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I found a 53/54 Packard rear speaker bezel (grill) on eBay for less than $15, so if I cant locate the proper intake vents for the rear deck, I can always use for a centrally placed intake which appears to what a lot of the Novi and Mark IV aftermarket systems used.

Here is the Packard rear grill implementation thanks to a photo posted by "let the ride decide". Inlets were very simple -- actually, IMO kind of crude looking with the frame and just that coarse mesh grill.

Not much help but here are some ebay car photos of what the stock Novi inlet looked like from below. Not sure the car make but looks like there was a double flange at the inlet grill for the two inlet hoses.

One think I'd wonder about with a single speaker grill is the air noise. With two blowers, a lot of volume so if it is much smaller than the Novi setup, it might be something to consider.

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Intersting....I wonder if I can just use two of the plastic vents that are used on the firewall for the fresh air system as the intake vents in the rear.

It looks similar to the vents in the first picture.

Whatever I finally work out, I want to avoid cutting the metal structure in the rear deck except for the needed screw holes. So hopefully, I can use the existing cutouts, and try to make it look as Packard-esk as possible.

I am sure I will have to fab up some metal flanges/adapters out of sheet metal for the underside hoses to attach to and bridge the difference in shape and size. The inlets are square on the Novi unit, so square peg, round hole syndrome in play here.

Also, curious to see what the column mounted controls looked like on 53/54 factory AC cars. Apparently they mounted to the top of the steering column, but trying to figure out how that would work with the Ultramatic Indicator in the way.

David, do you know if Billy from Longview has that A/C control pod on his 54 A/C car?

Another ebay (I think) car with factory controls and showing shelf with ducts and a speaker. That photo with the straight outlet louvers is 53, this one is 54.

The controls actually mount to the dash but don't necessarily touch the column. Two blower switches on the outside, center is on/off & temp -- sort of like a radio switch -- with a rheostat to control the heater wrapped around the sensing bulb on the thermostat. More heat on the sensing bulb, colder the car gets.

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Wow....not exactly an attractive control panel. It looks really outta place there. Like something you would have ordered from JC Whitney back in the day.

Under dash, aftermarket "novi" style placement it is then....

So I am thinking about a simple control panel that looks like this. It should be pretty easy to fab up. Paint it white, get some vinyl lettering to mask it, and then paint it dash color. Remove lettering, and I should be able to recreate the effect.

For switches....perhaps two Cole Hersey M531 for the blower motors and a M650 for the compressor on/off switch (wired through the condenser thermostat for freeze cut off and a pressure safety switch)

Both switches are high amp push/pull style (similar to a headlight switch). So for the blowers it would be OFF - LOW - HIGH as it's pulled out, the Compressor would be OFF - ON.

The '54 Packard vent knobs look similar to those ones pictured.

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Should work. Perhaps you can find something more period correct or some Clipper knobs and snazz it up a bit more. If you wanted, maybe a period correct toggle switch like Novi or ARA used for the compressor on/off would work equally well. If you have any Torsion Level under dash on/off switches in any of your excess parts lots, that is the same style switch ARA used.

Thanks Gerry! I'll take them!

Howard, I think I have one of the Heater Blower (53-54) / Torsion Level (55-56) switches left in my parts pile. So that will work if I decide not to go with the Cole Hersey switch for the compressor on/off.