Last night my A/C suction hose blew, yes blew and of course refrigerant oil blew all over exhaust manifold and scared the crap out of us when smoke billowed from under the hood.

Anyway question 1 is what could have caused this. A/C was working fine since last year. It has been converted to R134 but I'm not certain O-Rings etc were changed for 134. I have seen posts reccomending hoses to be replaced for 134... I believe the P.O had replaced the suction hose as it appeared new.

 Question 2 is... should the '73 with 454 have the suction hose with the muffler. Mine does not. What is the purpose of the muffler? I want to get the right hose to make this repair Also seems I will have to take the hood off to get to the condenser fitting. Getting to the dryer was hard enough..

2 cruzn38866.783599537

Well, that sux, don't it?
I would venture to guess it was possibly overcharged, has a problem with the compressor, or the hose had a boo-boo to start with.
The purpose of a "muffler" is just what you think it is. It is supposed to keep some of the noise down, and it also serves as a resevior for oil. It is not absolutely needed.
You need to take into account that 134 runs at higher pressures/heat than R12, so any leak you may have had with the R12, will be much worse with 134. The chemical composition of 134 is different, too. The molecules are smaller, making it even harder to contain the gas with hose desinged for R12.

Some years back I had a Studebaker Avanti that the high side a/c hose exploded off of the compressor while I was driving it. Like you, it scared the crap out of me and my girlfriend...refrigerant oil all over everything under the hood, it shredded the hood insulation, everything you experienced. In my case, it was a clogged expansion valve in the system (it was located under the dash).

I don't know if a Vette has a expansion valve by that name or another, but it's something to check. You'll need to change the receiver-drier if you haven't already as well.

Adam/Gunslinger... I got it all apart except for the low pressure hose on the Condenser... looks like hood has to come off  , or I might mess up the paint... I have the dessicant bag out and the hose off the receiver.. what a PITA... The hose is not new and probably original, it was the high side that was replaced and it has the  134 o-ring. There is a screen on the end of a tube inside the dryer.. does this come out and should I clean it?   Anyone know where the TXV is... under the dash? I may as well change that too, after I flush it all out... The hose was split all the way along one side about 10-12", split open like a watermelon...

While down there I am changing those easy to get to    heater hoses

2 cruzn38865.8080902778

If by "TXV" you mean "expansion valve", it is part of the "VIR"(valves in receiver) assembly, down under the A/C blower motor, pass. side. It's real easy to get to!!!

[QUOTE=Adams' Apple]If by "TXV" you mean "expansion valve", it is part of the "VIR"(valves in receiver) assembly, down under the A/C blower motor, pass. side. It's real easy to get to!!![/QUOTE]

Joel... that's what I'm lookin for..Is the "VIR" in my receiver that I took the dessicant out of? My receiver is up inside a small area behind the wheel well. Not accessible from inside the passenger side.

I've been looking through Zip's and they have a VIR assembly that looks like what I have tucked in behind the wheel well. It's remanufactured for $120. I guess it comes with new dessicant..

2 cruzn38865.8524421296

Ya, that's it, Ray. I didn't mean to imply it was on the inside of the car.
The VIRs are rebuildable, if you want to keep it numbers correct, but, for the money, replacement is a good deal, too. It will come with a new dessicant bag, and it will be compatible with R12 or 134.
I'll be changin my '74 over to 134 later this year, and will be rebuilding my original VIR,(and compressor) even tho I have another one, off of another '74 I could use.

Thanks Joel... that's the one... I guess "we" can't rebuild it with replacemeent parts? I bought replacement dessicant but I guess I can keep it as spare next time...

I will have to see how long it will take to get this one rebuilt, as I need to have it back together for PF... I might just get a rebuilt and just keep my original for sake of replacement... I will have to see what the core charge is...

Any suggestions on A/C parts... Zip has as well as Corv Amer... do you think all suction lines are the same... from the major distributors?

"Update" -----Once again Advance Auto Parts has a rebuilt for $60 but I think it needs the dessicant installed which I already have... and they have the VIR to rebuild my present unit...

Update 8/14 -- Advance had it on the Net but I can't buy it.. go figure

2 cruzn38943.3299537037

Just a question for my own education.

Does the suction line have a metal spring in it to keep it from collapsing?

[QUOTE=dwright]Just a question for my own education.

Does the suction line have a metal spring in it to keep it from collapsing?[/QUOTE]

I'll go out on a limb here but... don't think so as the refrigerant enters the compressor through the suction port as a low-pressure vapor. Being called the suction side vs. low pressure side does confuse the issue. It does have high pressure fittings. The hose is rated at 150 PSI..

I'll let you know when I cut mine open

2 cruzn38866.7970717593