[dragking]

I want to order a AC heater unit since I have my full dash out and am doing dakota digital gauges and re wiring everything with painless wiring harness. Seems like the best time to do it. My question is, when I look at the website for the non factory AC unit, it looks like it comes with all these extra vents. Do these get mounted under your dash? It looks like a lot of clutter if so. I do have vents in my dash and the heater/AC control panel, but the car didn't come with the top vent in dash above the control panel and radio. So I am assuming it was a non AC car. It does have the kick panel vents, but to my understanding this was standard on all 70 malibus. I have not had an opportunity to look at the firewall yet. I don't want to order the factory air kit and wind up missing parts I need. If anyone could offer me some clarification on what kit to buy or send me a picture of their unit installed on a 70 it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[toofastforyou]

From what you wrote, you car was surely an original non-a/c car. You have the vents at each end of the dash but about the one in the middle, you need to add the spewcial duct/vent assembly in place of the "Chevrolet" name plate. Be aware that when doing so, you won't be able to use the center mono speaker anymore because there's no room for both, it's either the vents or the speaker. On cars originally equipped with a/c,the speakers were located at each corner of the dash to make room for the center vent. You can move the speakers to the end of the dash but you're going to have to find the correct speakers brackets pictured below (which are different from a SS dash and an"sweep" dash), new speakers and a new dash pad which matches the new location of the speakers.
When that is done, you can return to the a/c installation. The duct/vent assemble will fit right in place of the speaker once it's been removed and you'll have the option to connect the Vintage Air's flexible hoses to the dash's end vents as well as to the newly installed center vent, instead of usint their kit-supplied under dash vents.
How do I know all this?... Well I did it on my car which didn't have a/c originally but it was well worth it!
Claude.
P.S: Below is a picture of the center of dash duct assemble to replace the center speaker.

 

[V1rotate]

I want to order a AC heater unit since I have my full dash out and am doing dakota digital gauges and re wiring everything with painless wiring harness. Seems like the best time to do it. My question is, when I look at the website for the non factory AC unit, it looks like it comes with all these extra vents. Do these get mounted under your dash? It looks like a lot of clutter if so. I do have vents in my dash and the heater/AC control panel, but the car didn't come with the top vent in dash above the control panel and radio. So I am assuming it was a non AC car. It does have the kick panel vents, but to my understanding this was standard on all 70 malibus. I have not had an opportunity to look at the firewall yet. I don't want to order the factory air kit and wind up missing parts I need. If anyone could offer me some clarification on what kit to buy or send me a picture of their unit installed on a 70 it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I installed the Vintage Air system in my 70. Pretty straight forward, the instructions are good and the parts all fit.
My car was also a non A/C car so it didn't have the center A/C vent. I didn't like the look of having the under dash outlets that they give you so I bought a new center A/C vent and connect one of the outlet ducts to it so that it functions like the factory system.
The system works great, keeps the car nice and cool no matter how hot it is outside.

 

[toofastforyou]

"V1rotate", what did you do about the speakers? (unless your car already had the dual dash speakers...)

Claude.

 

[cage2592]

I did the same on my 70 as V1rotate and added the dash vents and ducting. I did my entire interior at the same time. So while I was at it, I installed dual dash speakers and the kick panel with speakers. Also installed the Dakota Digital same time. I actually wish I hadn't installed the kick panel ones. Just something I don't use as I prefer to hear the engine most of the time. But having that good of a system is nice on the rare occasions.

Mike

 

[V1rotate]

"V1rotate", what did you do about the speakers? (unless your car already had the dual dash speakers...)

Claude.

My car did not have speakers in the front, so while I had the whole interior gutted I installed the A/C, Dakota Digital and dash pad. I made some brackets to attach the front speakers.
Here is a pic of the right front corner of the dash, looking down through the windshield (it was not installed at that time) just above the glove box you can see two simple black metal brackets that i made to hold the speaker. You can also see that I mounted the control box for the Dakota Digital dash on top of the glove box.

 

[dragking]

From what you wrote, you car was surely an original non-a/c car. You have the vents at each end of the dash but about the one in the middle, you need to add the spewcial duct/vent assembly in place of the "Chevrolet" name plate. Be aware that when doing so, you won't be able to use the center mono speaker anymore because there's no room for both, it's either the vents or the speaker. On cars originally equipped with a/c,the speakers were located at each corner of the dash to make room for the center vent. You can move the speakers to the end of the dash but you're going to have to find the correct speakers brackets pictured below (which are different from a SS dash and an"sweep" dash), new speakers and a new dash pad which matches the new location of the speakers.
When that is done, you can return to the a/c installation. The duct/vent assemble will fit right in place of the speaker once it's been removed and you'll have the option to connect the Vintage Air's flexible hoses to the dash's end vents as well as to the newly installed center vent, instead of usint their kit-supplied under dash vents.
How do I know all this?... Well I did it on my car which didn't have a/c originally but it was well worth it!
Claude.

Thanks a ton, I didn't even consider the speaker issue. I'll take your advice and start looking for those brackets.

 

[dragking]

My car did not have speakers in the front, so while I had the whole interior gutted I installed the A/C, Dakota Digital and dash pad. I made some brackets to attach the front speakers.
Here is a pic of the right front corner of the dash, looking down through the windshield (it was not installed at that time) just above the glove box you can see two simple black metal brackets that i made to hold the speaker. You can also see that I mounted the control box for the Dakota Digital dash on top of the glove box.

Thanks. That looks clean I definitely want to mount the control box in the same location.

 

[dragking]

I did the same on my 70 as V1rotate and added the dash vents and ducting. I did my entire interior at the same time. So while I was at it, I installed dual dash speakers and the kick panel with speakers. Also installed the Dakota Digital same time. I actually wish I hadn't installed the kick panel ones. Just something I don't use as I prefer to hear the engine most of the time. But having that good of a system is nice on the rare occasions.

Mike

I was also considering the kick panel speakers, did you have any fitment issues with having the A/C and the kick speakers? I agree. Engine noise is the best, but I do like to have a good system when the time's right.

 

[SS468]

I’m still installing it but here’s how it looks so far.