73 AC evaporator Tubes

pickman

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I need a conversion fittings to adapt the tube ends for my vacuum pump any ideas?
 

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m5bb

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Google is your friend. Search o-ring to flare adapters and then look at images. This may be the wrong way?

upload_2019-4-5_19-39-2.jpeg
 

Luis A.

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Not sure why you'd only want to perform a vacuum test at the connection points you show on the picture, meaning, the evaporator only. Plumb up the whole system and then do the pressure test, preferably with nitrogen up to the system's working pressure (which is as high as 3-400 PSI on the high pressure side) and then some. That will be a far better test than just the 14.7 PSI of a vacuum test. You do through the working ports that will be part of the system to fill it up.

There are threads upon threads of AC work on this forum, including the epic one by Rob, the Hack Mechanic, not to mention his book on the subject. Consider studying this area of your work thoroughly as wasting precious R12 by having leaks once you charge the system can get expensive and frustrating.
 

pickman

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Before I start putting my interior back together I want to make sure the Evaporator does not leak.I can still remove the evaporator now.
 

Luis A.

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Makes sense. However, aren't you pulling it out anyway to clean it (an amazing amount of gunky oil accumulates over the decades), install new expansion valve, etc.? Then test it using the old hoses cut and modified to take a schraeder valve or some other means of putting a couple hundred PSI into that bad boy to really test it? Like Stevehose shows in his also-epic AC install thread, dunk it in a bucket of water with real pressure applied, not just vacuum.
 

pickman

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Thanks for the feedback. This is a unique situation. I took the car apart 28 years ago and began a ground up restoration. At that time I refurbed the evaporator coil/blower/motor. I just installed the evaporator unit into he counsel and have the original tubes connected and thru the fire wall, have adapters for the male tube ends. I have a vacuum pump and manifold gauges so I thought it best to see if it holds a vacuum. Why did I wait so long--- three kids thru college -- spent 20 years working oversees --now I have the time and money but not the memory of how I took it apart, which is why all the feedback everyone provides is wonderful.

The other piece is the condenser coil should be replaced with a modern parallel flow, not sure what the optimum size is that will package in front of the radiator?

Thank you!
 

pickman

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There is a great deal of detail in all the posts and the write-up on the conversion. I am in the process, using the original tubes off the evaporator - they protrude thru the fire wall. For the connection to the evaporator under the dash do I use the copper washers? Or can I use O rings. I read in this string, copper washers from NAPA are these the ones I am looking for?

Please advise =- Great Write-up.
 

Stevehose

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for the evaporator you'll need copper washers because that's the type of fitting those tubes are. Try napa or ebay/amazon
 
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