A/C & heater hose bulkheads

[bishes]

I saw some discussion of skipping the heater hose bulkheads to eliminate potential leak points, could the same be done for the A/C lines going through the footwell too?

[edwardb]

The heater hoses aren't a big deal IMO since they're barbed fittings. It's the A/C ones that are kind of a pain because of the very short hoses needed for the inside wall to the evaporator. They need to be nearly exact length for a proper installation. Having said that, and after installing all of them on my Coupe build, I'm a little unsure of they're advantage. If I were to do it again, probably wouldn't use any of the bulkhead fittings. Just pass the hoses through grommets and be done with it.

[PNWTim]

The heater hoses aren't a big deal IMO since they're barbed fittings. It's the A/C ones that are kind of a pain because of the very short hoses needed for the inside wall to the evaporator. They need to be nearly exact length for a proper installation. Having said that, and after installing all of them on my Coupe build, I'm a little unsure of they're advantage. If I were to do it again, probably wouldn't use any of the bulkhead fittings. Just pass the hoses through grommets and be done with it.

I am getting close to this portion of my build and came to the same conclusion. I see no advantage in creating four leak points when one can easily run the hoses directly to their termination points. I may switch to reduced barrier hose if I decide to go this route but either way, seems like a lot of work for no particular benefit.

[Skuzzy]

I think grommets on the header hose is a bad idea. Had a friend who did that in his Cobra. Was fine for a couple of years, then one drive the hose sprung a leak at the grommet causing very bad second degree burns on his Wife in the passenger seat. Seems the grommet and heater hose ended up rubbing a weak spot into the hose. Vibration, hot/cold expansion and all the vibrations took its toll on the hose.

A/C hose is a little more robust, but I will still go with bulkhead fittings. I figure if an OEM can do it and it lasts a couple hundred thousand miles over 15 years (our Lexus) with no leaks, then I think it is a pretty safe bet. Then again, I am not using the supplied A/C system.

[Kbl7td]

Not sure how you’d get the fitting through a grommet once the lines are crimped.

[PNWTim]

Good call out. You would have to crimp one end after running it through. That's probably the one drawback but unless the line fails I don't see why you would ever need to remove it. And if it did fail, you could just cut it and make a new one.

[michael everson]

I just did both the A/C and heater hoses on a coupe that way. Use the same size grommets that come with FFR heaters. works great and eliminates 4 potential leak points.
Like Paul said, if you dont get the A/c lines the exact length then they are real pain to install. This eliminates that. A/C fittings fit through the grommets
Mike

[bishes]

Awesome, thanks for all the input!