The customized conversion plates from AGM (sold through acdelete.com and americangraffiti.biz) are THE easiest solution for a street driven car.

I'll be here on Thursday before 4, but I really don't have any better answers than retaining as many parts as you can in order to keep it painless and reasonably inexpensive.

You can remove the compressor (tie back the harness and wrap it), the compressor brackets, and the A/C suitcase and reclaim all that stolen space. When removing the A-frame bracket from the intake, be sure to measure the depth of the hole and use washers if necessary to keep the longer bolts from bottoming out, potentially causing an intake leak.

With the custom delete plate, you can retain your existing heater core, or acdelete.com sells a full package with a heater core and blower motor if yours is tired or your heater core is incorrect.