5000S climate control (was: something else..)

["G. Benedikt Rochow" <rochow@segosf.hlo.dec.com>]

> My dream... is to replace the silly sliders and plastic levers with a
> little row of pull knobs (like choke cable/knobs) as soon as I find
> black ones that can have their knobs removed for mounting.  One each for
> floor and defrost (the dash has no flaps) outlets, one for the heater
> control (BTW, this is an A/C delete system...) and one for
> fresh/recirculate, connected directly to the previously vacuum driven
> flap.  Then add a matching fan switch knob and a little faceplate of
> some oily rainforest wood and Voila!

Is this the only way to do it, or could one do a simple
part-way step and replace the automatic controls with
separate switches?
Better question, is the dash unit ('84 5000S, in this case)
just buttons+lights, or does it do the actual regulating (e.g.
when ambient temp is way cooler than setting, turn flaps
to hot + floor, and turn fan on high)?
...in which case, one wouldn't actually have to alter
the unit behind the glovebox, but just replace the auto-controls
in the dash with a little board of separate switches, assuming
that the vacuum stuff still works.
BTW: often, when I push a button, the LEDs change, but there's
no reaction. When I press the button again, it reacts quickly.
The manual says something about a delay to not blow
'gusts of air' at the driver, but I get this particulalrly
when I switch to LO - so going from AUTO to LO leaves
me sitting there with hard wind for an extra 10 seconds,
which doesn't seem like it was intended to be so.

The fan speed doesn't have a weird vacuum actuation now, does it? <:)

-gbr