Doing your own crimping of A/C lines

[56hotrodred]

I have mocked up my Vintage Air heater/air conditioner and am now waiting on delivery of my fan shroud with dual 12 inch fans and also bought the extended length air drier kit.

I have also mounted the triangular firewall bulkhead connector. I choose the location I did after looking at as many pictures of what others have done and reading about what others have done.

Currently looking at the idea of crimping my own refrigerant cooling and heater hoses.

My question is:

Has anyone used the Vintage Air Refrigerant Cooling Crimping Tool?

I know it's about $250.00! So I was also wondering if there are any other crimping tools out there that might be a better deal.

By the way I did buy the Eastwood flaring tool and am more than happy with the results. I had previously bought the complete SS brake line kit from LMC and with my shortened frame I had to cut out about 2 1/2 inches. I practised twice on the other end of the piece I cut out and then flared the end I needed.

It was actually a double flared 37 degree flare. I did a bunch of research on this beforehand and in more places than I can remember they said that 37 degree stainless required only a single flare! But after looking closely it was clear that it was SS. Anyway after also reading about how hard it was to double flare SS the Eastwood flaring tool did a great job. It was also not cheap but I feel pretty confident that I can now flare for most jobs.

We will see however if it leaks down the road but a close visual inspection of the factory flare and mine, with my best glasses on, ... it looked really good.

[OrrieG]

A friend loaned me his Master Cool one. I had never used one and was pleased at how easy it went. I got the hose locally and fittings from a place off ebay. Overall did not save any money over ordering lines from VA, but wanted to route the lines differently to fit my custom install. Not an endorsement of the company below, just one that popped up during the search.

https://www.tooltopia.com/mastercool...AaAqBIEALw_wcB

[mr48chev]

I've got the Eastwood flair tool but don't have the 37 degree dies as of yet. I do have a friend who is a Parker hose dealer who can do special hoses or ends for me pretty reasonable so that is how I will go at it. I can justify the cost of the tool an 45 degree dies as I have a lot of brake and fuel line work to do but haven't put the aircraft style fittings on anything I have ever had as of yet.

[56hotrodred]

Just looked at the VA web site and the same tool is about $60.00 cheaper than Summit's and after checking out Orie's suggestion on their website it is listed at $138.00. They all look like exactly the same tool!

[Advanced Design]

I have the Mastercool crimper that Orie referenced and I've been pleased with how it works.

[1project2many]

We do a lot of A/C hose and line replacement on our buses. Most of those systems are built in the bus when the chassis is new and replacement always involves something custom. Although the job is not difficult we have not bought a crimping tool as our parts supplier has one they are willing to loan us. The tool is worth about $500 so if you can find one for $250 it may be a good deal.

[56hotrodred]

Originally Posted by 1project2many

We do a lot of A/C hose and line replacement on our buses. Most of those systems are built in the bus when the chassis is new and replacement always involves something custom. Although the job is not difficult we have not bought a crimping tool as our parts supplier has one they are willing to loan us. The tool is worth about $500 so if you can find one for $250 it may be a good deal.

Hey 1project2many I was through your neck of the woods this past summer. Did a road trip to Newfoundland to visit my daughter and her husband and drove back through Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and then to DC and west back home.

I really liked the NE states and all the old farms and small old towns.

Beautiful countryside you have out there.

[dwcsr]

you can use this crimper on any bubble flare like shop hoses.

[_Ogre]

$250 for a one time use tool is crazy

i used my local napa to crimp my va hoses
install hoses and clock all the fittings correctly
mark the hose and fitting with a sharpie in case the move which is not likely
removed and take to napa

worked fine for the last 7 years

[56hotrodred]

The NAPA store up here says they will not do any hoses. They used to but not any more. Apparently someone at a NAPA store here in the province had one blow and got sued. Being way out in the country it's a full day trip to the city to get someone else to do it!

The $250.00 price tag was a little steep for me also but Tooltopia has them for about $135.00. That I can handle!

[_Ogre]

freaking lawyers will be the death of free will and democracy
sorry if i offended any slimeball lawyers who are members here

[washington blue]

I took my hoses to a local AC shop and got their ends and went home and put everything together, marked positions with a sharpie, then went back and had the shop crimp everything. Cost about 200 bucks.

[e015475]

I don't know if this would be a good solution for you, but the local VA distributor here sells something called an E-Z clip fitting for their AC systems that does not require a crimping tool.

They say it is a bit more spendy than the crimped fittings, but you can do them yourself at home. I think Vintage Air even lists them in their catalog.

Here's a link.....

http://www.eaton.com/Eaton/ProductsS...clip/index.htm

[HUSSEY]

I think the Eaton E-Z clip is a good way to go. Don't buy them from Vintage Air though, other on-line sellers sell them at a fraction of the cost.

[1project2many]

Originally Posted by 56hotrodred

Hey 1project2many I was through your neck of the woods this past summer. Did a road trip to Newfoundland to visit my daughter and her husband and drove back through Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and then to DC and west back home.

I really liked the NE states and all the old farms and small old towns.

Beautiful countryside you have out there.

Thank you. It's a very different world compared to the large distances in the west and northwest. Folks who have never been out of New
England find it hard to grasp the idea of a 200 mile trip being a short drive.

FWIW the Easy Clip does seem like a good idea but be sure to do your research on correct hose size first. Some of these fittings are designed for manufacturer's hose only.