If you go to car shows on the West Coast, you’ve probably seen an old sled with a large canister mounted on the passenger window. But what is that thing? It’s an evaporative car cooler, also known as a swamp cooler. These vintage devices can make riding in a classic car tolerable when summer temperatures rise to uncomfortable heights.
Shop now for a vintage car cooler
Car window swamp coolers became popular in the 1930s. Their use continued until the Sixties when modern air conditioning became a regular feature on mainstream cars.
Car window swamp coolers were a relatively common feature through the 1960s.
How Does a Car Evaporative Cooler Work?
Vents with fans bring in cool air for passengers.
A car swamp cooler, which typically hangs on the passenger front window, is filled with cold water and balsa wood shavings in a wire cage. A large opening in the front of the cooler allows hot air to enter the cooler, evaporating the water. Cooler air is then blown into the car’s interior. The wood shavings help retain water and create better air flow.
Lower cost coolers allow the air to enter only when the car moves. However, some luxury units have an electric fan that circulates the air even when the vehicle is stationary. Most coolers hold enough water for about two or three hours of cool-air goodness. The colder the water, the better the heat exchange.
Because these car window AC units don’t work well in high-humidity environments, we typically only see them in the West. Gas stations used to rent swamp coolers for desert travelers. Drivers would pick them up as they entered the desert and drop them at a designated spot on the other side. Then, gas stations would rent them back to drivers going in the other direction.
Look Cool and Be Cool
Thermador was a popular brand for evaporative car coolers.
Car coolers were made by Classic Aire, Star Manufacturing, and Thermador. Other companies, such as Firestone and Sears-Allstate, would plaster their name on the same units.
A swamp cooler provides a new space to decorate your ride.
These days, swamp coolers are also an automotive fashion statement. Classic car owners paint the units or add pinstripes to match their cars. Very few drivers put them to use—beyond decoration. But the basic technology still works, and there are few other good options for classic cars that lack AC.
Adding a complete air conditioning system to an otherwise-stock classic car would stick out like a sore thumb. A compressor and evaporator are out of place under the hood. Of course, you can always try these AC hacks, like using a sunshade or adding a 12v electric fan to move the air around.
On the other hand, a vintage swamp cooler helps bring back a classic to its glory days while providing relief to summer heat.
