I bought this '78 Ranchero, and I didn't know it at the time but it's missing the complete blower motor/air box assembly from under the dash. It was an a/c car originally. The EFI 5.0L swap has a/c compressor, the factory condensor is still there as is the rest of the plumbing for the a/c system.

At this point I'm ready to give up on ever finding a factory under-dash air box assembly and am looking for alternatives, like maybe an aftermarket under-dash like they sell for vintage Mustangs.

Anyone have any thoughts or experience adding one of these to a Ranchero? Or have an air box they'd like to get rid of?

 

You are limiting your parts search by (I assume) only looking for Ranchero's. Are you just looking for 1978 only? The same A/C parts were installed in far more than just Ranchero's!

1977/79: LTD II (not a LTD!), Ranchero is an LTD II, Thunderbird and Cougar were available with 3 different types of A/C.

The parts are the same for all, but are specific to each type. You should be able to find these vehicles in Phoenix metro-plex boneyards to get the parts you need.

Which of the following A/C's matches yours?

1) In dash factory installed integral A/C combined w/the heater.

2) In dash factory installed integral A/C with ATC (Automatic Temperature Control) combined w/the heater.

3) Dealer installed Economy "hang-on" A/C, not combined with the heater. Bezel contains 4 registers, 2 A/C switches, bolts to the bottom of the dash.

The 1973/79 Ford Passenger Car Parts Catalog is available on a CD from hipoparts.com. In dash A/C parts shown here: Illustration Section 195.1, Page 31 (w/o ATC) and Page 32 (with ATC).