Grad student bolts air-conditioner onto car to beat Texas heat
By Darren Murph 
posted Aug 11th 2007 8:50PM
posted Aug 11th 2007 8:50PM
[Via Wired]
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Would that be illegal?
Yup and it would have been easier to use a propane one meant for a camper.
I don't know about it being illegal, since you are allowed tote those little camper looking shells on top of SUV's and what not. Plus haven't we all seen our share of people holding mattresses among other things on top of their car?
And finally remember it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission.
Illegal or not that is frigg'n genius!!!!! Forget candy, AC is the new way to get unsuspecting kids in your car! Sup kid-o i gots a oh, henry! and some fancy AC in my car... Jump in... you know you want to!
I just hope that thing is secured... could you imagine that thing flying off and hitting your car at 50-60mph???
I wonder what would happen if the weight of that thing is too much for the roof to handle...
He should have mounted it in the rear window to reduce drag, center of gravity, load on the roof, and it would make for easier installation, adjustment of the temperature (vs getting out at red lights), and over all aesthetics.
But if he mounted it on the rear he couldn't see anything out his rear-view mirror... Which wouldn't really be too big of a problem until he backs up and runs somebody over.
trucks dont have rearviews... you learn that they're a luxury.
it looks to me like he just put some sheet metal over his sunroof, that way he doesnt have to cut a hole in the roof of his car
Man it isn't THAT hot in Texas. If you just get your car checked out every once in awhile you could catch being low on antifreeze. Try getting one of those little bottles and see if those work because you just might be out of antifreeze and the mechanic is trying to steal your money. (I would laugh at someone with that on their car if i saw that)
Anti...freeze? I think you might be confusing AC refrigerant (which really shouldn't leak out if the system is working) with the cooling system for the car itself.
I'm going to venture to guess that whatever your mechanic says to you, you should probably believe him.
Wow yeah i definitely did mean the refrigerant......i must have been up way to long tonight >_< And i was talking about the car running out of the refrigerant as it happens sometimes.
I'm sure this guy knows about the freon, and that is only like $300 to replace.
I'm sure a belt or the whole system went out for the cost to be $1200.
But then again, it could just be a nasty mechanic.
This guy is also driving around with expired registration stickers and tags for his car. They expired in 2006.
They aired it on our local news here in Austin, TX. What a goofball.
Jackass? What exactly did the fella do to you to warrant calling him a jackass, jackass? Trying to boost some self esteem by swearing at random people on the internet? Here, have another 10%... Now get the hell off Engadget - and stay off!
UH OH LJ DRAMA!!!
Talk about a hit to your MPG? I mean between the wind drag, and the extra load generating the electricity needed to fuel that power sucking monster.
He would have done better if he had just put a down payment on another used auto...
I'd hate to have to be the one to clean the filter on that thing...
It also would have been cool if he could have installed sticking out of one of the windows, in the traditional airconditioner manner.
uh, isn't it "tanks", not "thanks"?
so does he have to buy another unit every time it rains? last time i checked water and electrical appliances don't mix, and that thing doesn't look water proof.
doesn't most of the unit hang out your window? i'm guessing it can get pretty wet out there
I'm not sure what you mean. These kind of air conditioning units are designed to withstand a little water on the outside of the unit, albeit not on top of a car at fifty miles per hour. I suppose the "indoor" part of the AC unit could be fried though.
I'm not sure. However, my washing machine uses copious amounts of water and seems to work just fine...
Last time I checked the air-conditioner stays on the outside of your house... ya' know... where it rains.
What a tool, it doesn't cost 1200 bucks to fix an AC system in a car. Shit for 1200 he could buy another POS with a working AC and drive that.
You obviously don't libe in a hot city like Houston or you wouldn't be making this kind of nonsense posts.
It CAN cost that much buddy, believe me.
this guy is the man.
Slibus, it does cost that much when you drive an old POS that runs on freon (which you can't get anymore) and have to replace the entire AC system.
what an idiot!, what did he graduate? why wouldn't you put it in the boot and vent it through the parcel tray?
The guy lives in Texas, I think he'd tell you his car doesn't wear boots.
sorry a boot is Australian for trunk( i think a trunk sounds like something that goes at the front)
Parcel tray? Is that like a glove box?
Should'a used a Delorean.
