air conditioner on roof?

[partsman93274]

I was wondering the other day as I drove by a rv dealership y not put a small roof mounted a/c unit from a tent trailer on the roof of my 4runner. would be cheaper than buying all the needed parts underhood and dash and painted black I would think you would hardly notice it. any thoughts on this?

[slosurfer]

probably easier to put one of those window swamp coolers from your trailer in one of the back windows. :thumbup:

[CJM]

Wanna cut a hole in your roof then go for it, I wouldnt.

[Seanz0rz]

http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/548150.jpg

for a vw, i think i might get one for the square.

as for the ac unit. please dont, they require alot more than just the roof top box, some stuff under the hood OR a large electrical source, neither of which would be easy or cost effective.

[X-Tool Pimp]

How would you power it, you would need a good 110V power source to run a AC unit.

[partsman93274]

with the supercharged hamsters that propel my 22re over cuesta grade coming back from pismo of course. i give em redbull and put em on their wheels.

[strykersd]

Aren't there any good junkyards in your area? I'd imagine you could get an complete AC system pretty cheap

[oly884]

Unless you plan on never selling your vehicle and you're wanting to turn it into a 'camp rig' I'd suggest not doing this for a few reasons.

Cutting a hole in your roof will seal the deal that no one will pay much for it if you want to sell it, not to mention potential issues with leaks, height clearance, etc.

Powering an AC unit won't be easy either. If you manage to find one that can operate on 12 volts, you're still going to need some heavy gauge wire running to it. Though I imagine 12 volt A/C units are far from cheap, so if you go with a 120 volt unit you're going to need a large inverter which also doesn't run too cheap.



Aren't there any good junkyards in your area? I'd imagine you could get an complete AC system pretty cheap


I think this would be your best route in the long run.

[partsman93274]

where is the sense of adventure? resell? not likely on a 91 4runner with almost 400k on the ticker.
height clearance? they sit no higher than the 31" spare on the roof already.
junkyard a/c parts are like gambling in vegas. never know what the dice will roll. in all my years working behind the parts counter i have countless stories of people spending more than $ than if they had just bought new to begin with.
There are 12volt units available and they are cheaper than buying all the compenents for underhood. plus the hole in the roof required is on 6"x8" (dad just had on installed on his freightliner)
i have already done the high amp single wire gm alternator conversion.

figure if i mount it there and either paint it flat black or even mod a tire carcass to put around it you wont even notice it. not trying to sound like a ass cause i did ask for opinions. not sure what i want to do at this point.

spray bottles with fans seem nice and cheap. :rofl:

[corax]

spray bottles with fans seem nice and cheap. :rofl:


now there's an idea . . . kinda like a mini swamp cooler / patio mister with a hidden water reservoir and cheap dash mounted fan

[oly884]

where is the sense of adventure? resell? not likely on a 91 4runner with almost 400k on the ticker.
height clearance? they sit no higher than the 31" spare on the roof already.
junkyard a/c parts are like gambling in vegas. never know what the dice will roll. in all my years working behind the parts counter i have countless stories of people spending more than $ than if they had just bought new to begin with.
There are 12volt units available and they are cheaper than buying all the compenents for underhood. plus the hole in the roof required is on 6"x8" (dad just had on installed on his freightliner)
i have already done the high amp single wire gm alternator conversion.

figure if i mount it there and either paint it flat black or even mod a tire carcass to put around it you wont even notice it. not trying to sound like a ass cause i did ask for opinions. not sure what i want to do at this point.

spray bottles with fans seem nice and cheap. :rofl:


More power to ya!

I didn't mean to come across as an ass either, simply pointing out a few things that would keep me from doing it.

Be sure to at least post some pics if you get it done!

[slosurfer]

Move to this side of "the grade" and you won't have to worry about having an AC unit. :flipoff:

[Crinale]

Move to this side of "the grade" and you won't have to worry about having an AC unit. :flipoff:
X2 :flipoff:

[partsman93274]

lol. i can barely afford to live in the central valley of commifornia let alone on the good side of the mountain. unless one of ya have a room to rent. :laugh:

[Crinale]

haha i live with my parents :P ... so no i dont have a room to rent :flipoff:

[partsman93274]

ill live in the back of my 4runner in your driveway. just resealed the whole thing so no oil leaks will be left. lol :flipoff:

[corax]

:hillbill:

http://whitetrashrepairs.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/178.jpg
http://whitetrashrepairs.com/?p=1082

[partsman93274]

:rofl: where the heck did you find that? thats as good as seeing one of those mounted in the back window of a pick up cab.