I bought my a/c-heater kit from Patrick's and they got it from Vintage, Classic, antigue or another similar outfit. Their kit includes the regular stuff (condensor, dryer, evaporator, heater core/fan motor,plenum, vents, hose, controls) as well as brackets, an auxilary fan, fan relay and hoses you cut to fit and get the ends clamped on elsewhere. I didn't seem to me that you'd save any money going directly to the people who assemble the kit vs a reseller. If the price is the same I'd suggest going with someone who has installed several of them and seems friendly on the phone 'cause you might want to call them in the middle of the install. That's why I went with Patrick's, though there are probably other similar outfits that might offer the same service.
Patrick's kit and all the others seem to use the same plenum that bolts to the bottom of the dash on the passanger side and has vents and controls in it. The other parts are pretty standard stuff, a sanden compressor, dryer, condensor, evaporator, vent hose, lines, etc...
SO, theoretically, you could put together the kit yourself and just order the controls you like from someone like Vintage or Classic who sells them separately and the bracket from Patrick's or Chevy Duty, or fabricate one yourself. Maybe a local shop could put together something for you and do the install on the same terms the machine shop put together the engine, (i.e. donation as a deductible business expense)
