No. It looks like a dryer that should be behind the grille has been mounted on top of the compressor. I have never seen a 70 with it mounted like the one you show. It also may be just the optics of a pic but is the second belt in the same plane with both pulleys?
Not original, but it makes for a clean installation. The Dryer should go in front of the condenser vertically. Also, that compressor decal looks like a later part?
I don't think that's a receiver/dryer, there's no sight glass, plus it's in the wrong place. Driers go AFTER the condenser, not the compressor. (edit: Driers are physically mounted in front of the condenser, but are plumbed after the condenser, on the outlet side.) It does look like a "muffler", something GM used on big luxo-cars back then to reduce compressor noises. Never seen one like that, though - maybe an odd GM part? Anybody show one in a Chassis Manual? On my '71 LeSabre, it was mounted over on the inner fender, not on the compressor. If you ever have a compressor failure and need to fluch your a/c system, get rid of the muffler - they can't be flushed completely. I replaced that hose and got rid of mine, and can't tell any difference in the sound/noise.
You may be right there is a muffler wrapped in a foam sleeve that is supposed to fit in a large clamp on the inner fender.
Just took another look, I'm sure that's a muffler, since it looks plumbed to the outlet side of the compressor. Never seen one like that, though, is there some sort of mounting tab on the bottom, or is it held up there by the steel line? Odd... Also, have you got deep rear gears? That huge compressor pulley is something I haven't seen in awhile...if you ever have to replace the compressor, that oversize pulley adds $75-150 to the price...yow!
muffler Dave T. also thinks it may be a muffler (he briefly looked at the car after we got back from larry millers wake very sad to loose such a wonderfull man he loved buicks and was loved by the buick community ) the car is a very earley 70 and a kansas plant car most everything on the car seams to be corect but dave says there may be differences in the flint GS vert and the kansas GS vert also they may have used stuff that was from 1969 the reason I say this is the radio is original but is a 1969 am/fm with the B U I C K buttons as one man put it " do you think at the end of 1969 they just trashed the remaining parts ...... they most likely used the remaining parts they had on the earley 1970 cars " this makes sense to me but I just dont know. also could be they had some of the big car a/c units and used this one just not sure but it does look unusual.
That is an ac muffler and all Olds models had those. The earlier models had an aluminum muffler which can be polished like chrome. The later versions 73-up are painted black like yours. Original Skylarks had the muffler located on the pass. fenderwell, held in place by a C-clip
