I should have remembered that location of the fuel lines and tank before trying the MAP torch. I have fire extinguishers handy. I also have a couple of fiberglass fiber blankets; I might try to secure some of them around the whole area to keep some of the heat off, along with some wet rags, before I try again tomorrow.
I'll wrap a cold rag around the steel pipe to cool it down while heating up the , too -- that's a good idea. If all else fails, I'll try vice grips as suggested.
As for why I'm replacing the evaporator: The last time the car was on the road (a few years ago now), it was running through an entire charge of R12 in about 3 months. A local A/C shop put in dye and recharged it, but couldn't find any problems, so they theorized that there was a leak at the evaporator. My entire A/C system is probably original, and I already have half of the interior out (including the center console and radio), so if I'm going to do the evaporator, I might as well do it now. The whole system has been exposed to air for at least 3 years now, too (although that probably just means the orifice tube and accumulator need to be replaced, if I understand things properly). I'll do the heater core too, although I kind of wish I hadn't filled the coolant system already. Oh well. My condenser has some warped aluminum near near the pipes (someone torqued the hose wrong at some point), and two of the mounting tabs are broken, so I figure it's not a bad idea to replace it as well.
On another note, I don't suppose anyone has any 3.0L mounting brackets for an A/C compressor, do they? My engine is only an engine, and didn't come with a compressor, and the 2.8L brackets won't fit on the 3.0L valve covers. I suppose I could always fabricate something, if it comes to that, and if eBay is a bust...
Thanks again!
-- Joe