Picked up a hydraulic AC hose crimper on Amazon to make up the lines for my 3G conversion.
Looks pretty straight forward, but a couple of questions for those who've done this.

- Most videos seem to show them struggling on the lever. How do you know when you've compressed it enough?
- I saw a video where the guy suggested compressing the fitting twice. Do it, then flip the fitting 180 to get a more uniform crimp. Is this necessary?
Seems it might do more harm than good, if not positioned perfectly the 2nd time.

Any other tips to get this done without any leaks?

https://youtu.be/pmtjGDh_VtA?si=qImbswPKoxm828YS

I had no luck with the crimp fittings that came with my VintageAir system. As fast as I got one crimp to quit leaking, another would start. I used the proprietary tool for the brand of fittings too.

My solution was Aeroquip EZ Clip system. As fast as you can squeeze the pliers on the 2 clips, your done, click, click. The hose OD is almost half the diameter too so it's a neater installation, especially if you have tight bends in close quarters.

They are reusable too.

https://www.eatonpowersource.com/aeroquipperformance/products/fittings/ez-clip-fittings

Kevin

We've installed a butt load of VA systems and only had problems with the last one. I called their tech support and they said they had some issues with the size 8's and over crimping a bit resolved the issue. I then found my last employee had fudged up the tool. So I am not sure which caused the issue or it may have been a combination of both. I repaired the tool, re-crimped and life was good.
The manual versions of the tool used in a vise had a red line scribed into the main body that indicated the crimp was done. One could go past it but never found it necessary until the last car. Not sure if the hydraulic versions have to same line
I'd see what the instructions say if they're readable

This is the one I have. Instructions say to tighten until the scribed lines align but I've found that tightening a little past the lines make for a better leak-free installation.

https://www.amazon.com/Mastercool-71550-Black-Manual-Crimper/dp/B000WBQ4U2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHAHa9_UWQU