.5 ton cooling .Compressor is a monster 4cyl. V type that turns 1/2 engine speed . There is no 'draft' when in use , the interior just uniformily cools down . Car engine is early 331ci hemi , 235hp .
@@JackPepal357 you have that just about backward. The car was about $3,000 and the air-conditioning system was over 600.
I have seen a similiar set up somewhere I think on a early 50's Cadillac. Makes sense that the vents are on the inside on the headliner because cool air doesn't rise like hot air. Very nice car. BTW you have a great voice for narrating : )
Years ago, while wondering in an old automobile salvage yard, way, way in the back was a 1955 Cadillac limo, it was stretched longer than a normal caddy, but not like the limos of today, it was for rear seat comfort , and it had this very a/c system in it, i was fascinated by the clear “ acetate?” Sections poking thru the rear deck, and the chromed vents in the passenger area, it also had rear seat radio controls, so the passenger could adjust the station and volume, the adjustable footrests were amazingly chromed and leather covered, the whole interior was in great shape, and other than flat tires, it was complete,and liked like it was ready to drive, I had wondered who owned such a car, ( in s.w. Florida) then I spotted several old parking stickers in the front window, they were all for the Ringling Brothers Circus, ( Venice Florida was the winter home of the circus until the early 2000’s , and also home to the fabulous Ringling museum of art ) possibly it was John and Mabel’s car?, but why would it be in a junkyard 45 miles away?, I guess that’s a mystery lost to time.but I’m glad to see another a/c unit like this, as it makes think that the caddy was not a one off, thanks for sharing, and long may your olds roll down the road.
As a side fact, Mr. Olds was from a small town in Florida that now bears his name “ Oldsmar” Florida, near Tampa, in in the city hall there are two Oldsmobile’s, 1 is an 1910 curved dash replica, and the last olds made, an Oldsmobile shilouette , my parents have one of the last 500 made, it has the emblems sewn into the seats,and custom doorsills with the production numbers on it as well as 1 of 500 on it. Gotta love Oldsmobile’s style, would you all agree?
These were great to "bang" in the back seat at the local Drive-in movies. Back in the day this was what you did. It was a bed room on wheels.
When I was a kid living in Wisconsin I never thought that A/C was all that useful. Then I made a trip across the Mojave desert in July with my parents. It was one of the most miserable experiences I’ve ever had. I still remember it more than 50 years later.
Early A/C units have always interested me. Similar rear evaporator setups were used by Ford and Chrysler. The earliest unit I've seen was in a '54 Ford and a '56 Chrysler. Great vid! :) Jack
What I'm most amazed about, even more so than the like new condition of this almost 70 year old car? The fact that this A/C system still works!
Oh and btw:
$4000 in 1953 is about $38,000 now
$5000 in 1953 is about $47,500 now
Not bad at all if you ask me considering that if you were rolling around in a car in 1953 with A/C, something that hardly any homes had, you were pretty much a badass.
Maximaniac72 Ford 1956
Those cars are best owned by people that will drive and enjoy them
Boy, I remember these cars as a kid growing up. We had Cadillac from 53
Frigidaire was owned by General Motors .
Timothy Antoine My grandpa use to work for Frigidaire. Yrs ago. You are right Frigidaire was owned General Motors . He was a tool & Die maker . He worked 49 yrs until he retired in the early eighties around 1982 .
You would even find the familiar GM badge on Frigidaire appliances.
Steve B that’s Right ! My dads mom had a Frigidaire washer from 50,S & had that logo bage on it ! Man that thing would get your clothes really clean ! That washer was built like a tank !
When the FAA sent my dad to Oklahoma City for training on a new radar system in 71, they put him in a 2 bedroom townhome style (2 story) apartment. He brought us (Mom, big sister, and me) up to stay with him the last week there. I remember the dishwasher was a Frigidaire. And the label read "by General Motors".
@@steveb7310 And you'd find Frigidaire badging on A/C compressors in GM cars. My 67 Cutlass still has the original one.
I learned something today. Thank you for sharing. Would love to see more of the car. It looks absolutely beautiful.
A former co-worker had a '54 or '55 Cadillac with factory air. His biggest beefs were twofold. First, in humid weather, condensation would form on the metal air registers which would then drip down on his neck (over time, probably played hell with the paint on the registers, too). Second, the air also blew down his neck or the side of his face.
Because these old A/C systems were fairly primitive, the earliest compressors didn't have clutches on them, so the compressor was always engaged, always turning. In cold weather, the manufacturers recommended that the belts on the compressor be removed to prevent damage due to the registers being closed off. Now, it's entirely possible that by the time the '53 GM/Frigidaire systems came out, the compressors may have had clutches and thereby could be turned off without a worry, just freewheeling as modern compressors do. I think by the mid-50s, all automotive air conditioning compressors had clutches. Made them much easier to maintain.
2:09 cool makes you feel like a badass and cold makes you feel cold.
LOL!!! well said and clever!
Original owner must've been truly loaded but not flashy about it, which is why they maxed-out a black Oldsmobile sedan instead of going for a Cadillac hardtop coupe in a pastel color. Especially since a light-colored roof would've helped the a/c out a lot.
