[MOJO Catalina]

I recently bought a '63 GP with AC but want to use the center of dash for ralley gauges.
I probably won't use the AC a whole lot but I hope I can get it working anyway.
I'll either have to reroute the center duct to come up through the speaker hole (I have plans for a better system) or just plug it and increase pressure through the rest of the system. Will there be consequences to the system like blower motor drag or some other stress I might encounter that may screw things up? Anybody done this before with any results (good or bad) or am I a trailblazer here?

[Keith Seymore]

I think you're blazin' a new trail here, but I don't see any potential pitfalls....

K

[ericwy]

I did something like that with my TA. I stuffed a 2.125" manifold vacuum gauge into one of the
center vents. Space is going to be the issue. There was not any to spare behind my dash
so either have to remove the duct work or re-route. I left the duct work in my case and just removed the louvers on one one vent hole. The vac gauge extends into the center duct. The right vent still works.

No issues with flow/pressure. The duct work is not that tight in the 70's F-bodies. It leaks/blows about the same.

[MOJO Catalina]

Looks like I may end up just rerouting the duct to where the radio would be and adding a small ipod or mp3 system concealed in the console. I got ahold of a set of '64 Oil/Clock/Temp gauges and cut a spare Clock/duct housing bezel to use as a mounting bezel for the gauges and still have the air diverter and trim left over.
It turns out that when the excess is cut off and the piece is shaped down to an oval it's the perfect size to fit over the old radio holes. I think it'll look "cool" too. I'm going to do a mock up of it before cutting and refit the duct work and will post a photo soon.

It seems that the '64 gauges are alot easier to come by than the '63 sets.
Probably been done by someone before but this mod may end up being the way to go for some of us...

[MOJO Catalina]

Originally Posted by MOJO Catalina

still have the air diverter and trim left over.
It turns out that when the excess is cut off and the piece is shaped down to an oval it's the perfect size to fit over the old radio holes.

Nope, doesn't look right. I should have known. I'll be leaving it all the way it is and just plug the hole under the dash as I said previously. It'll add pressure to the smaller vents but I think that'll be good. I'm also going to probably buy one of those 'RediRad' boxes a fellow Darksider developed and use the AM radio. The original radio matches the AC controls and just looks too good to change.

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

I think you're blazin' a new trail here, but I don't see any potential pitfalls....

K

Duh -

I forgot to mention in my first response - I like the look of those gages there better than the A/C vent and think it's a cool idea.

K

[MOJO Catalina]

I appreciate the encouragement Keith.
I'm not real fond of the AC duct hump in top of the dash of the '65 & 66's but I think these center gauge clusters are a great feature on the big Pontiacs of the era.