I did see a window unit a man attached to where his rear sliding window is on a pickup truck. I was at a red light in Orange Park, FL and heard a loud noise, I looked over and it was his gas generator in the bed running the a/c unit. I didn't have a camera but gave him a thumbs up!!
Awesome.
It was all about costs. He was interviewed on local tv.
He said it cost him about $300 for this setup.
Most people usually don't have fifty grand to plunk down on a Delorean. Heck for that much he could replace his A/C and buy another car.
that doesnt seem too special to me. who cares?
Oh come on guys. This is awesome. Although he probably should have mounted it in the trunk instead. Less chance of being vandalized/pulled over for suspected terrorism.
The sad part is someone will jack this right off his car and use it for their apartment.
I guess he never heard of rolling down the windows...
In case you didn't know, rolling down the windows in 99F weather doesn't really cool you off....
i thing it's great thing
Buahaha... he must be part Mexican.
I live on the border, and that type of thing is very common.
Just to bring more shame to this great state of Temexico, I came across this in McAllen Tx -
http://www.2000transam.com/temp/IMAGE_020.jpg
Add to that about 8 NRA stickers on the vehicle and we have a winner!
::LOLs at the emergency room::
Don't forget the "W" sticker in the rear window...
"Buahaha... he must be part Mexican."...think b4 you mod down folks...this is a compliment to our neighbors to the south. They are a very friendly AND resourceful people.
will it blend
Ya why spend $1200 when you can spend a $100 and just drill holes in the roof of your car which will hurt what resale value you had left on the car. Sounds like a good investment to me. I just wish you could spot every moron this easily. I would be surprised if that thing stayed mounted without ripping right off during a highspeed accident. Sounds like a mythbuster episode.
Well of course he has to have the extra air power, he's wearing a long sleeve shirt there. I wonder if he's a business student... thinking of short term cost over long term (as they usually do).
Hmm, my POS car doesn't have working air conditioning either...
Well, he'll make the news again when it comes flying off and kills somebody. For what he did I think its the dumbest thing, yeah I put a freaking home airconditioner on the top of my car, whoop-tee-fucking-do. Not only that, I'd be willing to bet its illegal and now we are going to have a bunch of tards doing the same thing. If a single person gets hurt from this POS you watch I will guarentee you that the news station who originally aired this will be sued...and rightfully so.
So a news station should be sued for, reporting the news.... ?
First and foremost this isn't news. Its the teaser crap they repeat over and over right before a commercial until the last 30 seconds of the news broadcast. Second, what about the journalistic responsibility to the public these news agencies are supposed to maintain? What if they reported on a new way to make explosive devices?? Don't you think a few tards would follow suit? And if they did and some innocent gets injured then I would say the news agency along with the person responsible would be accountable. Come on it doesn't take shit for brains to figure this out - its called common sense.
You can't be sued for providing someone knowledge. If that were the case, every textbook manufacturer could be sued for the fact that you *could* make a nuclear weapon, attempt surgery, or any other various injuries you could sustain from doing things described in books. You are solely responsible for what you do with knowledge you obtain. Is the news responsible for reporting someone jumped off a bridge, then you decide to do it too?
Granted, you could *try* and sue the broadcaster, just like you could *try* and sue for any reason, but that doesn't mean you'll win. I agree with you though, he'll be in the news again if it comes flying off the roof....
I totally agree with you but again it comes down to COMMON SENSE and how the story is presented. You can make a gazillion arguments of whats appropriate and whats not and I think anybody with a little common sense would see this as inappropriate. Lets say some guy blows his brains out with a shotgun. The news reports this all the time and of course anybody following suit can't surely blame the news for it. What the news doesn't report (and would would hope not) is all the details of how he set up the gun and the drugs he took before he killed himself etc etc. Now if some organization did this and then some 10yo does the exact same thing a week later then hell yeah the news organization need to be sued big time. I saw this particular story here in Texas and they actually went over how he set up this airconditioner in his car. Not only that, the news organizations came off making this guy look "Cool" no pun intended. Mounting an airconditioner like this is surely illegal and anybody doing this is putting innocent drivers on the road in harms way. If somebody is hurt as an indirect result of the media attention this story has gotten then I think he and the organizations who originally started the story should be accountable its as simple as that.
