Unless I'm misunderstanding, I think you're mixing terminology a bit. Do you mean a #10 from the evaporator to the accumulator, and a #8 from the accumulator to to the compressor (on the LP side)? Also, the #6 from the condenser to the R/D, and then from the R/D to the evaporator (on the HP side), s...

Refrigerant loss probably is responsible for the evaporator freezing-up and blocking airflow on your 18-year-old Jeep. Before doing anything else, have a professional A/C shop charge the correct amount of refrigerant into the system, as suggested earlier, by recovering and noting what's in there now...

A couple of options come to mind. Consult with Tim at ACKITS.com, this Forum's sponsor, who's very knowledgeable about such questions. Or, consider replacing the compressor assembly, especially if it has a lot of miles on it. ACKITS.com can help with a new compressor at the best price. What make, mo...

Yes, £800 (approximately $1,000 USD) is expensive. But your pictured lines with the chewed-up Springlock connection have twists and turns, and an apparent crimp besides, making a fix unlikely. You'll be better off having the shop handle it from start to finish. They will install new lines and whatev...

I didn't realize at first that your '66 Corvette has an STV, similar to the one I had years ago on a new '62 Impala/283/Powerglide with factory A/C. The STV was hidden under the right-front fender in the engine bay and operated manually via a cable controlled by a horizontal slider on the lower-cent...

Are you going to keep it R-12, or do you intend to convert it to R-134a? if the latter, you'll need to re-calibrate your original POA (STV) valve to the "newer" refrigerant. If your original POA valve is intact and rebuildable, why replace it? Several professional rebuilders with an Intern...

The ATCO fittings at 7.95 mm OD seem about right. The ones that measure as small as 7.6 mm appear to be out of spec to me.

No chance of any sub-standard, out-of-spec fittings to which Tim alluded earlier? Not trying to give you a hard time, just attempting to get to the bottom of this. To review: For a standard 5/16" (7.9375 mm) ID barrier hose, the fittings should measure—according to my Mitutoyo digital caliper—3...

I don't remember anymore whether you made mention earlier in this very long thread, but I believe you can go with either a 5/16" ID (7.9375 mm) reduced barrier or standard barrier hose, each of which, IIRC, takes industry-standard 3/8" (9.525 mm) fittings. The only measurable difference be...

Good deal. If anyone can help with that, Tim can.