Technical question-Thinking about A/C

[aerohead]

I've crossed the desert Southwest with tube socks filled with ice cubes,clothespined shut,and draped over my shoulders and neck.It will get you there alive,but what a mess! I'd never expect a passenger to put up with sort of thing.

--------------------- Parking in the shade will allow me to get to town without A/C,but like today,the heat index will be 110-degrees F for the trip home,and a little relief is welcome.

------------------------ I've envisioned Rube Goldberg devices to cool me,and I've procured a drinking fountain with cooler,a 12-volt inverter,and will buy or make a "cool-vest" and balaclava (sp?) as jungle helicopter pilots wear,to cool my bloodstream at upper torso and neck with pumped chilled water,and try to dispense with the A/C altogether.Seems stupid for me to cool an uninsulated cabin,when I just need to cool 3-pounds of gray matter.But thats only 'cause I'm insane not to do as all others!

--------------------------- If driving the Metro puts you at risk,I say do what you can to get through the summer.I think inverters are at their most efficient operation at near full-load.The alternating current motor of the window unit(for both the blower and compressor) may pull 300-500 % current at startup,so sizing the inverter may require some thought.You could also partition the cabin with plexiglas/lexan,as in a limousine,cooling only the front seat area.Internal reflections could be weird at night so you might angle the plastic as is done in front of dashboard instruments.The condenser coil will need an endless supply of "outside air"and with your humidity,you'll be making lots of condensate which will have to be drained off.Be very careful if you use the rear of the car for any kind of process air because of the carbon monoxide risks.Your alternator is going to be running balls to the wall,so if you have a grille block right now,consider removing until fall,or at least any portion that might restrict airflow to the alternator.