If you rotate the condenser fittings to the pass side you can run the #6 line under the inner fender to the condenser. I have both compressor lines running on top of the 2 heater lines to the 4 hole plate.
Vintage Air installation in a 1968 Satellite
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Just a thought, what if you ran the heater hoses through the engine compartment and the a/c lines through the wheel well and came out where mopar jack did by the core support. Then you only have 2 hoses running down the inner fender which can be nice and tidy.
The high press side of pump goes to the front
under the fender and connects to the top of the condenser. The line out of the dryer on my car is run through a hole (I drilled) at the inner fender near the head light buckets and goes straight to the evap. I highly recommend the reduced barrier lines and fittings for the suction and discharge line from the pump to the 4 hole plate.
under the fender and connects to the top of the condenser. The line out of the dryer on my car is run through a hole (I drilled) at the inner fender near the head light buckets and goes straight to the evap. I highly recommend the reduced barrier lines and fittings for the suction and discharge line from the pump to the 4 hole plate.
Do you mean reduced "diameter" lines instead of reduced "barrier" lines? Does this just give more clearance or also higher pressure?
vintage air calls their new lines reduced barrier as the outer wall is reduced in diameter but the inner diameter is unchanged. This makes the lines more flexible and take up less space. They require fittings to match and different crimp dies. Here is a pic of the 2 lines over the 2 heater hoses. They are smaller than the heater hose. These lines can be grouped together even closer by rearranging the routing to the 4-hole plate.
While it's a little tight around the distributor I can still service it and no problem with the valve covers.
My heater control valve did not have a long cable and I mounted it high up in the fender so I had to make an extension to it.
Here is the firewall. I worried about road hazards but thinking about it I figured the AC hoses are tough and belted and if it's damaged I can repair it. How ever a damaged heater hose would suck but if I catch it before over heating I would just splice the in and out together.
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Mock up for the day:
We decided to try routing the lines from the firewall mounted manifold to the fender apron.
The fittings I have make a 45 degree bend.
A 90 degree bend is great in theory but that would put the fender apron fittings in a bad spot.
The screwdriver points to a structural piece that connects the apron to the firewall. You don’t want to disturb that. 90 degree fittings would require cutting through a spot welded lap joint.
The 45 degree fittings allow a somewhat diagonal path forward of the structural part.
I had sections of heater hose to use for this mock up. I often need to “see it” to make sense of an idea.
Seems okay.
It is a bit busy right there. All of the fittings need to be 45 degrees to make this work. I used a #8 fitting here ….
….instead of a proper #10 because despite spending hundreds of dollars for hoses, hardware, fittings and lines, I need a 45 degree #10 fitting like the one on the right here:
So, it fits. How is the tire clearance?
We decided to try routing the lines from the firewall mounted manifold to the fender apron.
The fittings I have make a 45 degree bend.
A 90 degree bend is great in theory but that would put the fender apron fittings in a bad spot.
The screwdriver points to a structural piece that connects the apron to the firewall. You don’t want to disturb that. 90 degree fittings would require cutting through a spot welded lap joint.
The 45 degree fittings allow a somewhat diagonal path forward of the structural part.
I had sections of heater hose to use for this mock up. I often need to “see it” to make sense of an idea.
Seems okay.
It is a bit busy right there. All of the fittings need to be 45 degrees to make this work. I used a #8 fitting here ….
….instead of a proper #10 because despite spending hundreds of dollars for hoses, hardware, fittings and lines, I need a 45 degree #10 fitting like the one on the right here:
So, it fits. How is the tire clearance?
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Hmmmm …tire and wheel at full droop? Fine.
Now with the car off Jack stands.
This is the insect perspective.
It looks like it would take a “Bo Duke” jump and landing for the tire to touch these lines.
Now with the car off Jack stands.
This is the insect perspective.
It looks like it would take a “Bo Duke” jump and landing for the tire to touch these lines.
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For the curious ones.....The horn is mounted to the back side of the core support but is down low.
That is fine. It is not in the way at the moment.
Engine side mock up.
Just my opinion but I’d prefer the heater hoses to lay as close to the stock location as possible.
The stock type gray bracket on the apron can stay to support the hoses. To do this, the A/C lines would run underneath them coming through the apron. I currently have it mocked up opposite of that:
Rearranging them shouldn't be a problem.
"Shouldn't be a problem".....That is often a stupid assumption that blows up in my face, but….
I’d just need to swap the upper and lower right fittings here. ^^^^
As far as the connections inside, the A/C lines and heater hoses won’t care, top two for the A/C or bottom two and the fitment is fine.
At this point, I think I’d need a 45 degree #10 fitting shaped like the one on the right:
… but with a Schraeder valve on the opposite of this:
Why?
The valve is on the bottom.
Also, the 90 degree angle of that fitting puts the #10 hose pointing toward the radiator. A 45 here will allow the suction line a better path over the upper radiator hose and A/C belts and then toward the right fender apron.
That is fine. It is not in the way at the moment.
Engine side mock up.
Just my opinion but I’d prefer the heater hoses to lay as close to the stock location as possible.
The stock type gray bracket on the apron can stay to support the hoses. To do this, the A/C lines would run underneath them coming through the apron. I currently have it mocked up opposite of that:
Rearranging them shouldn't be a problem.
"Shouldn't be a problem".....That is often a stupid assumption that blows up in my face, but….
