1993 Caprice V8 5.0 A/C Line - BIG mistake

[vintshave]

HELP!

I tried today to install a product: “Four Seasons 16152 Evaporator Core Repair Kit with White Orifice Tube” since the fitting was leaking. Due to a lack of clear installation instructions (an illustration would have been very helpful), I cut the steel AC line behind the dimpled area assuming that I was supposed to cut the thin line itself rather than the thicker segment into which the orifice tube fits (which is apparently where I was supposed to cut it). Needless to say, the compression fitting was way too large to compress around the smaller diameter tubing. The attached photo shows the segment that I cut out and removed from the car.

What’s done is done. My question is now where do I go from here? Clearly, the repair kit will not work on this line as it is now, as the diameter of the hose is too small. I need to get this thing fixed. How would you advise going about repairing it?

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!!

John

[jdmccright]

Too bad you didn't cut it further away from the necked-down section or you could have just bought a compression fitting for that diameter and then cut it correctly. Where you cut it, it looks like there's not enough space to do that and use the compression fitting the kit uses. Your options are:

-You could buy a replacement pipe/hose assy from a used parts yard. Easiest.

-You could also find a piece of piping with that OD and slip it over the existing pipe and braze it in place. Then MEASURE and recut. Not an option if it's aluminum piping.

-Find a shop that can weld it back together.