Technical flexhoses

I'm still finding this whole topic hilarious. That some of you are so passionate about it is really bizarre. That someone would "Rather see exhaust tubing welded by ray charles with his feet than see flex hose", hahahaha, wow, that's some funny shit right there.

 

yep bud, that was the entire point of this thread lol idk how youre missing that and still talking out of the side of your mouth? i asked a question, it got answered 2 days ago, then the thread direction was changed a bit by others yet you seem intent on pitting me in my place? my ORIGINAL question was NOT about traditional or not traditional, it was clearly about whether or not flex hoses cause damage to radiators and what i had been told previously. get the bug outta your butt bro, i dont get put in my place easily for a reason...i rarely leave my place to begin with

 

i dont think anyones arguing with that? if they are then they havnt been paying attention.

 

i wasnt trying to start the flex hose war of 2019, ive seen cracked radiators and was just told flexhoses caused it. i have a 292 y block im gonna use and the radiator that went with it, it has a flex hose on it and i wanted to be sure it wouldnt damage the radiator i cant afford to replace. ill probably find the right molded hose for it either way.

 

Yea, I’ve got some exhaust tubing welded by Ray Charles.......



Looks worse in real life.
Done by previous owner.
In the process of fixing it now, - not with flex hose though...........
.

 

Since you are hung up on period correct how many are running T5 transmissions and 12-volt batteries and tubeless tires and.....

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My 56 ford came with molded hoses so I guess that makes molded hoses traditional

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Dennis carpenter has both upper and lowers complete with fomoco lettering
Rock auto has molded without the logos for less money

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thank you! fomoco lettering would be perfect for the look i want!

 

The difference between hot rods, and stockers?

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Quoted from my post you replied to

"and as has been alluded you can run a non stiff version of flex hose or OEM and make the claim its period correct for this site"

Yes I get that...

 

Hang on a minute guys ...microwaving some popcorn, don't want to miss anything

 

Your welcome

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man your battle stations!!! flex hose war of 2019 has begun

 

Before the lock, I think they look pretty cool, and scream "Hot Rod", as long as we aren't looking at a 30 incher with a loop in it, where a 12 inch hose would have done the job. Will heater hoses be next?

 

The only time I've ever had radiator trouble related to a hose it was with a molded curve....

I was on I90 headed east @ 75 mph about 20 miles west of Moses Lake when I heard a BANG. I though I'd smacked a small critter as all I got was the noise; the car didn't miss a beat and gauges read fine... for about three miles. All of a sudden the car starts slowing, and I look down and the temp gauge is pegged. I pull over and stop, get out and open the hood. The last three inches of the hose closest to the radiator AND the radiator HOSE NECK are wedged under the battery tray. As near as I can tell, what happened is the hose swelled just enough that the end of the fan caught it. Ripped the hose in half and pulled the neck out cleanly... A flex hose wouldn't have done this...

The car was dead stock and the hose was two years old.

Between the tow, motel (this was after 5 pm), the radiator repair/hose, and the new motor I had to put in because of cooked rings on my return home (at a max speed of 50 mph on the flat, 25 mph climbing the pass), it was an expensive hose.

 

now with steves post, a battle has been won in wa. oliver started it, i must have barked too loud, now another battle lost. oliver, you head east, i'll go west, we dont want to get caught together, there are methods to get the truth out of a pair of thugs, i suggest we keep our distance. its every man for himself, better odds of survival i believe

 

10-4 moving out!

 

When I was at Dayco I would get calls about this. Dayco has a manual with inlet and outlet dimensions, overall length and layout of the bends. It is not hard to get a good looking molded hose that fits. A flex hose is a good hose but you will have more issues with a flex than a molded especially if not installed properly. It is a pet peeve of mine but usually the vehicle with a flex hose has a brand A oil filter, brand B battery, brand C air filter, most sourced from the wrecking yard or off the neighbours wife's minivan.

 

In the '50s, I was an apprentice mechanic. All factory cars came with molded hoses, had a nice 'purposeful' and 'finished' look. Nice fit, planned out.
Never saw a FACTORY molded hose 'grow' and hit the fan. Only thing I ever saw hit the fan was shit. By 'shit' I mean flex hose, poorly fit molded hose, et al.
I observed some race cars at Cook's Automotive and Les Joseph's speed shops, recalled because they had molded hoses cut and fit...Looked sooo 'professional'.
I can't imagine using some flexible 'fits everything' in a permanent setting on ANY machine.
I have, but only in a temporary, rudimentary situation.

 

We're not done are we?

I'll eat a little crow and contradict an earlier post I made. You can buy a flex hose with a molded 90 degree at one end for some situations. Well, more of an 82 looks like.

Myself, I will use either of which I find in my large pile of mostly new radiator hoses rather than go buy one. I get a sense of satisfaction out of finally using something I have been storing for most of my life.

 

I ordered factory replacement upper and lower radiator hoses from Rock Auto for my '59 Chevy Brookwood Wagon with a 235 6cyl, the lower hose that they sent was molded, the upper was a flex hose. Some times molded hoses just aren't available for older factory applications.

 

one of you flex hose lovers must have bought my old 49 Chevrolet sedan. I changed the hoses to fitted hoses, and put a K&N air filter on it. no more than a couple thousand miles on each when I sold it.

saw it for sale a year later on EBAY and the engine compartment picture showed flex hoses and a paper air filter element. there is no doubt he brought the car to his mechanic to check it out and the mechanic ripped him off for who knows how much.

 

If I can find these in the right length I'm gonna use them. Thanks for posting.

 

Or just maybe he wanted a traditional look and removed those 'street rod' bits...

More than a bit of history revision going on here. Yes, factory installs came with molded curve hoses, no one is denying that. But back then, those hoses were dealer items only usually. Go into any parts house back in those days and ask for a hose and you'd get a flex hose 90+% of the time. If you asked for a molded curve, the answer you'd usually get would be 'That's a dealer item', 'I can order one for you', or 'No longer available'. But finding one in stock was rare. Go to a service station and the possibility went up to nearly 100% you'd get a flex hose. This was still true to a degree even later; I worked as a mechanic in the late '60s/mid '70s and 80% of our in-house stock was flex hoses, with the remainder of molded hoses being for current cars. It cost money to stock those hoses, and if the owner could reduce inventory by 1/2 or 2/3 by using flex hoses, that's what was done. There was also a period where OEM-style hoses for '50s/early '60s cars just flat weren't available. Eventually the reproduction/restoration market filled that gap, but it didn't happen overnight.

I'll admit to being guilty of this myself; I swapped a 351W into a '56 Ford. The motor was dead stock, right down to the OEM air cleaner, so to keep that OEM vibe I found a molded curve hose that fit after shortening it a bit. IIRC, the hose was for a mid-'70s GM intermediate, not very traditional. I also did this to match the lower hose, which as it turned out, the stock (and original no less!) lower hose slipped right onto the 351.

But as Moriarity pointed out, look in any '50s/early '60s rod or custom magazine and you'll find nearly every car using flex hoses. Molded curve hoses was a street rod thing that came later.

 

Buy one of those molded modern hoses that are 3 ft long and full of bends and cut the shape you need from it, has worked for me many times. bring a bent coat hanger with you so you buy the closest hose to the shape you need.

 

I consider street rod bits to be those stupid steel corrugated flexible hose's that look like they came off the robot from lost in space...

 

Swapmeet this weekend. I hope I can find some flexhose to buy. Looks more traditional than all this new store bought crap made overseas.

 

No need for swap meet hunting, Napa and most other parts house's still stock plenty of flex hose.