1940 ford with a sbc. What hoses are you guys running, specifically the bottom. I have a sway bar in the way. Modify the lower rad neck and bring it up and over the sway bar? Notch the front crossmember and try to squeeze one between that and the front fender brace? The neck is lower than the sway bar. Pic does not really show that.
Some good information in this thread. 1940 ford upper rad hose w/ chevy | The H.A.M.B. (jalopyjournal.com)
The last aluminum radiator I used I needed to tilt the lower hose up. I cut a wedge but not all the way thru, bent it up and a weld shop welded it. Cost me $20.00. For the hose I have an auto parts store close and it has about 100 hoses hanging. I found one that I could make a section of it work. Remember to put a spring in it.
I just went through this, googling all the suggestions, many trips to the parts store I ended up going with a lower flex hose, I don’t like them because they look like a cheap way out, but people suggested lows 57 Chevy hose etc , I spent a lot of time at the parts store trying to match up,
My '41 p/u has a 90 deg tube at the bottom facing up. Then I got a hose with a bunch of bends in it, cut it, made a union out of aluminum and put it all together. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/1941-ford-pickup.1057277/page-4#post-12078333
Add thick enough spacer blocks between the frame and the sway bar to clear and done. The sway bar won't be affected if the front end is an inch or so lower.
Hello, In our 327 powered 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery, the professional front end repair guy, suspension expert, and wheel balance/align person took our sway bar off. After he went through the whole front end from the project we had purchased from a former owner. He said the car won’t need it if he is able to do the repairs necessary to make it handle correctly. My wife and I were attracted to the sedan delivery and it would meet our current needs. The car looked cool, started up and drove when we bought it. But, by the time 40 miles later, when I got home, my forearms felt like it had just finished the Indy 500 with an iron grip, the whole distance. I let my wife drive it down our coastal highway open road and she said as it was going in a straight line, it felt fine, but the minute she slowed down to make a turn off, the whole hot rod started to feel odd and wiggly. We tried everything from new shocks to new tires. Everything we tried usually worked on other cars we had. But this old 40 sedan delivery needed expert help and the guy who did all of our balancing/alignment and repairs to our 58 Impala and our El Camino, just moved from West Los Angeles to the big OC and opened a new shop. Yes! We had plenty of clearance after he did all of his stuff to the front end of our 40 Ford Sedan Delivery. So, we had a simple “L” shaped radiator hose. What happened to the sway bar that was on the original purchase sedan delivery? It was a give away to the dumpster. Our mechanic said that with new tires shaving to round status, new suspension parts, new brakes and wheel balance/alignment, it would not need a sway bar. Jnaki We were not going to do auto cross events and we do not mess around going fast around corners or take winding mountain roads like Pikes Peak. So, his work spoke for itself. No need for a sway bar, if the more important suspension parts are in excellent working order and all balanced/aligned correctly. No noises, great handling and no engine problems for the 5.6 years we owned and drove it all over So Cal during our 20-30 something times… But just in case you have to have your sway bar, and then get the front end correctly situated, here is a possible 90 degree fitting and hose possibility. Proportions would be standard sizes… This is a quick drawing of how it could be set up. YRMV
I like the idea of dropping the sway bar, if you can. Past that a different pickup would have to go on the radiator. The sway bar doesn't care where it is, still does the same job. A more intense but also free solution, bend the sway bar down between it's frame mounts. Would a drop equal to the diameter clear things up? Heat, bend, slow cool, no worries. Last, I'm guessing you can't raise the radiator or you woulda done it by now. I was staring at the bar to shock mount distance. Looks close, maybe blocking it down is the way.
Can you pull the shock so we can see the lower attachment for the sway bar? If you drop the sway bar, is the spring going to interfere?
Fundamentally the spring and sway bar should move in unison. It's far enuff outboard it shouldn't be a problem.
Not a SBC, but a Desoto with SBC pump in my 41 truck. I’ll be doing the same with the SBC I’m switching out now in my 40 Coupe. Just use a stock 45* water outlet. The truck has 1” spacer for the front sway bar and the Walker radiator raised a little for clearance . Upper Gates 23234 Lower Gates 21956
Well having done more than a few projects with aftermarket parts I can understand where you're at. Having said that it looks like you have a stock sway bar in a stock location. Leads me to ask if your aftermarket Rad isn't some of the issue. At this point if it were I, the front Sheetmetal would be going on to know for a fact the Rad doesn't or can't be adjusted to clear the sway bar. Case and Point the build of Bandit Billy's 40 Ford truck with a Hemi. Raising the Rad was an easy fix for his project.
Any oddball engine swaps I've ever done, I simply bend up a piece of coat hanger or heavy wire from radiator to water pump and head to the local parts store to look through their hose supply. I match up the bends to my wire, and make sure the ends have the right size ID to fit. Then once I get home with the donor I just cut off whatever hose is extra, and install it. I put the receipt or hose number in my glovebox in case I ever need another in the future.
I used tri-five chevy v8 upper and lower rad hoses with the upper being to a center inlet on the rad but both hoses unmodified. I have a stock sway bar in the original location and just had to space the rad up a little.
Funny, I was about to mention that. I cut the mounting tabs off the radiator and moved the radiator up partly for that hose to clear but mostly to center the mechanical fan in the radiator core.
I have had good luck with cutting hoses that are close to what i need and joining them with a piece of tubing and stainless clamps. I have had no problems with it over 10 years of use.
Thanks for all the comments, much appreciated. The sway bar is a chassis engineering piece. I may be able to add a block between it and the frame to lower it a bit. The radiator is a Champion. I have used them in the past on other builds and I like them. This truck had no radiator so it did not occur to me that there might be interference when we added the sway bar. I am thinking of changing the lower outlet on the rad to a 90. Might make things easier.
Lowering the sway bar is a no go after looking at it. I think my only resolve is to do a tight 90 degree on the rad opening and get it pointed up.
My idea will definitely not work. I would cut that fitting off the radiator and find a tight 90* to weld on in its place..good luck.
You can see by the bare no paint area on the radiator how much it was raised. With the one inch spacer for the sway bar, there was plenty of hose room. And yes, the hood still closed. Mock it up and see. Otherwise you will have to change the neck.
I'm starting to see why the 2 old radiators I have set up for a SBC in a '40 have the bottom tank level with the mounting point. I would also check your fan height against the radiator, you might need to raise the radiator anyhow.
Looking at it from that angle puts a totally different prospective on it than the other shot did. I'm thinking that you need to wait to set the nose on before putting the radiator on though. It looks like yours is sitting way lower than it should right now.
i just built a 40 coupe and a 40 convert big sway bar sbc turbo 350 with 4 row champion radiator from so cal speedshop and the hoses that fit are from mr 40s fat stuff
yeah I think I should get the front sheetmetal on and see where I am at. It is going to run an electric fan so height for the fan does not matter.
Sorry I don’t have numbers but for the lower I cut it out of a hose for a s10, but that’s all I remember It fits great, don’t forget the spring inside the hose
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