[JJKJ]

Hey all,

I have what seems to be a silly question but I'm stuck. I'm trying to disassemble the a/c system on my '72 Firebird. The hoses look to be the factory hoses with the hose clamp and hose end locater on them. I've loosened the hose clamps and the hoses rotate freely on the fittings, but I can't seem to be able to pull the hoses off. This isn't just on one component either, I've tried several of the hose ends. I don't want to pull too hard as to break something. What baffles me is that the hose is loose on the fitting but won't pull off.

I have my service manual on its way, so this may be covered in there but if not, what am I missing?

Thanks,

John

[Bandit400]

On mine, there were rings or barbs on the a/c component intended to hold the hose on, and I assume, prevent against leaks. My hoses were hard when I went to remove them, and I had to cut them lengthwise after hitting the same issue you did. This may not be necessary for you, but it worked for me, as I planned on replacing the hoses anyway.

[JJKJ]

Thanks, I figured there must be some kind of barb or ridge, but usually you can still pull them apart with some moderate force once the hose clamp is off. So far, I've exerted a bit more than moderate force. I'm hoping I can seperate them without damaging the hoses because the hoses still seem to be in pretty decent shape. Does anyone have pictures of an a/c component without the hoses installed? Any component will work, drier, condensor, etc. I want to get an idea of what the fittings on the components look like so I can try my best to remove the hoses without damaging them. I've tried to pull up pics online but anyone who sells classic a/c components seems to only have small pics of what they sell so I can't get a good look at the fittings.

Thanks,

John

[TAaddict]

Bandit400 is correct about fittings having a barb end on fitting and after years of the hose being clamped on tightly it conforms very tight to barb fitting which makes it almost impossible to remove hose without slicing the hose first. You could tighten the clamp up and seperate the AC line at the nut fitting. The o-rings probably need to be replaced anyway.

[GETRIDAONE]

Picture from my GTO but You can see the barbs on the fitting.

[JJKJ]

I appreciate the help. After trying to work at least a couple hose ends free without any luck, I ended up cutting one of the hoses. As mentioned, the hoses had just formed around the barbs through the years and made it impossible to get apart without cutting.

Thanks,

John