Kharp

I was told by a friend about some A/C hoses that are smaller and more flexible than the standard hoses. They are calling them reduced vapor barrier hoses. Anyway, they would definitely help me create some space on my street rod build. I've looked around online and there seems to be a handful of companies that offer these, but I'm looking for a little more info.
Has anyone used these?
What brands should I research?
What about the tooling to make the crimps on the fittings?
Any info on these would be appreciated......

G Atsma

They likely came out when R134 came out as the old hoses were leaking like a sieve with the new gas.

HioSSilver

iTrader: (8)

Call vintage ac. They will sell you the right fittings and rent you the crimp tool to make your own lines. That's what we did on my uncles 56 belair.

proper

ls1nova71

iTrader: (4)

Vintage Air sells a hose system called EZ-Clip that is smaller in diameter and more flexible than standard A/C hose. It uses a different type of crimp connection, that to me doesn't look as nice, but they're supposed to be foolproof. I used mostly hardline on my car, with rubber at the flex points. If you have someone who can TIG aluminum fittings the possibilities are almost endless.

rickpaw

Yup that's the kit. VA uses the hose from Aeroquip hoses in their kit. I retrofitted the new hoses in my 67 and I like it alot. The hoses are smaller/more flexible so it was a lot easier to route/install.

Andy1

I plumbed my car using reduced barrier hose, as I needed the smaller diameter for devious path routing. It was nice not having to punch large holes in bulkheads, etc. Perhaps there are more vendors offering the correct fittings for RBH. When I did mine, there was a manufacturer that sold direct; unfortunately, they no longer do. As for the crimping, I took my stuff to my local NAPA store. They had no problem crimping the fittings.

Andy1

CapSS92

Vintage Air is way overpriced. I've been able to find good stuff on Ebay at much lower prices than VA. I recommend the hoses. They work really well and you can crimp them yourself. Installs with them are way easier. Here's a thread about them on protouring.com.

Alex

https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...t=#post1283687

gtpvette

iTrader: (2)

I bought all of my hose and fitting via Cold-Hose. Nice folks and the prices are hard to beat. They also welded up a couple of custom fittings converting Scion hard lines to crimp line which worked out well as the lines into the expansion valve are OEM only. Again prices were very good. I went with the regular sized hose. Bought a Master Cool crimp kit off Ebay for $135 IIRC,,, they do sell ones with the reduced size dies but they do get expensive.

https://coldhose.com/

From their website

Explanation of Reduced Barrier Fittings:

Reduced barrier fittings have the same inner diameter as standard barrier fittings, but the outer diameter is smaller.
In other words the thickness of reduced barrier hose has a reduced outer diameter compared to standard barrier hose.

If you need reduced barrier fittings choose the fitting part numbers with a SR (Steel) or RB (Aluminum) as the prefix. Reduced Barrier Hose:=center

The reduced barrier hose is a thinner wall construction that offers improved flexibility and reduced weight without sacrificing permeation resistance and burst strength. The hose is compatible with most common refrigerants including R12 and R134a. The hose is constructed with a single braid of polyester reinforcement. This hose is designed to exceed both SAE J2064 and OEM manufacturer requirements.

Muadi

I also recommend Cold-Hose. Great service, fantastic advice. Did everything that I requested.