PV8 I actually want to try and keep everything looking more or less as stock as possible which means keeping the heater. Also want, of course, all the modern improvements. Hence the quandary of making modern fit old and still look old but work as modern.

Have made a few units over the years--always keeping to the idea that if properly camouflaged, no one would know except me. Unfortunately, AC build it yourself parts are getting hard to come by so am being forced to adapt something. Here's a few pictures of the original setup if you haven't been around one.

First picture is of the Packard AC box minus the evaporator. That sits on a diagonal between the small opening on left where valves connect and the defroster/heater opening. Blower is the large opening on left. Heater is very sophisticated---not. The regular control does heat/defrost at the large opening on rt. Heat can come out the AC vents or pull a knob and open a long flap on bottom or both at once if both open--same with AC. The AC vents connect to the two angled openings on the front.

Second pict is a unit I made and used several years-until another real one came along. In the car, it looked original except for the galvanized metal. That one I modified so the heat was only out the bottom. Also added a channel on top so defroster could use original duct locations. It worked reasonably well although the evaporator was a bit small for the car size.

Third pict is a work in progress of reproducing the original vent assys. They are a real PIA, giving me grief trying to make a mold so air isn't trapped. Still haven't got them to where I am satisfied--although closing in. Last couple showed promise.

Fourth pict is of the rube goldberg speed and sliding temp control I made for the unit in second pict..

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Thanks for info. It appears the unit you have has been discontinued--but there are others of similar concept.

I'm still kicking around ideas on how to use the original dash control. Since the piece thru the dash with knob is nothing more than a shaft with a short mechanical flex cable, it is able to be revised. There is adequate room on the defroster box shelf where the original rheostat is mounted to do several things--but not too much where the knob is. One possibility is to get the separate control module assy and adapt that.

The kicker, as we've both found, is the modern unit has both speed and temp so single knob has to be able to control both--On another car I had with fact AC, I wanted a temp control. Built a rather crude mechanism where the knob rotated for on/off & speed per original but slid in/out for temp. It was a real rube goldberg because of the mechanical temp switch I chose to control the clutch engagement without modifying anything else. The fact the knob always stuck out a distance for whatever temp selected was also a sore point--but it did work.

Am hoping to do better this time so maybe rotate for both. Regular for speed & a spring loaded pull out to select another flex shaft via gear for temp. Anyway, just thinking out loud and thanks again for the info.

There was a European car with a similar front styling. Believe the Opel was imported for a brief time in late 50's early 60's with a few minor changes for US market. Think later version also resembled the GAZ & Mercury with the wide grill layout & headlight treatment.

This may explain the difference in tanks. Maybe some engineer had to work on one like Mal's and found out it was a PIA.

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Design study in progress.

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Very true. And someone else shares a dim view of govt acquisitions because there's this. The whole article about a govt contract for a hand held device is here:http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/20991/

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Probably right, but at least it's not medical.

Thanks, responded.

PV8 Do you remember which vehicle your compressor is for--or is it several years old? Seems the aftermarket guys have stopped selling single groove. The usual generic aftermarkets available now are either 2 groove, wide groove or serpentine. The only A4 size belt groove I can find is on the new Sanden modular series which are pricy and special order.

Guess you could try the paint but I just don't think a paint could be found that wouldn't scream paint because of the heavy pigment.

One possibility and I've never tried and don't know how the fiberglass would take to it is fabric dye. RIT makes several colors you mix with boiling water--don't know if the pad could be saturated without falling apart but maybe sprayed. If sprayed though, you'd only be coating the top layer so any de-lamination or holes and the yellow would show thru.

Another thing to consider is color--would be almost as obvious as paint or the yellow if the gray color is terribly wrong.