Great car! So special to have air conditioning. Take good care of it!
Considering what it takes to maintain the system, it is very special and rare that the R12 freon is still running through the system with no leaks after now 70 years. Truly rare indeed.
You have a one of a kind my friend. That is really special. Thanks for sharing.
It's in amazing original shape with original AC! Love it!
Good solid thunk when you closed the door!
Great car! We used the vent windows to cool off back then. Only rich people had a/c.
Ooohh... and it's quiet!!! The minute you shut the door the street noise vanished. Very nice. 🎉
The very first automobile to have an optional air conditioner was the Packard. On the Packard the air conditioner was also located in the trunk. This seems to show that the very first automobile air conditioners were located in the trunk.
Nash (American Motors) perfected the modern under-dash A/C system that we see today. In fact, the first car that came with A/C as standard was the '68 AMC Ambassador, even before Cadillac, Imperial or Lincoln!
Beautiful car. First time I've seen an early 1950s car with a/c. Thanks for posting.
Beautiful car. I remember Cadillacs with a similar setup. This system usually showed up in larger luxury cars.
I love classic Oldsmobiles, especially 1946 to 1957 models.
Damn what a nice car. Must be awesome to own such a peice of art.
I had a great uncle in San Antonio TX that had one of these. We first visited him in ‘63 and it was the first car I’d ever been in with ac.
I'm surprised it turned over so fast! Cool car!
Thank you for showing us your car, I have always been curious about the control switching for the Frigidare system.
Thanks for sharing. I've never seen a '53 with factory air. My family had a '56 with A/C through the dash, it was also a black98 4 door. It worked great, but I always liked the trunk air models, they seemed to distribute cooled air more evenly.
I have a feeling that this is about a one in a thousand of air conditioned olds made thus a1953 year. Certainly experimental and uncommon for the ‘53 year, please turn on and. Advise HOW it cools . It would be nearly impossible to go and visit her where she is near Palm Springs. Good luck, that is a great find! Please continue to share with the early air conditioning community.
In the mid-'60s I went with my father to a junkyard to remove a pair of those scoops from a '50s-era Cadillac. I don't remember removing any ductwork from the car. My father used the scoops, which were painted black and in good condition, on his '53 Chevrolet which I'd dubbed 'The Batmobile'. I recognized what those chromed scoops were for right away in your video. It's been decades since I'd seen them on any car out on the road but I still look when I see a classic car.
Congratulations on owning such s beautiful well preserved car!
Nice to see a car with very little plastic. A metal AC switch? Nice car! 🇺🇸
Back when cars were cars and they weren't disposable lighters
You are very fortunate to own this lovely car. It's amazing.
I've known of that system for decades but that's the first one I've ever seen working. Thanks.
It’s Still the only one on UA-cam. I’ve never seen another one like it I think the whole car was custom ordered by someone rich
gorgeous car!! My parents had a new 1953 98 convertible no A/C. I can't believe your car survived in that condition. They were not a cheap car back then. I remember the globe in the steering wheel. I learned to drive in that car...
I hope you still have that car. It's a real American beauty
My grandfather loved to tell the story of the time in 1953 (the year I was born) when my grandma's brother came to visit on a hot August afternoon, and took them for a ride in his air-conditioned Cadillac. Granddaddy said people on the sidewalk stared at them for driving around with the windows up!
Be very proud of this automobile. You own a time machine. Keep it 💯!!!!
It's absolutely beauuuuuutiful!♥️♥️♥️
I had read in the past that 1953 was the 1st year that air conditioning was offered on a Cadillac, but it makes sense, in that the 98 Olds and Buick were the same basic car.
At THAT time, GM owned Frigidaire, and the cost was ~ $800. for factory a/c -- definitely a rare car.
That was big ballin in 1953. You were the man on the block if you had something like that.
Great that the air conditioning vents are mounted high as cool air sinks so an efficient method of cooling the car interior.
You see it today in vans and suv's but never in a car.
@@jimieljoseph2322 does it really matter when the vents can be directed up, the airflow is pretty high, and car interiors are really small
@@catinthehat5140 car Interiors are small nowadays, but the interior of that Oldsmobile is about the size of the interior of a full size four-door pickup truck today.
absolutely unique and beautiful for 1953 , very cool
I think that speedometer is absolutely beautiful, that’s what I think.
Nice car! Glad you have it! Love it!
My dad had that car around 1966. I remember the wipers didn’t work cause they were driven by engine vacuum instead of electric motor.
can't beat freon-12 I can not believe it still works! VERY VERY rare!!!
An amazing car in beautiful condition. It was the top of the line Olds, plus I saw other options such as the rear speaker switch and the park brake warning light.
Amazing, good looking car.. love it..
That car is stunning!!
That is an absolutely beautiful car.
An SPO. It was either a dealership owner, high ranking GM official, etc. that was able to get that system put on there from the Cadillac Division which was the source, in the beginning, of GM air-conditioning systems. Frigidaire was a Division of GM until 1980 when the appliances were sold off (imo a huge mistake!). Then Delco took over the refrigeration. Magnificent car. The Ninety-Eights were the unsung luxury cars from GM. Hang on to that one! Keep it out of the weather and direct sun as much as possible, and take it to shows! There were many years when the Ninety-Eights rode better and were more mechanically reliable than the Cadillacs.
