My 68 valiant project is an A/C car and I would like to put the unit back together using an after market compressor. My problem is that I have two dead vacuum motors that control air doors in the box. Is there replacements anywhere or should I just go with a vintage air unit. Oh I'm adding a console will that interfere with the factory vents?

The console shouldn't interfere, unless it has a tach or clock on it. No idea on the vacuum units, sorry.

Thanks about the console, I'm bumping it back up once for the vacuum question.

This is a good topic for discussion. I'll bet a lot of people have had problems with the vacuum motors, but I have never seen much discussion here. Maybe it is only the folks in AZ and Houston that care?

Try the Google Custom Search at the top of the page.

As you can see, the vacuum pot halves are joined by a rolled crimp; I have tried with little success to un-crimp them. I have used a belt sander to sand away the crimp on the edge to separate the two halves and expose the innards.

The rubber diaphragm will usually be found brittle and cracked with a pushrod riveted to the center of the rubber. Grind away the rivet to remove the pushrod.

A new diaphragm can be made from thin sheet rubber (I prefer sheet silicone) and the pushrod reattached with a pop rivet. I then place the two halves of the pot together and clamp them securely and then use liberal amounts of epoxy on the previously crimped rim to hold them together.

I have successfully "saved" a couple of pots that were impossible to find in usable condition.