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Here is the skinny on aftermarket. A good point is that the box is smaller than the original which makes it easier to install. Second good point is the Sanden compressor which is smooth and draws way less horsepower than the old York/Tecumseh compressors they used back then. The downside is if you like instant blended air....ain't happening. They do temp control solely with a water valve which means set your temp and wait 2 minutes before anything usefull happens. There is no blend door. The box means a little modification on your firewall which the templates in the instructions suck. The worst part I had and still have is 2 microswitches which control compressor and defrost function. Cheap, cheap, cheap. First one delivered was warped and wouldn't hit the switch's which i already installed and had to pull the box out and send it to Texas. The second one was only marginally better and i had to come up with my own bellcrank modification to make it work reliably. Defrost actuator motor is set to maintain its power in both directions which finally made mine click annoyingly in one direction (sounds of the gear stripping) so I had to install a cutout switch to kill its power once traveled. The controls now work somewhat backwards (defrost is heat and heat is now defrost) which they don't tell you anything about in the instructions but that is the way it is designed. It is a solution for anyone without A/C. If you have it.....fix it. Only variation you might do is to but the compressor and brackets from them and adapt to your system. Sandens are low drag, efficient bullet proof compressors. The air is cold and the heat is hot on mine but I would rather have gone original all things considered. Tap the guys in the forum here and you might come up with the parts you need to repair yours. Sorry for the long post but that's my take in a nut shell. One other note. I do this for a living and it took me three days to get it in and functioning. With the parts lined up you could probably get yours up to steam in one.
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