Sounds like the car was a Series 75 "Fleetwood", 8-passenger Business Sedan or, if it had the division window in the front seatback, factory-bodied Limousine.
'53 was the first year for the re-introduction of A/C in Cadillac (and Oldsmobile), engineered with GM's Frigidair division. (It was first offered in 1938 or '39, but I've never seen nor heard of an actual installation.) Chrysler's "Air-Temp" came the following year.
The evaporator was located in the trunk with two blower motors, the output of which was initially through only two large vents in the rear package tray. Later, a couple of clear, plastic tubes rose up along the C-pillar to direct the air into two plenums on either side of the roof, above the headliner. 4 (Series 62, 60S) or 6 (Series 75) chromed vents then passed the air into the passenger compartment; the forward most vents strategically placed so as to freeze the front seat passenger's necks. The controls were mounted in a little add-on pod placed under the center of the dash. There were knobs for temperature and fan speed, with an "Off-On" switch between them, all finished in brushed steel to match the rest of the switchgear.
For the first year, anyway, there was no clutch on the compressor. It was always in operation. Turning the A/C off would redirect the freon flow from the evaporator through a bypass tube via a solenoid valve.
One could always spot an A/C-equipped Cadillac or Chrysler from the outside because of the two little air intake scoops mounted just outside of the C-pillars, one on each side. It wasn't until 1956 when AMC (with the help of it's Kelvinator division) introduced a much lighter, simpler version of A/C that the evaporator moved into the firewall area in the dash, thus making A/C a possibility for small cars (and convertibles).
Mark in Lakewood, CO (1953 Cadillac Series 75 "Fleetwood" 8-passenger Business Sedan. Yeah, it has A/C....)
From: "Chip" <czulli@gmail.com>
To: "diesel mercedes" <diesel_mercedes@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, September 17, 2012 7:20:36 AM
Subject: [diesel_mercedes] Remembering Air Conditioning
Since I am on this topic I might just as well tell you about the first car AC I remember.
It was the mid 50's and my dad decided to test drive a used Cadillac. It was almost a limo as I recall, and I want to say it was a 1952 or 1953 model.
As men did back then, the first thing my dad did was to find a country road and open the car up. I can still remember bending over the front seat to watch the needle when it topped 100.
Despite all of my begging the Cadillac did not find a home at our house. But I sure remember that cool, fast ride. The back shelf had two huge tinted air flow tubes rising up out of the trunk that pumped out the winter time air.
Chip
