rear A/C lines for 1978 Suburban K20

New to the forum. Medical professional by day, Machinist/fabricator/gear head by Garage. Have a T120 R triumph chopper and 02 HD FXDWG. Riding season begins next month. Restoring a 1978 Chevy Suburban K20. Its gonna be 200 degrees here in AZ soon and I need to replace the long lines to the back of the rig. Has anyone does this before? Can u give pointers on what to expect ie is getting them out terribly difficult? I've hit up the usual truck companies for parts...LMC, The chrome guy, Brothers. Not all have info or parts for the Burban. Help...

Haven't replaced lines on that vehicle but have many times on later models. To make a long story short it's a PITA. There are approved methods to repair lines of that is an option.

I'm making new ones for my burb. I salvaged a rear ac unit from an old burb I had, but the long lines were shot.

I’m thinking maybe running hoses instead of hard lines. Some hard lines are installed before other major components.

Loren said:

I’m thinking maybe running hoses instead of hard lines. Some hard lines are installed before other major components.

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This is what i did to my v2500, I removed the metal lines and measured lengths and had them made locally.
Not the cheapest way but has been working great for a few years now

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If you find an experienced shop, making A/C hoses is a quick job, although more expensive now because barrier hose prices have gone up quite a bit. I’m not sure how aluminum tubing would compare in price.

When I installed new A/C on my K25 I used a Sanden compressor and an aftermarket parallel flow condenser, so the old hoses had all the wrong fittings (1975 vintage vs newer metric). I took the truck to a shop where the guy made all the hoses as he went along and I trial fit them in place. He had a big stock of fittings and hose sizes, and for one adapter he even brazed two fittings together to get it to work.

The only special tool used was the hose crimper, and I think it’s the same type you use for hydraulic hoses. Fittings might be the hard part if you don’t have a local supplier. Paying for shipping on small parts really adds up if you have to mail order.