1958-1964 Chevrolet Cool Pack Air

When we look for rare Chevrolet truck accessories available during the late 1950's and early 1960's, few are more unusual than the Chevrolet dealer installed "Cool Pack" air conditioning system. Truck cabs were not engineered for factory air as there had been little demand for this expensive accessory. Most people didn't even have air conditioning in their homes, much less in a truck that was usually for work related jobs.

Chevrolet's first attempt to provide truck air conditioning was the "Cool Pack." The evaporator and blower unit was attached to the underside of the dash panel. It was good in the middle of the lower dash with a three speed column shift but had to be moved to the right if a 4-speed transmission existed. The floor shift lever prevented the air box to be center mounted in the cab. Yes, in this case the passenger certainly received more air then the driver!

With the introduction of factory in-dash air in 1965, the "Cool Pack" under dash system quickly lost its popularity. Its sales then were mostly to a few owners of late model trucks that wanted cooler summer comfort in their used vehicle.

Drawing from a 1950 Chevrolet truck accessory Manual (above)

An original under dash eveporator and blower unit. Note: the beige plastic case with silver "Cool Pack" letters and chrome plus blue bow-tie emblem. (Excellent condition for 45 years old) (above)