E-body air conditioning...aftermarket or OEM

[62BT409]

Question: Whether to replace dash assembly with an OEM setup or use an aftermarket setup (indash vents). I did do my A-body with an aftermarket A/C system (below dash air vents) and it turned out nice. But the A-bodies that year were similar to below dash). I see the E-bodies are in the dash for the 70 & 71's. Is it easier to just come up with an E-body dash assembly from an A/C car?

[Topcat]

As long as you have the A/C harness built onto your wiring harness is the main thing you'll need to hook it up.
If you look on your bulkhead, ports 3 & 4 are the A/C power. If those are there, then your harness has the connectors.

[Topcat]

What type of firewall do you have?
A/C or non A/C?

The primered section is an A/C.
The green one is non A/C.

[Topcat]

Here's what the A/C harness looks like.

The power connectors are the 3 located at about 5 o'clock.
Lt. Grn, Grn, & blk.

[62BT409]

I do not have the car yet, still in the process of a two year quest. I could kick myself in the ass, just missed the best yet 6 weeks ago. I bulked for ONE day...and the guy who had bulked the day before I decided to pull the trigger.........pulled his trigger two hours before (
As I mentioned we did my A Body and it was a non-A/C car. The Classic Air was easy and the changeover method really nice:
http://www.classicautoair.com/customer-classics.html

Also I love the handle you have......brings back memories: One of my boats was called Top Cat.

[62BT409]

I should have added that I am more interested in the air vents and location although Classic Air has a nice setup. With a non-A/C car you can convert the existing heater control to do both. And the blower/heater box is their design and it replaces the stock heater box.....A/C or non-A/C.

[ragtopdodge]

Get an OEM A/C dashpad if the car was not A/C originally.  Will look a ton better.


That's what I plan to do on my Challenger.  Get a Vintage Air box, and route the hoses to OEM ducting.

Can't stand that under air units on e-bodies. 

[62BT409]

I will look into Vintage when the time comes.The Classic Air is almost OEM except for the driver's air vent location. That's why my original question. So it appears that the OEM dash pad the route to take all except the driver's side air vent....even in the OEM.

[62BT409]

Get an OEM A/C dashpad if the car was not A/C originally.  Will look a ton better.


That's what I plan to do on my Challenger.  Get a Vintage Air box, and route the hoses to OEM ducting.

Can't stand that under air units on e-bodies. 

In this thread, they mention the dashpad by a certain person. Is this what your talking about or getting a used part. The restored unit is $1200.00 plus....ouch
http://www.cuda-challenger.com/cc/index.php?topic=89060.0

[ragtopdodge]

The driver's side vent, I would use OEM.

The factory vent:





You can remove the factory controls, and stick in Vintage Air's controls in that opening left from removing the factory's OEM HVAC controls.

[ragtopdodge]

Or checkout Vintage air kits:

http://www.vintageair.com/2012catalog/2012%20VintageAir%20Catalog%20Final%20WEB%20(Page%2030).pdf


they have kits for factory ac (to use your own vents) and rallye dashes, which has the controls built in the HVAC panel, and comes with an OEM-looking driver's vent.

[62BT409]

NICE.... I haven't looked in vintage for years.  Thanks

PS....just went to their site and was reminded why I never went there. I have never owned an e-body yet, just a-bodies & b-bodies. And they have nothing on that end