Hacked off A/C lines and missing parts?

[Plaligraphy]

Hey all, recently got back to working on my 73' C20 and noticed the A/C lines were hacked off by the previous owner as well as the compressor missing. How much of a PITA would it be to restore the factory A/C or should I just bite the bullet and go with a VintageAir type system? Appreciate it

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[fast 99]

Systems left open for long periods will require complete replacement. Might be able to reuse the evaporator if it is flushed but even then it is a gamble. Although I have never done a new conversion other here have had success. Before spending a pile of money on a dated design look into Sanden units or vintage ac.

 

[Hunter79764]

I'm in a similar situation except it was thieves that hacked it (while the previous owner had it). I believe all of the lines you are showing cut are available, and if you want good AC performance, you would want to replace your condenser to better use 134a, your drier has to be replaced anyway, your metering device should be replaced, and now you pretty much have the evaporator that you can decide one way or the other. I've got a Suburban, so I need more lines and a have a second evap, but I'll probably end up swapping it all just to have a clean baseline. If I find I've got more time than money, I might flush the evaps and do a pressure test to make sure they aren't leaky and keep them, it just depends.
On mine, I'll do the AC along with the 6.0 swap, so stock compressor isn't really in the cards and I'll probably do custom lines anyway based on that.

 

[Bextreme04]

I just got mine going with all new hoses. Reused the compressor, condensor, and evaporator. New blue expansion valve, new filter/dryer, and new hoses. I got the R134 conversion kit off one of the trucks at a junkyard. You can rent an AC flush kit from autozone and then flush the units you will be reusing in both directions very well before installing all the new parts and vacuuming it for as long as you can. Minimum 1-2 hours.

The biggest issue will be the compressor if you don't have one. Buying a stock style one or a sanden conversion are the biggest expense BY FAR. Expect it to be in the $400 range for the brackets and compressor. All hoses, dryer, and expansion valve were in the $100 range total. I'm using the factory 1980 Condenser and A6 compressor still and am blowing 40 degree air out of the vents with 100+ degree ambient temps right now.