AC lines for tight radius

[BigBlockOlds]

So the car is painted and I'm finally to the point of pulling the dash back out so that I can finalized a few things with the wiring and HVAC before putting it back for good.



One of these items is running the AC and heater lines from my bulkhead fitting on the firewall to my evaporator unit.

My problem is that I have very little space behind the dash and the bulkhead fitting is pretty close to the inlets/outlets on the evaporator so typical #10 and #8 barrier hose and fittings are not going to be an option.

Anyone have ideas on the best course of action with what to make these lines from? I would really like to do aluminum hard line however I doubt I could get the bend tight enough even on those to fit properly. My other idea was to use the expensive Aeroquip stainless braided line since it's outside diameter is only around a 1/2" for the #10 line.

Beyond that I think my only option would be to modify the A/C firewall panel I made to give myself more room. If I have to I could probably move the bulkhead fitting out towards the front of the car further. Was just trying to avoid that because it's going to be tough to get that entire firewall plate back out with the engine and inner fenders in the way.

You can see what I'm dealing with the photos below:





Thanks for the help and suggestions.