I'd hoped to reuse the original cover panel but comparing them it was quickly apparent that would not be possible as the hose configuration is entirely different. This was a little disappointing but not bad. The Classic Auto Air piece is plastic but the back is covered with a large piece of foam to help seal up the area which is no doubt helpful.
I installed the cover panel at least six different times to adjust the panel itself or its fitment.
The first time I noticed that the screws would not line up as they were too high. I considered unbolting and trying to realign the air box inside the vehicle but I decided against it as I did not want to work through the process of getting it level again. Instead, I used a file to file out the lowest hole in the center of the panel as the metal hose which protrudes through it was what caused the binding. At least the top two screw holes seemed to line up so I moved on.
The next issue was that when in place, the cover panel was not flush against the firewall because it overlapped one of the old heater hose holes in the firewall. Those holes protrude slightly so I had to mark the cover panel and cut a little recess in the back so it would sit against the firewall and seal properly.
The next chore was to find a way to route wires through the firewall. The plug for the heater control module must run through the firewall and is quite large. I tried a few different options and then decided to just have it run through this new firewall cover plate. I found a grommet that would work (albeit a little large) and drilled a hole to install it so the wires would run through and into some of the stock air conditioner holes which are not being used.
This is the final product after most of the modifications.
I went to install it again and then noticed the hole on the far right does not line up with the hole in the firewall, there is no stock hole were the middle hole on the bottom is located, but there is a stock hole about 1.5 inches to the left of it. I pulled the panel back out again, bolted the stock panel to it, and then drilled a new hole on the right and in the middle of the panel. It then went back in and finally bolted into place. Unfortunately, I spent a little over two hours screwing around with the panel trying to make it work right.
Once this panel was complete, I ran the heater hoses over to the two copper pipes shown above. The hose coming from the intake goes to the lower copper connection. The hose coming from the water pump routes through the Classic Auto Air water valve and then to the top of the two copper hose connections. The orange wire you see coming through the firewall then opens and closes the water valve when the heater is in use.
I then ran the two refrigerant hoses around to these connectors and connected them. The larger of the two connects to the compressor and the smaller of the two on the left connects to the receiver/dryer that is attached to the condensor.
With these connections complete, I spent some time using wire ties to ensure everything is held in place well. I then walked around double checking everything. I think I have everything under hood done with the exception of putting the sealing putty around where the hoses enter the firewall to make a waterproof seal. I'll do that once I'm sure nothing else needs to come apart.
With everything done, I painted the grill to clean it up a bit and then reinstalled it.
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