First off these AC units need return air from the inside they just cool off the air a little bit at a time by recycling the air over and over. you can by a unit for a little at $80 but the power inverter must of cost him $300. He would of had better luck putting this in the back window of even making it look even more funny mount it in the passenger window
Wow. I love the fact none of you picked up on the obvious point that this will make the car far less fuel efficient purely when it comes to the drag that thing will produce whilst driving along, requiring more fuel to be burned. Bunch of gas guzzlers, I'm just glad he'll end up spending more on petrol thus outdoing any saving he made doing that botch job himself.
Wow, I love the fact that you didn't read through the comments to see that several people did mention the mpg he's going to get.
Oops then my bad for skim reading it, I didn't spot any comments relating to that though but I guess if I'm going to be sarcy I should make it a bit more thorough!
pick up the chicks in your AC pimped out mobile... The chicks will love for sure
I guess his gas milage will be better than how many dollars per mile the extension cords will cost. Or is he using a generator? Either way this is middleschool even for Houston.
Njaffo.
Er, Joe, where have you found a propane A/C unit? I think you're confusing this with a propane refrigerator (which is bulky, EXPENSIVE, and is meant to keep 6 or 8 cu/ft of space cool). It might fit in the back seat with the tank(s) in the trunk and with a hood, small fan and some flexible ducting, it might keep your head cool. So the guy is no rocket scientist but give him a break - it works (and with some tweaking it might even be practical!
What are you a freak...trying to get kids into your car..you should turn yourself in before you do something stupid. Freak
unbelievable, makes for a cool head
If he's that worried about heat, maybe he should change the paint from black to white.
Two Words.. Chick Magnet ;-)
I think this is hilarious and I really respect this guy. I live in Houston too. This guy is very resourcful and I know half the reason he did this was too make his fellow Houstonians have a little laugh. This miserable heat can drag ya down. kudos air conditioner guy! And for the person who said something about rolling down the windows? are you insane? you should take a trip down here and drive around with no AC and the windows down and let us all know how it felt. especially while you were stuck in traffic. yeah, thats the best.
i think alot of you are taking this way too seiously. dont you see the humor in this? besides, i doubt he will even leave it on very long. and also most likely didnt go out and buy that. some family member probably had it laying around in a garage somewhere and on some boring day he decided to do something creative...no big deal, but funny.
Let's see: Output of car = 12 volts dc.
Input of air conditioner = 120 volts ac at about 8 amps.
I would think that something would burn out after a short while, like an alternator or an inverter.
Or a fuse.
Wuss. I was in Bowling Green Kentucky on thursday. The day they broke the temperature record, 104˚F. The car thermometer read 110˚.
wOWWWW!!! America is not short of idiots
$1,200 is not unreasonable for A/C repair.
An A/C compressor costs $250-500, depending on size. You also must replace the accumulator / receiver drier and orifice tube / thermal expansion valve at the same time ($50-150).
In most vehicles the compressor is sandwiched between other components (alternator, water pump, tension pulley, etc.) that must be removed then re-installed afterwards. That translates to several hours of labor at $75-$90/hr in most states.
The A/C lines must be flushed, vacuum pumped, then refilled with refrigerant and compressor oil. Since the water pump was removed, the radiator should be flushed and refilled with anti-freeze / coolant. Expect to pay $300-400 for all that.
Regardless, driving through Texas during the summer without A/C is unbearable. My A/C died the day I arrived in Austin from the midwest. For three years I drove my POS to work & back, wearing a t-shirt & shorts with all the windows open. Every summer day was grueling. At the time I couldn't afford the $1200 to fix the A/C nor the $2000-4000 for a new POS.
For everyone saying that this would have to be illegal:
Next time your driving past a supermarket or other shop that sells refrigerated goods, look to see if there is any trucks making deliveries. You'll then see that it is perfectly legal to have a large refrigeration unit attached to the vehicle (yes the air-con is just a refrigeration unit with a fan strapped on). Now, I know that this is quite different to just bolting one to the roof of the car, but as long as the roof is strong enough and the AC is securely attached, I see no reason why it would be illegal.
Whether a cop is likely to pull you over for it is another story... probably just wants to have a laugh, and check its properly secured.
You might be a redneck if...
maybe a shell to streamline possible resistance might be a cool add-on
"Oh WOW! That sooo reminds me of what they did in 'Meltdown: Days of Destruction'!!! I wonder if he ever watched that movie."