Custom Metal AC Lines?

[dr_frankenstein]

Ive looked far and wide both here on the board and on the interweb and i cannot find a defined answer, So im calling on AC experts here to gimme some insight and a hand.

I need custom AC lines for my application because I have a remote condensor. So my lines will be in total over 9 feet long.

to me this doesnt sound like a good idea to have a ton of barrier hose running underneith my vehicle where its exposed to more elements and the road then normal. So I wanted to plumb these lines in Aluminum or Steel. I will be brazing/welding the needed ends to connect the lines to the short sections of barrier hose with the proper O-ring fittings.

And this is where the question is.

What kind of aluminum/steel line is needed?
Can AN fittings be used?
Can Compression fittings be used?
What size should my lines be to and from the condensor?
Does it matter where the dryer is located? (low, high, close to compressor etc etc )

Thanks All
A.j.

 

[jopaustu]

If you have a local hydraulics shop,they may be able to fabricate lines whether they ar steel or aluminum. Maybe even fittings to mate your components. Line sizes would be determined by the capacity of you compressor and the length of your runs (9')..oil flow can be an issue with long runs.drier would go pre metering device. A receiver tank and a sightglass would be needed for the closest accurate charge on the system (imho).where you putting your condenser? Hanging off the rear bumper? They do these type kits often on large vans and boats and others.. but a car???

 

[dr_frankenstein]

If you have a local hydraulics shop,they may be able to fabricate lines whether they ar steel or aluminum. Maybe even fittings to mate your components. Line sizes would be determined by the capacity of you compressor and the length of your runs (9')..oil flow can be an issue with long runs.drier would go pre metering device. A receiver tank and a sightglass would be needed for the closest accurate charge on the system (imho).where you putting your condenser? Hanging off the rear bumper? They do these type kits often on large vans and boats and others.. but a car???

Thank you for the Info,

yes I know it sounds crazy, but let me fill you in on why.

In my vehicle, im limited to a 17x17 radiator... with a custom aftermarket radiator and a healthy turbo buick, keeping the car cool in 110* weather and climbing a 5000' mountain pass is difficult at best. Just barely enough radiator to keep the engine in respectable temp limits.

So my Radiator builder told me I shouldnt push my luck with having the condensor out front, and pointed me to an aftermarket Street Rod company. I guess fitting condensors in the front of pre-ww2 bodys is just as difficult. From this company, i got a remote condensor with fan, all the instructions said in this package was "mount at 15* or more" The location i choose for this condensor, was on the drivers side in front of the rear axle where gas tank used to be located. (vehicle is a pickup and has fuel cell located in spare tire well under bed.)

Cool, seems easy enough to me. However, now I need to run the lines, along the frame and to the compressor/dryer which is loacted on the Pass side of the engine. This is where that 9' line length comes into play. And where my questions began! lol

I called a bunch of AC shops and they all kinda shrugged and said the location and condensor would be fine, but nobody had any definate data or info on the metal lines themselfs. Many told me not to be scared and just run the barrier hose. That its "Tuff-Stuff' and it should be fine as long as its not exposed to moving parts of excessive heat. 18' of 8 and 10 barrier hose sound tacky to me.

Apprently most just buy pre-made lines and connect them all together. but at lengths of only 6' each, sounds like more connections to fail.

Thia is where im stuck.... I see that aero-quip makes an AC approved line, which looks to be the route i will end up going if a hard line cannot be easily utilized.

can you please tell me more about the reciever tank and dryer with sight glass?

Thank you again for replying...... this was a hard question that stumped many... this is not a common thing to do I guess?

A.j.

 

[Blazer406]

That is tiny for a radiator. Have you considered one of the two pass radiators like the cup cars use?

 

[dr_frankenstein]

That is tiny for a radiator. Have you considered one of the two pass radiators like the cup cars use?

Thats exactly what I just upgraded to, but I havent tested it yet to see if its made that much of a difference. My builder still advised me even with this new rad to keep a condensor away from it. my last was a custom 4 core aluminum unit from Griffen and it was just barely handling the heat.... I couldnt idle in heavy traffic for very long..... 12 electric fan, 160* thermostat....

Only way I could keep it cool enough to use for the street (heavy traffic) was to use a 4 blade mechanical Stock car fan..... but the power it consumed was just rediculous. Trying to spool anything with that huge fan was stupid. made it feel like i had a T70 on a stock engine.