custom ac lines

[SSlowBoat]

Not sure where to put this, so mods move please if you feel it goes better somewhere else.

Does anyone have experience with custom ac lines? As in making your own? the impalas have known issues with cutting/burning ac lines stock or with headers due to the tight confines of the frame/motor/control arm/exhaust. Stock lines lasted 5 mins, and I need to make new lines. Also we are gonna have to build lines for the nova.

What's recommended as far as the line itself? Mostly hose? Mostly aluminum tube? I feel as with my experience with pipefitting at work I could probably whip up a fairly tight well fitting set of aluminum lines, just wondering if there is any downside to this in automotive applications.

anyone crimp their own?

[Fastbird]

Needs to be more than fairly tight. High pressure sides of those can exceet 150 PSI plus experience pretty extreme temperature changes. You could probably find an A/C line shop in town somewhere that could make up the correctly built lines for pretty cheap for you.

[SSlowBoat]

I didn't mean fairly tight in a leak kinda way, I meant tight as in nice tight fitting bends and such. Local shop wanted $300+.....seems a little nuts when I could buy enough fittings for 2 cars and the crimp tool.

[Fastbird]

Woah. That's expensive.

[firebird_1995]

I just planned on running mine in copper like we normally would and covering both lines in a high temp insulation Shawn.

[SSlowBoat]

really? i didnt think that would be feasible since you would have to transition to aluminum at the fitting ends, and that is just a pita. although, with hard pipe, i could do them even tighter. short radius 90's ftw!

[Featherburner]

I've built line at my local NAPA. They used to have a catalog with all the hard ends like the metal in and out for the compressor with every variation of that piece that was available.

[firebird_1995]

really? i didnt think that would be feasible since you would have to transition to aluminum at the fitting ends, and that is just a pita. although, with hard pipe, i could do them even tighter. short radius 90's ftw!
Transition part is easy, just re drill and tap for npt to flare fittings. People are going to think we are hoosiers but dont know we work in hvac and have all the fittings to make it work on the truck. I was going to use soft copper on mine.
Now if the fittings and hoses at Napa are not an arm and a leg, I would consider that route instead

[SSlowBoat]

The Napa by me blows. Never open, don't have crap. I got some adapters that are 90 swivels to go right into the back of the compressor then to hose. One place said they could crimp whatever I need, so first try is gonna be this and rubber hose, if I can't get the clearance I need then things gonna get "custom" lol. Thanks chris