Looking back through your "Reader's Rides" thread, man your dash is near mint. I personally would not want to cut into a dash that nice seeing as how hard they are to come by in that condition. I believe this is what the early 3rd gen G van dash looks like with air. Problem is, I don't think even if you cut a perfect square hole for that vent with its trim, it would fit into your dash right without a LOT of work. I'll keep my eyes open this spring in the junkyard hunts I have planned. If you haven't found something by then anyway. But my 2 cents would be looking for a whole dash with the vents already there to swap in.
Last edited by kursed; February 09th 2021 1:59 pm.
You could use a junk yard system but it would need to be a late model (R134) system. A 134 compressor would likely need to be retro-fitted to use the 70's v-belt drive and mounts. A older R12 rear air system could be flushed for R134 use but you will need to convert it from a TXV controlled evap coil to a orifice system for proper oil return. And you'll need to use a suction accumulator. Either way you need new hoses as they are specially lined to prevent leakage of R134. R134 molecules are tiny compared to R12 and can seep thru unlined hoses. Hod Rodders have been using systems like these for years. Might search Vintage Air and others for their "hidden" systems. Not cheap but it still beats cutting a vintage dash up. Just dig up one of those mayonnaise jars full of money you got buried in the back yard.
That's not a factory vent in 5hat picture. That's an old aftermarket vent.
Do you have a pic of what the originals would look like for him? I grabbed that one off Google, no idea what the early ones looked like, I know what the 90s+ look like, but that's it.