Also, my car doesn't have A/C. I thought maybe the change in mounting location was due to the canister not being able to clear some of the A/C components once they're installed.
Looking at the picture you posted again, it appears that it is mounted in the "normal" location for the A/C canister, below the hinge, but of course not the A/C style.
There would be no conflict in that location - 390 with A/C is about as tight as you can get and the A/C canister fit there - a small block no A/C has lots of room in comparison.
My question is why in the world would Ford have located the early tilt only canister way up below the battery tray, with much longer hoses.
So it looks like Travis' Dec 66 SJ and drummingrocks December-ish 66 NJ cars are away from the "early" location below the battery tray. This puts a relative mark in the sand.
It would still be good in both cases if we could get some close up pictures including:
1. Canister nipple sizes
2. Hose details (i.e. any stripes or other markings)
3. Hose routing (including through firewall, and whether or not there is a grommet in the firewall)
4. Any vacuum check valve? (could be part of canister assembly)