Vintage Air installation in a 1968 Satellite

[Kern Dog]

Before this is all done, I may consider making some type of shield to cover and protect these lines.

I know by the condition of this car that Dwayne doesn’t scram down gravel roads but sometimes we accidentally run over some crud in the road that we cannot avoid. I may fab up some light sheet metal guard to avoid trouble later.

 

[Cheapsunglasses]

If you made some kind of extension off this brace, i would think it wouldn’t just protect the hoses, but it could add some strength to the chassis

 

[Kern Dog]

Where the hoses pass through the firewall, it is just unsupported sheet metal.
I get the idea though. US car tool does make reinforcements for the area right above this.
Dwayne didn’t quite like the route of the#8 discharge line from the compressor to the left fender.

That picture isn’t exactly how I had it. I routed forward of the valve cover, not over it.
Regardless…
I reshaped the 180 fitting at the compressor end and added a longer hose section.

Will it crowd out the battery?

No, it fits but….

Im not sure I’d want it in direct contact. He does have a sleeve around the battery but I might cut the hose back some. The battery is slid all the way forward toward the core support.

The #8 hard line fits and clears. This line is from Classic Auto Air.

This looks good to me. The #8 hose sits slightly below the top of the valve cover.

What do you think?

 

[Cheapsunglasses]

The U.S car tool reinforcement is where I got the idea

 

[68 Sport Satellite]

If you made some kind of extension off this brace, i would think it wouldn’t just protect the hoses, but it could add some strength to the chassis

View attachment 1619157

as long as it doesn't end up rattling and making any noise!

 

[68 Sport Satellite]

Where the hoses pass through the firewall, it is just unsupported sheet metal.
I get the idea though. US car tool does make reinforcements for the area right above this.
Dwayne didn’t quite like the route of the#8 discharge line from the compressor to the left fender.

View attachment 1619164
That picture isn’t exactly how I had it. I routed forward of the valve cover, not over it.
Regardless…
I reshaped the 180 fitting at the compressor end and added a longer hose section.

View attachment 1619165

Will it crowd out the battery?

View attachment 1619166

No, it fits but….

View attachment 1619167

Im not sure I’d want it in direct contact. He does have a sleeve around the battery but I might cut the hose back some. The battery is slid all the way forward toward the core support.

View attachment 1619168

The #8 hard line fits and clears. This line is from Classic Auto Air.

View attachment 1619169

This looks good to me. The #8 hose sits slightly below the top of the valve cover.

View attachment 1619170

What do you think?

I like it on the driver side, thanks for the photos. Only thing I would maybe consider is lengthen the hose just slightly longer still so it doesn't press up against the battery, but rather loosely rests against it. Watch out for header contact of course. Any way to place a little metal hold clamp off the battery tray that sticks up like the factory one on the passenger apron?

 

[68 Sport Satellite]

With routing and fitment close to being all figured out, I could actually start crimping some fittings.
This brings up a point to mention.
Each crimp means that fitting is done.
If you later decide to shorten or lengthen the hose, that crimped fitting is not reusable. You have to get it right or just live with what you did.
With that in mind, I’ve looked at the #10 suction line that runs from the right apron to the compressor. This still needs the elbow fitting at the apron, the one I ordered that has the port/valve in the right spot:

View attachment 1619115

It is ran long since it is easier to cut down than to lengthen it.
See how the hose rests against the fan shroud in the curve? I’m wonder if that is good or bad. I could shorten it to be like this:

View attachment 1619116

It will get an Adel clamp at the apron.

View attachment 1619117

My thoughts are that the curved section between the compressor and the clamp could flex a bit but it looks to be in no danger of touching the belts or fan. I’ll let Dwayne decide.
The #10 line in the wheel well…
Before, the fitting at the firewall had too much angle to it. I shaped it a bit.
New fitting to the left, reshaped one to the right:

View attachment 1619122

It doesn’t seem like much but look at how straight the line looks now. The first picture is the first series of mock-ups. The second picture I just took moments ago.

View attachment 1619125
View attachment 1619127

These can now be crimped and reinstalled.

on the passenger side here, any way we can use a different angle fitting off the compressor that allows placement of this hose in question over the top of the radiator hose and resting on top of the two heater hoses? That seems it would look cleaner and then maybe the hoses could even be clamped together like spark plug wire looms?

 

[Kern Dog]

I like it on the driver side, thanks for the photos. Only thing I would maybe consider is lengthen the hose just slightly longer still so it doesn't press up against the battery, but rather loosely rests against it. Watch out for header contact of course. Any way to place a little metal hold clamp off the battery tray that sticks up like the factory one on the passenger apron?

