Another A/C thread - tying up the loose ends

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

Well, less O-rings & the tiny hard line, I've learned how to assemble an A/C system. With board assistance of course. Anyway, hopefully the 67-72 Chevy brain trust can assist in tying up the loose ends. I plan for a R12 to R134A conversion.

1. HOSES: If you can get past the make-shift caps, how about the condition of these hoses & tubes? I didn't even wipe them down. They've been packed away since 93. With little effort, they'd look right off the showroom. At any rate, safe to say it's a good idea to replace the hose lines anyway? I could have done a better job of storing them, and they may not be reliable for R134A anyhow.

2. TAPE: Check out the tape job in the first picture. Seen this before?

3. TUBES: What's a good method for cleaning the insides of the tubes?

4. O-RINGS & Other: Where are O-rings used? Any additional "unseen" parts used to slam this together? IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY YOU CAN DISREGARD THIS NONSENSE.

5. "SLOP" & TINY HARD LINE CONNECT: Reference picture 2. What's the "slop" around the top tube of the core? More than that, how is the tiny hard line connected onto that tube? I assume it's not part of the core, being you can restore or replace the expansion valve.

6. EVAPORATOR CORE: While it looks great, if I recall, the rear of the POA valve and below the expansion valve were open for a stint. That and the A/C system has been disconnected from these points for decades, which may mean the evaporator core dried up. Are replacement cores of good quality, or is it better to have the original professionally refurbished?

7. POA VALVE: I believe the original POA valve works with R134A as well, it's a matter of calibration variance. I'd like this to appear as original as possible, do replacement POA valves look the same or close, or is it better to have the existing POA valve rebuilt?

8. EXPANSION VALVE: The original expansion valves work with R134A as well, right?

Other than that, happy to say I had saved all the parts less one clamp and the drier mount screws. But that's what I bought the 72 for........... . For what it's worth, I plan to replace the drier & condenser, and of course O-rings. All input appreciated, thank you.