Manifold gauge and other advice please

[xtal_01]

OK .... so I am no expert just a diy type of guy.

I have replaced two compressors in the last 10 years. Both times I used a compressor from a discarded refrigerator as a vacuum pump. To everyones surprise it worked great. Unfortunately it finally died.

So, my wife's Dodge Grand Caravan just developed a leak. I found the leak (van had dye in it from the factory) .... hole in the tube leading from the rear evaporator.

Now I needed to find new lines. This was a bit of a nightmare. She is in a wheelchair and the van has a 14" dropped floor. A third party modified the a/c lines to the rear ... cut them (left about 12" from the evaporator), used a coupling nut and then ran flexible rubber lines to the front.

So, after figuring out what they did, I found a shop that will make me up new ones ... no coupling nut ... flexible rubber to any length I need.

With all this done, I want to invest in a cheap vacuum pump and manifold gauge set.

I see several sets (pump and gauge) on Amazon for about $125

The problem is the pump is only single stage and the gauges are very cheap.

I found a 2 stage pump .... $130 with free shipping .... still cheap but it got good reviews.

Now I need gauges.

I am thinking 4 valve set that will do 134A and 410A. On ebay I can get a set for about $50

1) is any "cheap" set better than any other cheap set?

2) all the sets come with a black hose and say 5/16 fitting (the yellow, blue and red have 1/4 fittings). The pump has 1/4" flare and 1/2" ACME fittings on it. How do I get from 5/16 to 1/2"???? I even question the 5/16 fitting but the ebay sellers (I e-mailed three) really don't know what they are selling ... they just said this is what is on the package.

Here is one valve set saying 5/16" fitting on the black line:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Valve-Manifol ... SwdGFYvmrq

Here is another saying 5/8" fitting on black line:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/R410a-R134a-R12 ... SwjL5ZCQMT

Here is the pump I am thinking about:

https://www.kozyard.com/product/vacuum- ... acu-ta500/

The only reason for the two stage pump is that I can use it for other projects (always doing something around the shop).

From what I read, a lot of people like 4 valve over 2 so they don't need to switch lines from suction to fill ... chance of a leak.

Any advice on how to make the black line fit the pump, the pump or gauges would be awesome!

Thanks ..... Mike
Jericho, Vermont