Tips on Disconnecting Lines and Hose's

Hello Once Again,

Today I come Before you all seeking Tips and Insight on what the Correct method/way would be to Disconnect Various Hose's and Lines Through the Engine Compartment Area, without damaging anything or Part.

I'm working on Removing the Engine from my 1970 Superior Pontiac Hi-Top Ambulance, As I would Feel alot better if I had the Engine gone completely through (A Peace of Mind type of thing) and had anything worn or in need of Replacement done at this time rather than later down the road.

I guess you could consider it an Engine Refreshening/Tune-Up

But there are quite a Few Hose's and Lines Spanning Across the Engine that will need to be Removed or Moved Temporarly, then later Re-Installed.
Most of Which Trace back to the AC and Air Compressor's

I guess what I'm getting at is what would be the Correct way to Remove/Move those lines/Hoses without damaging anything Related to them.

I had made a Start to do this, and thought to myself that I should talk to someone with some Backround in this type of thing before I go Removing/Replacing Lines....And thats where I'm at now.

I would like to replace some of the lines if at all possible as they appear to be pretty Aged, others, I think, I may just clean up and Re-Install if possible

Thanks in Advance for any Help and Insight You Can Offer me
-Ryan

I am not a fan of disconnecting air conditioning hoses, unless absolutely necessary. I would remove the air conditioning compressor from the engine and place it to the side of the engine compartment, leaving everything hooked up. New air conditioning hoses are not available, so you will need to work with what you have. Vacuum lines can be cut close to the source, and properly tagged to location. The factory service manual will give you the complete diagrams of these connections. Just don't cut anything unless absolutely necessary. Never cut electrical wires. Always trace them back to the source and unplug.

When in doubt, take detailed pictures before disconnecting anything.
John Dorgan

AC hoses

New AC hoses are in fact available and can be fabricated by most AC service facilities. Just had a set made for a 1959 Cadillac. Maybe not available from the dealer but certainly can be made, often using your original hardware.

tips on disconnects

You could also mark the lines, hoses and all with tape. Use numbers or letters on each side of the break. 1 to 1, A to A, etc. Remember, some lines will have gas, oil, trans fluid, freon, or anti freeze in them. Have plenty of rags handy. Pictures and notes are always a help. Make sure you are not leaking any of the fluids around a spark or flame. If the A/C is intact you may want to have it emptied at an A/C shop. Its an EPA thing.
Mike

Mike,

Thats Exactly what I was getting at...

As I'm sure some of the Lines have various Fluids in them, and for the most part I've tried to Trace each line back to a Starting point to have some sort of an Idea of just what may be in each line, and Marked Each Line.

And some of those things tend to Scare me a bit, as I've heard plenty of Horror Stories about things pertaining to them, (AC-Freeon) So I'm thinking if I do Disconnect some of the lines I need to leave it to someone who knows what there doing so I don't damage anything by Disconnecting any Lines, (Fittings, Loss of Fluids) Not Sure if Pressure would be an Issue since the Car has sat for such a long period of time

And I'm sure Availability for some of these things on these cars is Nearly Non-Exsistant anymore.

The AC lines are the only ones that will cause you any grief. They are aluminum fittings, and many times, they just don't want to come apart. Easy way to determine if the system has any pressure is to remove the cap that has the tire valve under it, and just give it a quick poke with a blunt object such as a pencil with the point broken off. Wear safety goggles and don't stick you face near the valve. If you get a rush of hissing, then the system has a charge in it. Leave it to an experienced AC technician to remove the freon and properly recycle it. Have him disconnect the lines if you feel that you must have everything off the car. If it were mine, and it had a full charge, then I wouldn't do anything more than to disconnect the AC compressor from the engine and set it to the side when the engine is being pulled. Why disturb what you don't have to???

Paul,

Thats Exactly How I feel, I don't want to Disturb or Disrupt anything that I don't have to.

I'm going to try and just "Jockey" the Lines Off to the Side without Disconnecting anything, and see how that goes........Kind've go at it with the "If it ain't Broke, Don't Fix it" type of Mind Set.

I Have my Doubts, but you don't know unless you try.