1970s A6 Compressor Fittings / hose connectors

[_Cap_]

Im trying to adapt these 1970 a6 compressor hose fittings to my 75 eldo. Since my eldo has both hoses share the same piece witch makes it impossible to crip with the tools I have. However I'm unsure what's the best way to take the old hoses off, because it has the crip sleeve be apart of the rest of the line.

For anyone who has worked on these types of connects, how would I take the old hoses off, and if I do, can I put a crip sleeve on and it hold or would I need new fittings entirely?

[Big Fins]

75/76 are entirely different. Both leads go straight to the right side of the engine bay. Unless you have the machine to do the proper crimp, remembering the high side gets up to 400+ psi when sitting and idling. It would not be good to waste all that money on refrigerant and labor on the first blow up and cool sequence.

I had mine done. I'll be using the car early tomorrow morning. (Sunday) I'll grab a pic if you want me to. I'm using a Pro6Ten compressor made for R134-a, the VIR bypass and a parallel flow condenser. The compressor is essentially the same as an A-6.

[TJ Hopland]

Sine I assume you are not going for original have you looked at going with the more universal Sanden style compressor?  If you really don't have much or anything that is good under the hood now it may be cheaper and easier just to go with newer stuff.  I didn't really have anything under the hood when I decided to do mine.  I bought everything including custom made hoses for what just a A6 compressor would have cost me at the time. 

I don't seem to have the performance issues others complain about with 134 and I assume that is because none of the stuff under the hood is stock so maybe its a better match for the 134 than when you use most or all of the original stuff.  I have not shopped for any of this stuff in several years so maybe things have changed price wise?   I think when I did mine the genuine Sanden was like $230 and knockoffs could be had for around $100.  An A6 was like $800 at the time and had really mixed reviews on the quality from most of the vendors.

And as others kinda said or maybe you have noticed Cadillac/GM had a kinda unique system (known as VIR) from mid 73 to 76 so the layout and some components are unique to those years. 77-80ish was a little wacky because they changed the design but still used the A6 which apparently didn't really like cycling.  The R4 came out in the later 70's and was on most things through the mid 90's.  I think what killed the R4 was 134a. 

The other thing you should do before you get too deep into buying AC parts is make darn sure your control system is working properly and since this is a daily driver keep testing/checking it over an extended period of time.  Mine never really got used and when I tested it it seemed to work but as soon as I got the AC going and it suddenly had to do stuff every time I drove it kinda decided it was done and quit. Once you understand it its not all that complicated but just cuz you understand it doesn't make it any cheaper to repair if its got bad parts. 

In testing I did discover if you connect a hand vacuum pump in the right spot I can manually control the system and since I mostly still drive with the windows open and top down that's how its been running for several years.       

[_Cap_]

75/76 are entirely different. Both leads go straight to the right side of the engine bay. Unless you have the machine to do the proper crimp, remembering the high side gets up to 400+ psi when sitting and idling. It would not be good to waste all that money on refrigerant and labor on the first blow up and cool sequence.

I had mine done. I'll be using the car early tomorrow morning. (Sunday) I'll grab a pic if you want me to. I'm using a Pro6Ten compressor made for R134-a, the VIR bypass and a parallel flow condenser. The compressor is essentially the same as an A-6.

Please, a picture would be great.
On the 70 all of the lines went to the right as well, it just had 2 separate connectors instead of the one and sued a back plate to hold them in. From the way it looks, it seems it can just bolt on, I would just need to change the lines because they are very old. I got some crips made for ac systems, screw down though not hydraulic.

And yeah im still using an A6, I genuinely didn't know there was a better option, this ac system has already burned through a new compressor, and im on my second, but that was because of a load of issues.

What is the main difference in the A6 and the new option? Because I was thinking once I do my engine swap, ill implement an electric compressor to avoid taking power from the engine and make a panel to bolt it inside the fender.

[_Cap_]

Sine I assume you are not going for original have you looked at going with the more universal Sanden style compressor?  If you really don't have much or anything that is good under the hood now it may be cheaper and easier just to go with newer stuff.  I didn't really have anything under the hood when I decided to do mine.  I bought everything including custom made hoses for what just a A6 compressor would have cost me at the time. 

I don't seem to have the performance issues others complain about with 134 and I assume that is because none of the stuff under the hood is stock so maybe its a better match for the 134 than when you use most or all of the original stuff.  I have not shopped for any of this stuff in several years so maybe things have changed price wise?   I think when I did mine the genuine Sanden was like $230 and knockoffs could be had for around $100.  An A6 was like $800 at the time and had really mixed reviews on the quality from most of the vendors.

And as others kinda said or maybe you have noticed Cadillac/GM had a kinda unique system (known as VIR) from mid 73 to 76 so the layout and some components are unique to those years. 77-80ish was a little wacky because they changed the design but still used the A6 which apparently didn't really like cycling.  The R4 came out in the later 70's and was on most things through the mid 90's.  I think what killed the R4 was 134a. 

The other thing you should do before you get too deep into buying AC parts is make darn sure your control system is working properly and since this is a daily driver keep testing/checking it over an extended period of time.  Mine never really got used and when I tested it it seemed to work but as soon as I got the AC going and it suddenly had to do stuff every time I drove it kinda decided it was done and quit. Once you understand it its not all that complicated but just cuz you understand it doesn't make it any cheaper to repair if its got bad parts. 

In testing I did discover if you connect a hand vacuum pump in the right spot I can manually control the system and since I mostly still drive with the windows open and top down that's how its been running for several years.       

My A6 compressor is new, got it from NAPA for about 300 i believe. About the price of any other compressor, so that's why I haven't really changed over, and I dont really know much about other replacement options. Until I redo my whole engine bay I am just keeping everything stock for now

The compress runs fine, I had a leak in another hose because it wasn't crimped properly, however I noticed my connection lines to the compressor were pretty badly attached, so instead of wasting a bunch of freon and money, figured id just replace them with new hoses. But because of how they designed it I cant re-crimp my old set, so I need to find a way to make these 70' ones work, or find a selling of those connectors without the hose.

[TJ Hopland]

Do you know anyone that can weld or braze or what ever the process is called those lines?  If so I would think they could just attach new universal barbed ends to those fittings.   I have had stuff repaired like that before when there has been a crack or other damage near a fitting.

[Big Fins]

Morgan, sorry about the no pic of the A/C hoses. We partied a little too hard Saturday night, so I never even got out Sunday morning with the Cadillac. But I'll get it for you.

A half million pictures files and none of the rear of the compressor. I took a dozen of them when fitting the Pro6ten compressor, but they were all of the brackets and spacers.

[Big Fins]

PM sent!

[_Cap_]

Do you know anyone that can weld or braze or what ever the process is called those lines?  If so I would think they could just attach new universal barbed ends to those fittings.   I have had stuff repaired like that before when there has been a crack or other damage near a fitting.

I might. Would be a minute till I can get contact with him again. I'm sure someone in town can do it, but no shops can, so finding the people who can is a long of asking around. Chances are a shop in the town over can do it, but I need to head over there and check

[Big Fins]

Someone knows someone in those smaller towns that can get the job done. Chances are it will be an 'ole timer' who can do the job professionally like art work.

[TJ Hopland]

The place I had it done I would not call it art, maybe abstract art, but it was fast and did the job.