Rally A/C Dash Conversion

[blown340]

Just wondering if anybody has done the following:

I have a 71 Duster with a standard dash, car has factory A/C, which I want to keep. I am going to add a vinyl top to this car in the spring.

When I have the windows out for that, I would like to replace the dash with a Rally dash, factory tach setup, I purchased the dash from a member on here but it's a non A/C unit.

My thought was to purchase one of these aftermarket bezels for A/C and replace what is currently on it,316-71ACKIT Mopar 1971 A-body Rallye Dash Bezel Kit (AC)

remove the heater A/C controls off the old dash assy and install them on the Rally dash.

Has anybody done this procedure in the past? Will I have to remove the part from the old dash that the controls mount to? Will my A/C controls mount right up?

I don't have the old unit out, I'm learning in my old age to not tear things apart until you have all the pieces lined up, so I don't have any pics of it.

Any thoughts or ideas, much appreciated. Thanks in advance, John

 

[clementine]

Classic Air sells an A/C unit that allows you to use factory non A/C heater controls.

If it comes to that.

 

[Mike69cuda]

I have done just what you want to do, when I converted my car from no AC to factory AC. Being a cheapskate, I did not want to spend $500+ on a new bezel.

I bought an AC dash bezel from a Dart, it is just the AC controls and the radio. They are cheap and common. I cut out the rally dash area around the controls. Then I cut the same area from the donor Dart bezel. I glued it into the rally dash.

Then I bought a woodgrain overlay from Detroit Muscle. It was stiff and covered up my splice perfectly.

My donor ac system was from a 71 dart. Everything interchanges from 68-72. The controls bolt right up.

I will look for some pics.

 

[blown340]

Classic Air sells an A/C unit that allows you to use factory non A/C heater controls.

If it comes to that.

Thanks for the reply, I'm hoping to not have to go that route on this car, for my 70, when I get around to it, I was thinking of a complete aftermarket A/C unit for it.

 

[blown340]

I have done just what you want to do, when I converted my car from no AC to factory AC. Being a cheapskate, I did not want to spend $500+ on a new bezel.

I bought an AC dash bezel from a Dart, it is just the AC controls and the radio. They are cheap and common. I cut out the rally dash area around the controls. Then I cut the same area from the donor Dart bezel. I glued it into the rally dash.

Then I bought a woodgrain overlay from Detroit Muscle. It was stiff and covered up my splice perfectly.

My donor ac system was from a 71 dart. Everything interchanges from 68-72. The controls bolt right up.

I will look for some pics.

Yes if you could please, that would be of much help. I have a possible lead on a rally dash frame itself, if that doesn't pan out when I do the vinyl top install, I have a stock dash frame that I will modify to work.

 

[Mike69cuda]

Yes if you could please, that would be of much help. I have a possible lead on a rally dash frame itself, if that doesn't pan out when I do the vinyl top install, I have a stock dash frame that I will modify to work.

I looked through all my pictures & couldn’t find any of the work I did on this. It wasn’t that hard to do. You can cut the part with the ac controls out of your duster dash.

 

[blown340]

I looked through all my pictures & couldn’t find any of the work I did on this. It wasn’t that hard to do. You can cut the part with the ac controls out of your duster dash.

10-4 Thanks again !!

 

[Mike69cuda]

One thing you will probably need to do the dash swap is a new wiring harness. As I understand they are different between the two dashes. I didn’t have to deal with that on my ac swap.

 

[blown340]

One thing you will probably need to do the dash swap is a new wiring harness. As I understand they are different between the two dashes. I didn’t have to deal with that on my ac swap.

Thanks for the heads up, I have to look into that as they rally dash has the connector but all the wires were cut off.