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Someone had indicated several years ago...that the dealer could install the Mark IV unit and sell it retail with labor cheaper than dealer wholesale on the factory option.
'Twas not me, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were true. I have seen a number of V8 Packards that had aftermarket A/C with evaporators that hung under the dash or were mounted on the hump - some even touted (incorrectly) as being factory original.
That style of system was very popular in the 1960s, and I seem to recall it being the factory-installed system on some cars back then.
Factory-installed A/C did not become a popular option until the mid-1970s, but it was fully-integrated into the instrument panel by then.
Chrysler was still marketing dealer-installed systems, from Lone Star, for its vehicles well into the 1980s, and dealers really bought into them. While they had a "factory" look and integrated into the I/P, there were plenty of subtle, yet significant, differences between the two systems. However, by the mid 1980s, Lone Star and Chrysler shared many of the same (if not all) of the A/C components between factory- and dealer-installed systems for Chrysler vehicles.
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