AC dash question

[poink 71 chev]

I was wondering if you can cut holes into a non ac dash and use aftermarket parts to make it look right for ac.
thanks in advance for the replies.

[john]

I did it with after market, no prob. Cant tell from factory.

john

[SW69]

what did you use as a template for the factory style vents? I had to replace my cab (it was an a/c) but I couldn't find the right cab when I was replacing it. Now, I wouldn't mind putting the factory vents into the dash, but am scared to death about cutting holes.

I asked a vendor about the aftermarket vents (they look like they're fixed) that I see in all their ads, but they must be snotty and only want to sell a complete unit, because they won't return my email.

[john]

Here is a template for side outlets. The center is just a rectangle. Not to scale but will show you what has to be done. Just cut small and trim to fit.

john

[ChevyDude]

Did you purchase those templets??? From who???

[john]

Chevy dude they come in the OLD AIR A/C kit. It wouldn't hurt to see if they would send you one.

John

[pound41]

I think some of the old air outlets were smaller than the factory. I haven't seen one in a while. If you put a post on the blazer board a while back somene was emailing templates because a few guys had replaced some dashes. The templates were coming from the Chevy factory assembly manual I will look in mine but its a couple hundred pages in no particular order

[chickenwing]

I sat down and thumbed through every page of my assembly manual indexing what I found potentially usefull. I do not recall any a/c templates in it.

[SW69]

Thanks for those pics! At least someone has something like that around. I'll have to check my assembly manual, too, to see if I can find something like that, otherwise I might try to blow up your pic to make a copy.

[Zonaman]

The fellows at Rick's Pickups can tell you (or sell you) whatever you want to know about that.

[4x4Poet]

Am I missing something? Don't the A/C outlets themselves serve to trace out templates?

[pound41]

Sure they serve as a template but you have to measure which isn't hard but you need a compass or something to make a circle. If you look at the curve on the one side of the drawings that is the lower part of the dash bezel on one side an the glove box on the other. At least that was my understanding, I haven't gotten to that stage yet on my blazer

[FRENCHBLUE72]

I also am at this stage last time i used a plasma cutter so it was easy to trim to fit but this thing its gonna take a little finess.. If anyone has full scale templates please post em or e-mail em to me so I can get this done thanks in advance ..

[72swbcamo]

It's funny how things workout on this site I was just going to post a question about where I could get templates for the dash a/c outlets. If someone comes accross fullsize templates please put me on the e-mail list.

I was also looking for chassis rivits and that thread was just posted also.

[chevyal71]

I cut the dash out of my old a/c cab right across under the dash pad and the bottom corners unbolt as I remember. Can't tell the difference with the dash pad on. Though my radio area was all butchered up so that was the deciding factor.