A/C lines?
A/C lines? where are you guys that A/C in your swaps getting your line made? I am to the point where I need to get lines made for my A/C but I am not sure where to have them made.
TECH Resident
Joined: Nov 2007
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From: Texas
http://www.oldairproducts.com in fort worth can build you some. They built mine to hook a 2002 ls1 a/c comp to my 1965 cutlass factory system. They even welded on fittings so I could use the hard lines from the f-body ls1 which made it easy to fit and clear my cross frame.
http://www.oldairproducts.com in fort worth can build you some. They built mine to hook a 2002 ls1 a/c comp to my 1965 cutlass factory system. They even welded on fittings so I could use the hard lines from the f-body ls1 which made it easy to fit and clear my cross frame.
My swap has all OEM Chevelle parts with the only exception of the LS1 Compressor. Took both sets of hoes/lines and had my Tubing guy build me a custom setup with the correct ends/fittings to adapt the LS1 compressor into the Chevelle AC System. I work pertty good. But with the LS1 being a variable compressor and not having the controls to use the variable compressor.. it is only running at 60-70% of the compressor capacity. There is a Thread to mod the compressor to be fixed. S, it only costed me about $30 to mod the hoses/lines.
But there are many aftermarket setup that work very well.
But there are many aftermarket setup that work very well.
I bought the crimping tool with my V/A setup and cut and made my own hoses. Actually checked my system pressure 4 months after and still had roughly the same pressure int he system, plus/minus a few pounds for temp change, so I guess mine don't leak. But I have yet to pressurize the system using the compressor, so not too sure yet.
One of these days when I get back to working on it I'll remove the refrigerant and do a pressure test with nitrogen etc... and check them all.
One of these days when I get back to working on it I'll remove the refrigerant and do a pressure test with nitrogen etc... and check them all.
Check the yellow pages for some AC places. One local to me has the stuff to make hoses. I put a Sanden with the KWIK brackets on mine since the stock location wouldn't fit my 2nd gen Camaro. I have to get hoses made too.
Between my Olds and my Dad's Camaro, we've had to have a ton of lines crimped over the years. We were using a local A/C shop that did for $2-3 a crimp, which was OK for a small number of them. Unfortunately, late in the Camaro build we had to crimp a line that was on the car and would have been very difficult to remove (would have required removal of an already painted and aligned fender), so we were forced to buy our own crimper.
Turned out it was only about $200 or so to get one on ebay. After all the time and money wasted in going to and from the A/C shop over the years we could have easily made it worth it to have the crimper. Once we used it the first time, we wished we had bought it years earlier. Ours is a nice Mastercool one, too.
One thing I will say about the A/C shop is that it's been a great source for hose and fittings, etc. The prices are in line with what most of the big vendors sell stuff for, and I get stuff right away. In fact, they even sell nice aluminum condensers there.
Another thing I did for lines on the Camaro was to make my own hard lines from aluminum. I got all the supplies from Doc's Blocks. I used their brazing stuff to build the lines and even add a fitting to one line for the factory pressure sensor that hooks up to the ECM. If you're using the factory compressor, they also have nice blocks that will adapt the fittings on it to standard screw on ones.
Turned out it was only about $200 or so to get one on ebay. After all the time and money wasted in going to and from the A/C shop over the years we could have easily made it worth it to have the crimper. Once we used it the first time, we wished we had bought it years earlier. Ours is a nice Mastercool one, too.
One thing I will say about the A/C shop is that it's been a great source for hose and fittings, etc. The prices are in line with what most of the big vendors sell stuff for, and I get stuff right away. In fact, they even sell nice aluminum condensers there.
Another thing I did for lines on the Camaro was to make my own hard lines from aluminum. I got all the supplies from Doc's Blocks. I used their brazing stuff to build the lines and even add a fitting to one line for the factory pressure sensor that hooks up to the ECM. If you're using the factory compressor, they also have nice blocks that will adapt the fittings on it to standard screw on ones.
