My dad is giving me an old water-cooled Carrier central air conditioner
that used to be used in his home but was impractical due to the need for
circulating water to the system. I can use it in my home because I have
a pond I can use to get water from. The problem is that when the folks
took away his last oil furnace to the dump, they mistakenly took the two
front metal panels from the air conditioner as well since it was the
same color and the panels were leaning against a wall. Anyway, the lower
panel just covers the compressor and bottom of the unit, but the top one
needs to be in place for proper air flow. Would those in the know think
I could find such a part from a unit from the 60's, or should I try to
fabricate one with metal and maybe plywood?

Rob