If the hose were longer, it would press harder on the corner of the battery. If it were a little shorter, it would be away from the battery a bit. There is no place to put any type of retaining strap.
Here is my car and with no battery there, you can see from the compressor to the apron, there isn't anything in between.

 

[Kern Dog]

on the passenger side here, any way we can use a different angle fitting off the compressor that allows placement of this hose in question over the top of the radiator hose and resting on top of the two heater hoses? That seems it would look cleaner and then maybe the hoses could even be clamped together like spark plug wire looms?

Do you mean sort of like this?

That may be possible but with it, I see two possible problems.
First, that path is very crowded. There is the distributor, the cap and wires, the vacuum can and the fuel line all right there. Access to any of those things would be far more difficult with the thick, somewhat inflexible hose laying there.
Secondly, you see the sweeping curve I have shaped the hose. It probably can make tighter bends but I prefer a bit of slack to allow for engine movement as it runs. Routing the hose behind the radiator hose, (close to the distributor) makes for a tighter turn at the fender apron. I don't know if I can mount an Adel clamp on this area:

That is thin body sheet metal over heavier stamped steel for the upper control arm.

I can mock it up and see. That costs nothing to try.

 

[68 Sport Satellite]

If the hose were longer, it would press harder on the corner of the battery. If it were a little shorter, it would be away from the battery a bit. There is no place to put any type of retaining strap.
Here is my car and with no battery there, you can see from the compressor to the apron, there isn't anything in between.

View attachment 1619266

ok, thanks for that photo. Proceed as you are then
By the way, thanks very much for chasing down that short rigid line on that side from Classic Auto Air. I think it looks great.

 

[mopar jack]

I'm sure you know to index the fittings. A felt tip marker worked for me.

 

[68 Sport Satellite]

Ok, then let's go with your original 2nd option here. Can you by chance get a side view photo of this to show vertical clearance between the hose and belts? I think with the adel clamp it won't interfere, correct?

 

[mopar jack]

I think you can gain some room if you shorten the radiator hose at the radiator, it looks like a little long.

 

[Kern Dog]

As much of a stubborn resister of modern tech as I can be, I am SOLD on the convenience of the phone with a camera in it. This has allowed me to compile the thousands of pictures I have on file. I have to offload them to an external hard drive each time I get close to the limits of the computer's storage.
Yes, I can snap a shot from a lower angle to show the clearance. The Adel clamp will be screwed to the fender apron using a hole that was already there.
One of my goals here was to be real careful about drilling holes. They had to be in the right spot, had to be the right size and if possible, use existing holes for this project.

 

[mopar jack]

My upper radiator hose has a dog leg that gives me more clearance.

 

[Kern Dog]

I think you can gain some room if you shorten the radiator hose at the radiator, it looks like a little long.

It is. It looks like most hoses where they are made a bit longer than needed and can be cut down to fit. The hose on my Charger is shorter and has a slightly different shape.

 

[Chargerjase]

For reference, this is close to the stock setup in my 70 Coronet. The difference being that the heater hoses are slightly long and I havent trimmed them back yet. I know its a different compressor, but just eluding to the fact that the hoses are a bit more clustered together. I can access the distributor no problem, but I freely admit it is a bit conjested.
On another note, I enjoy watching you document the process of the projects you undertake KD. I hope to do some of the same when I am settled back into my own place.

 

[Kern Dog]

On another note, I enjoy watching you document the process of the projects you undertake KD. I hope to do some of the same when I am settled back into my own place.

Thank you for the picture.
Also, thank you for your other comments. I really do enjoy the "sharing" process of these projects on these forums.
I try to emphasize that I'm not an expert and that I'm often learning as I go with some of this.

 

[Kern Dog]

I repositioned the line…

Better angle. You can see it is well clear of the shroud now.

Plenty of clearance from the belts.

With the clamp on the apron, the hose feels pretty stiff. It will soften up a bit with under hood heat but it should be fine.
To route the line behind the upper radiator hose, I’d need a fitting with less of an angle. I’ll look and see if I have a straight #10 fitting to try.

 

[Kern Dog]

At a glance, the #10 hose behind the radiator hose looks fine.

Look closer.

The hose does lay over the front of the distributor cap.

It leaves no place to attach the clamp to the apron. It has a 1 inch gap.

The radiator hose could be shortened at the radiator end.

… but this is a situation that creates future obstacles for what seems like no real gain.