I’d just need to swap the upper and lower right fittings here. ^^^^
As far as the connections inside, the A/C lines and heater hoses won’t care, top two for the A/C or bottom two and the fitment is fine.
At this point, I think I’d need a 45 degree #10 fitting shaped like the one on the right:
… but with a Schraeder valve on the opposite of this:
Why?
The valve is on the bottom.
Also, the 90 degree angle of that fitting puts the #10 hose pointing toward the radiator. A 45 here will allow the suction line a better path over the upper radiator hose and A/C belts and then toward the right fender apron.
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You don't want the low side chare port on the compressor.... I know people have done it and usually get away with it.... But when charging sometimes you get liquid refrigerant coming through the gauge... If that happens the compressor tried to compress liquid... By moving the charge port back near the firewall the refrigerant expands as it enters the larger hose.. As it expands it changes state from liquid to vapor preventing damage to the compressor..
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Thank you. I can put it right off the fender apron then...right where it enters the engine bay. I could actually use that fitting since it would work flipped the other way.
I'm diggin' this approach. Run with it!
Don't forget to feed the dogs...
Awesome photos by the way. Very helpful, thanks.
Don't forget to feed the dogs...
Awesome photos by the way. Very helpful, thanks.
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Thank you.
I love these projects, I love reporting on them too.
I love these projects, I love reporting on them too.
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Every move here costs money.
I had to get that out…I’m enjoying the brainstorming but constantly chasing down different options and alternative routes always includes buying parts needed to make that happen.
I do think this latest hose route is the best but of course, it means much of what was bought for the other routes is now lost money.
The pre-bent hard lines going through the alignment hole cost around $130 including shipping. Since I’ve handled and tried them, they probably can’t be returned and even if they are, I’d have to spend $27 to ship them to get a $100 refund. Yeah… spend over $150 to net half of that back. Not good economics!
The latest hose routing means I have to get the lines through the fender apron somehow. I have these 90 degree individual fittings for #s 6 and 10 lines.
I can’t use them because #10 needs an inline Schraeder valve like on this fitting:
Okay… to use these elbow fittings at the apron:
I had to buy this 2 port bulkhead:
I’m glad they had it but…
I had to get that out…I’m enjoying the brainstorming but constantly chasing down different options and alternative routes always includes buying parts needed to make that happen.
I do think this latest hose route is the best but of course, it means much of what was bought for the other routes is now lost money.
The pre-bent hard lines going through the alignment hole cost around $130 including shipping. Since I’ve handled and tried them, they probably can’t be returned and even if they are, I’d have to spend $27 to ship them to get a $100 refund. Yeah… spend over $150 to net half of that back. Not good economics!
The latest hose routing means I have to get the lines through the fender apron somehow. I have these 90 degree individual fittings for #s 6 and 10 lines.
I can’t use them because #10 needs an inline Schraeder valve like on this fitting:
Okay… to use these elbow fittings at the apron:
I had to buy this 2 port bulkhead:
I’m glad they had it but…
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…… The heater hoses have to get through the apron too. They also need a 90 degree turn once they pass through the apron so that means 90 degree fittings and this:
These two are “spoken for” on the interior side.
I have ONE spare, the one on the left.
I’d need to buy another of the ones on the right.
Then…. The bulkhead for the hoses has a threaded section that sticks out so far…
….that it crowds the lines in the wheel well.
Nobody seems to make shorter versions of these:
I need two fittings about half this length, right about where the other one broke when I tried to shape it.
At what point would simple grommets be okay to use for heater hoses that pass through a firewall or apron?
I’d love to use them on the firewall where the bulkhead manifold is.
I’d put grommets in the top two holes and run the heater hoses through here. The bottom two ports would be used for the A/C lines so no open holes would be left.
It would look sort of like this for the heater hoses.
I am confident that grommets at the firewall would be fine for the heater hoses. It would save the cost of buying MORE fittings and dealing with crowded spaces.
I’d like your opinions on the use of grommets versus bulkheads.
These two are “spoken for” on the interior side.
I have ONE spare, the one on the left.
I’d need to buy another of the ones on the right.
Then…. The bulkhead for the hoses has a threaded section that sticks out so far…
….that it crowds the lines in the wheel well.
Nobody seems to make shorter versions of these:
I need two fittings about half this length, right about where the other one broke when I tried to shape it.
At what point would simple grommets be okay to use for heater hoses that pass through a firewall or apron?
I’d love to use them on the firewall where the bulkhead manifold is.
I’d put grommets in the top two holes and run the heater hoses through here. The bottom two ports would be used for the A/C lines so no open holes would be left.
It would look sort of like this for the heater hoses.
I am confident that grommets at the firewall would be fine for the heater hoses. It would save the cost of buying MORE fittings and dealing with crowded spaces.
I’d like your opinions on the use of grommets versus bulkheads.
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Typical of me…. I speak (or in this case, write) then another idea pops into my head that changes things.
It looks like firewall grommets are not bad….
In their own instructions, VA shows this…
Waddaya say, Dwayne?
It looks like firewall grommets are not bad….
In their own instructions, VA shows this…
Waddaya say, Dwayne?
Are those heater hose fittings o-ring fittings like the a/c lines. If so they are overkill for heater hoses under a small amount of pressure. If it were me I would use grommets and send all of those heater hose fittings back. A good fitting grommet and some black silicone sealer on the grommets and hoses and everything will be water tight. Just my .02.
grommets through firewall - yes, agreed
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