A/C - Heating Ducting

96 RMW
I was wondering if there is any ducting on these cars that route to the backseat and rear storage area on these wagons?
Or is all the cooling heating done with the front vents?

Thanks

The only option is the FW vent tunnel, but you can not put AC air through the tunnel. It only works with heat. If you can find a 12 volt electric powered compressor, you could install one in the rear storage compartment by removing the bulk of the compartment structure. It would need a condenser, and lines. I know some ford vans had rear AC systems, so I would think there are some available for GM vehicles as well.

There's also aftermarket auxiliary AC units available. Most rear AC systems do not use a separate compressor, they run lines from the engine mounted compressor to a rear evaporator, orifice and fan assembly. I've toyed with the idea myself, but there's very little room unless you are willing to sacrifice the rear glove box or spare tire.

There are two exhaust vents in the centre row seating door openings. They are supposed to draw air from the front to the centre row seating leaving the third row in dead air. You can improve conditions in the rear by opening the two vent windows and putting the AC fan on high. That will help push the cool air to the rear of the car, but it's not a perfect solution.

Could you put vents in the gate ends, and the gate interior? You can remove the inspection panels. You could even put a vent(s) on the bottom of the gate. If you seal the vents in the door jam, it would force the air to the back vents. A pancake fan could be put in the gate and would draw the air to the rear area.

On the few (read two) occaisions, I've gotten to ride in the tail gunner position I noticed that the if the vents on the dash are angled up, the air inface does get all the way to the third seat. This surprised the your know what out of me. It was most noticble at night as the air was still cold when it got to the back of the car. During the day, the air still makes it there of course, but the radiant FL sun beating through the roof renders the air fairly warm by the time it makes it to the rear.

I would think heat shielding above the headliner would help tremendously with that issue along with good tint on the windows. Window tint alone drops the interior temp a good 30 degrees in FL.

The side door body vents are outside the door seal, and I think the airflow across the door gap helps draw the air out. I think the fan would be necessary as there would not likely be as much venturi effect at the rear door. But in principle, I think it should be possible to do something there alright. Maybe some "return air" vents in the plastic near the rear storage compartment, and a fan hidden behind the plastic?

I was thinking about the idea of putting vents in the gate, and I am not sure it is safe. If you have the gate window open, you get exhaust fumes in the car, and a vent in the gate would probably have the same issue with exhaust gas. A fan may negate the gasses entering the interior, but since I have not tried it, I do not know what would happen.