Packard was first with "refrigeration" in 1940, but, the war intervened. You could SPO a/c on may GM cars after 1950, but it was not generally offered to the public until 1953. Most of the early systems could be found on the Cadillac Fleetwood Sixty-Specials or Fleetwood Seventy-Five cars of that era.
These cars are extremely rare and to find or even have one that is still in working condition is almost impossible. What you have there should be a very nice retirement package for you and yours.
I hope you’re right! I was offered 15k I smiled and said no thanks.. I think the people who know this cars value are dying off. I’ve been renting it to the movies. I’ve made 15 just from that. So it’s going to take quite a bit to want to make me sell this baby. I love it. Going to get it a nice paint job soon. It needs a little tlc
Cold is with freon, cool is for regular air.
Adriana Noelle hi Adriana
*Refrigerant
*Freon 12
Or dichlorodifluoromethane
i prefer the cold option
See if cool is with outside-fresh air and cold is recirculating.
No compressor clutches on the Frigidaire units until 1955 if I'm not mistaken.
1954 Oldsmobiles with factory air conditioning had a compressor clutch that was controlled by a electric solenoid and a cutch fork linkage.
Seriously stunning!
Neat! I have a friend that collects old refrigerators. Has a late 40s Fridgidaire with the GM on it.
Nice aircraft style air vents.
Gasper vents!
what a piece of art
Remember Hey Ya by Outkast?
“What’s cooler than being cool? ICE COLD”
If I'm not mistaken,this was the first year that factory AC was available on a General Motors car - It was an expensive piece of optional equipment,and not many cars were sold with it...
Awesome Ryan, thanks for this. Gorgeous 53. Never seen any video description of that system. Only ever in print. To my thinking, since cold air sinks, having the vents up top actually make far more sense that having them at mid level in the dash. Must have been quite the thing to be proud of in it's time on a sweltering day. Is the system entirely self contained under the parcel shelf, or does it have a traditional engine driven compressor? Does it work well in the heat, in a black car? Drive and enjoy! Cheers, Mark
Hey thanks for the compliments! There is a compressor in the engine compartment. I forgot to show that. I've only had the car for 4 months now so I haven't really had a lot of hot days in it yet. I'm sure it wouldn't have a problem cooling it on a hot day.. The things a beast!
That's awesome! Love it! Bring Olds back, GM!!!
FANTASTIC!! LOVE LOVE LOVE IT...
LOVE IT!! thanks for sharing, this is completely awesome!
I have a 48 Ford that i want to install an A/C but not under the hood. I want to hide all the components and keep it looking original. This is nice setup.
Beautiful car. Thanks for sharing.
:03 gorgeous intro!
LUV your car!!
If you want, you should get in touch with Jay Leno (as if that would be easy!). It would be ‘cool’ to see someone like Jay give this car a look over.
But then he’d want to drive it... I don’t know how comfortable one would be with that...
I’ve met him at bobs and when I was younger. Nice guy. Id trust him to drive my car off a cliff lol he can drive anything. Don’t think he knows about my car though. I’ve got a few cars he’d probably enjoy looking at. Don’t know if my cars are unique enough for his channel though. That’d be very cool though.
Squirrel Master The original A/C might be enough to spark his interest. I can’t recall if he has shown anything as early as a ‘53 with aircon. Of course, even without it, it would still be a fine looking car!
Great car never seen an A/C like it clever stuff just shows there is nothing new. The aeroplane style direct-able vents look cool the perforations could make a come back incorporated into modern head-linings, which are often moulded now.
You have no idea how jealous I am of that car
Love the 1953 air conditioning What an option for the time Surprised at air but no power windows a much more common option
Steven Quinn that's funny I didn't even think about that. For having the most expensive option you would think it would have power windows.. like my dad always says, it's just one more thing to break. Thanks for the comment!
Power windows would have been hydraulic in 1953. They were pretty much standard on the Oldsmobile 98 convertible, as well as the Buick Roadmaster convertible and the Cadillac Series 62 convertible. Plus the Cadillac Fleetwood and Cadillac limousine always had them. Electrically-operated power windows replaced hydraulic ones in 1954.
Although it seems like it would be nice to have the power window option on this car,you are actually better off without it - the hydraulic window lifts that were used in 1953 (and earlier) were quite problematic as they age - each window had a reservoir of brake fluid (I believe) that was very prone to leaking after a few years - The all electric windows that came the following year were much better.Fabulous car with a rare option...factory A/C!
I also didn't see a Hydramatic gear shift indicator. A/C with a manual transmission? Olds had been offering Hydramatic since 1940.
@@OldsVistaCruiser the hydra-matic shift dial and pointer is at the bottom of the speedometer.
So classy and beautiful
Very neat! Know of one in Texas that needs restoration. Very unique!
front and rear cooling, Oldsmobile always was ahead of its time..
Dad had one just like it back in '62.. minus the air conditioner!
GREAT CAR THANKS FOR POSTING