Hello again. Been a while. Making progress on my 29 ford project. Trying to figure out radiator hoses for a small block Chevy application. I have an aluminum radiator with the inlet and outlet in the standard chevy locations. Thanks for any suggestions
Make a pattern out of some defroster hose and study the rack at the parts joint. Also use one with wire loop on the bottom hose so it won't collapse.
The parts guy can pull up the pictures of all the hoses based on the diameter of the ends. Then all you have to do is scroll through and find what you need.
If your a chrome guy look in the plumbing department of a hardware store. I also use emt from the electrical department. Just use rubber ends with hose clamps. My automotive store has radiator hoses hanging. I buy the ones with the most bends..
Look up Gates I believe, has an online illustrated guide sorted by size (I.D). It shows the length and shape of each one and to be 99% sure of what it looks like I'll put the number into Google images......the last 1% is having it in your hands.
Dayco 70155 lower hose. I just replaced my upper hose since I changed intake manifolds and tried a new trick. I took a picture of the engine and rad with my digital camera and brought it with me to the parts store. Way easier than towing the car there.
I keep a couple of VW aluminum flexible heater ducts around for figuring out the shape of the radiator hoses. works like aa charm. HRP
These are little dressier than rubber.... https://www.summitracing.com/parts/...QbWt063B39ffWm6zFSr67MyR2wrk-sS4aAuUvEALw_wcB
Flexible cardboard defroster duct, metalized heat riser duct or the VW heater ducts all work great to get the exact shape you want that you then take to the parts house and find hoses that you can cut sections out of to get your just right shape. Just like everyone else I have used flex hoses in the past, but they still scream that ;I didn't want to take the time to do it right" and now they are usually more expensive than the molded hoses that you can cut up.
The universal ones only work in certain situations, too much of a bend and will kink as they warm up.
True. But I spent hours and hours searching parts houses for a section of hose to replace what I needed. My 350 Chevy in a '31 A coupe has a lower hose connection that drops and twists in just a few inches. It took 10 minutes to fit a Kool-flex hose section. If it's street-roddy, too damn bad, it got the car on the road.
Having a look through this might give you some idea of a suitable hose. When you have found something that looks suitable Google the Napa number for more details such as make and model an possibly a picture. https://www.napabeltshose.com/~/med...t-hose-id-guide_napa-interchange-final_lr.pdf
I used to save old hoses and belts that weren't all messed up to cut and fit for the show and tell example to take to the parts house. I learned that from a customer when I worked evenings in a parts house. Toss them in a box under the bench when I replaced hoses and find a likely candidate and start cutting when I wanted to fit a hose then off to the parts house hoping that I remembered what the donor came off. Belts, just cut in two, fit, trim to length and off to the parts house belt in hand.
i wouldnt trust those if i was paid to use them... rubber may degrade over time but its reliable at 7psi. even when the hoses are 65 years old
I do the same. Have a bunch of old hoses that I can cut and piece together to make the hose I need. I even use hose clamps and an inner metal sleeve so they stay in shape for the car trying to fit. Then go to a decent local auto parts and ask to look in the hoses section. Compare that to what I made up. Sometimes the new hose has extra bend or length on the end, just cut that off to get what you need. Once you figure out what you used, save that number so future you can get the same without going through the process again. I prefer the molded hoses over the ribbed flex hoses. Just cleaner to me to use a molded fit hose. Most times i have no idea what the original hose was used on, I just save the number in my folder of receipts and information for the car.
I didn't use the chrome sleeves, just the pipe and black rubber connectors. Mine was USA made chrome over copper tubing. Inglese Coolflex, but I don't think they are around any longer. I appreciate your hate, but it's not your car. And, since this is the HAMB, I don't need to go further. Just one solution I used.
No worries, but going back to the 80s those things bugged me, along with some of the other Inglese products offered. His Weber carb setups were cool. In the last couple decades most of those hose setups came from knockoff China importers.
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