Did anybody ever remove the AC lines and reinstall them? They seem to be pretty stuck at the firewall

 

What do you mean stuck?

Rear AC?

 

Yes. They pass through a rubber gasket that's retained by a metal plate held by two M6 bolts. The heater hoses and two HVAC vacuum lines pass through the same plate. You'll want to pull the vacuum hoses and heater hoses out before you attempt to remove the AC hardlines. And you'll want to undo the hardlines from the expansion valve before messing with this plate.

If this all sounds like a pain in the ***, it is.

 

Thanks, I thought it may be. But with the engine out it seems like a good idea to tackle that job now. System is without gas.

 

The only reason to fully remove the hardlines from the car is if they're damaged and need replacement, you want to replace the short rubber segment of the pressure hardline, or you want to polish them and make them pretty. No need to remove them otherwise, you can R&R the expansion valve without removing the hardlines.

 

I re-installed early AC hardlines today, putting this down so I remember for next time.

1. Wiper motor out, hardlines out, heater hoses out, HVAC vacuum lines out.
2. Install expansion valve on fittings into HVAC box
3. Pass AC hardlines through firewall, through rubber gasket, thread into the expansion valve (new o-rings!). Support the forward ends of the hardlines loosely on the right shock tower using the retaining bracket there.
4. Slide metal retaining bracket up from below AC hardlines, install 2 M6x20 bolts from the engine side.
5. Re-install HVAC vacuum hoses (red and black) through gasket
6. Re-install heater hoses, short lower hose first
7. Re-install wiper motor.

 

Thank you, most helpful. More than I was hoping for!