Hello and help!

This is my first time posting although I've been a troll on here for a while and y'all have been a huge help. I've got an issue that I found similar fixes for but haven't found anything specific to my problem.

I have a 97 XJ SE 4 0 AW4 2wd 8.25 234k. The vacuum line from the T to the ac-heater box is really brittle & broke a few times when I tried splicing it. I don't think I can reuse it.

From what I gather (I've looked for hours!), the black hose in the vacuum harness' only function is to power the vent selector. My question is can I bypass the connection from the T to the ac-heater box and run a new hose from the T to the black hose in the vacuum harness?

I have the Chrysler manual & from what I gather if that doesn't work, I have to pull out the dash to replace the hose entirely... & I really don't want to have to do that if I don't have to. I'm a butcher & wanna-be driveway Jeep mechanic and am learning as I go. The defrost ac was ok but summer is coming fast in Florida. Thank you in advance for your help!

Here's how I did it.

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/solved-97-xjs-climate-control-issues-246893/#post3514495

Nice! Thanks for the update!