Hot Rods Need some input! Ugly heater hoses

Looky here, this shows an old Arky is a dangerous Arky. Jim did you forget your Gerital this morning?

 

Hardlines and paint em black.

 

My Daughter has a non HAMB vehicle ('85 GMC Jimmy with a small block) and we ran hard lines for all of the water lines. I took Stainless tubing and bent it to where we needed it to go and then added the rubber hoses to each end for a clean set up. I got the idea from all of the 30 somethings running flatties with the chrome tubing between the radiator and motors. It looks really clean and sanitary under the hood and with the motor taking up all of the limited space it helped us to keep them from laying all over the headers and stuff.

On my '51 Ford I just ran the hose where the originals would have been and it looks pretty nice but still holds a factory look even with the 302 in the engine bay. The A/C lines were the fun part of that build LOL! I will post a photo of it if I can find one on my other computer but everything looks like something Henry would have done under the hood.

Billy

 

Removing heater hoses in summer....I believe the heater core is used as a thermostat by pass on some GM motors ? Double check on that.
Another trick is running then either along the frame rail or thru a fenderwell.

4TTRUK

 

Wow, that's a nice set up!

When did the stainless steel braided hose start showing up in cars? Is it period correct to a mid '60s rod?

Thanks,
BDL

 

Man that's nice, I really had to look for them.

 

Simple, use period correct hose clamps and firewall/frame rail clamps. Eelco thumb screws look good!

 

No!

 

DAMN! I'm sure glad I put my glasses on before I replied, at first I thought you had asked if I had forgotten my "Genitals this morning".

 

Some manifolds have outlets in the back of head where you can pull out hot water to supply heater, eliminating one run of hose or tubing, plus the heat affecting fuel temp. You must purge all air for this to work properly. We got started trying this as a result of tying a water line to the rear of each head on street-driven blown Big Blocks. Suction will have to come off water pump, but line can be run thru frame with bulkhead fittings. Get as tricky as you want, like we did in the good ole days.

 

Try household waterlines , yes waterlines Watts faucet lines ! i'll load a picture in my 1953 album (sorry i can't post a pic here, i'm untech)

Only pic i can find, 1/4 turn valves in 1/2 female pipe thread, 1/4 turn sharkbite valves on the aftermarket (< 1/2" copper) heatercore.

3/8" hoses avail in various lengths. Home Depot

 

I HERE YA

 

Dam Jim, now ya even got the Cannucks on my ass

Thanks for the responces guys. Hard lines are lookin like a real way to go.

 

I built this before the nostalgia craze. I used copper elbows right at the back of the 30s universal heater to run the lines down inside the firewall and come out at the floorboards. Up along the frame and then over to the engine. Nothing actually on the engine except the hook up. I used a piece of plywood as a firewall insulator and the copper lines fit perfectly in a recess. Back then it was important to me to have a clean factory firewall behind the engine. My tastes have changed since then. Now I think hard about everything that goes into my car and want it to look like the 60s at least. We had exposed heater hoses in the 60s. They were part of the car and not considered ugly.

 

Sorry about that..

 

Da Tinman has a pretty slick set up, ya have to look hard to find them. I agree, I think that's the way to go...

 

That's the way I'm bending. No Pun intended.

 

You could make something like this kit from TechAFX.

69-70 Boss 302's ran a pair of metal tubes f/a on the RH side of the intake & they were painted black (if I remember). That was pretty clean looking setup.

 

Yeah, that's a LOT better than plain, ugly, old heater hoses.......

 

I couldn't agree more, they are ugly, I just don't run a heater.
Having said that Iv'e heard of guys running them out from the freeze plug holes, Don't ask me how. That would at least hide them a little.
Have also heard of guys running dual firewalls to run the hoses between.
You could always put a hood on it an leave it closed!

 

That's not too bad, even better if you run them on the side of the frame rails.

 

I like this thread. These little ideas well thought through are what makes a nice car overall. The hard lines painted black disappear and look great. I would think with some planning you could even run them down the front and through the frame and back out at the back.

I just removed the heater from mine!

 

Another possible option, go to mcmaster.com and search
Expandable Mesh Sleeving

 

Here's the deal guys. Like most of you I'm after the period look myself (late 50's, early 60's) the reasons I'm wanting to solve this now is I'm fixin to put my Offy 3 duece on. What's happening is, setting up new smaller flame thrower distributor, shorty water pump, moving alternator to the other side ext. .

All the input is great. pic.

 

Hard lines for your carbs will look better two.

 

household water lines - - NO WATERLINES NO WATTS FAUCET LINES

from your album.





Toilet shutoff on the firewall, that's funny

 

Trying to stay away from the header heat.
I may try to move that hose to run along the top of the valve cover now that I know about the hoses with the 90 in the end.

 

I've seen a SBC with the water out of the engine coming from the temp sender hole on the pass side head. Stainless hard line tucked behind the exhaust manifold so no ugly hose and fittings coming out of the intake water passage. Nearly invisable.

Blue

 

Anybody else?

 

they would be AN-6 fittings.

I am using 3/8 hose on my Willys and a Stude defroster. It has a 3/8 core. I didn't try and hide my hoses because it is a truck.

But I also have run the hoses along the frame rail and up through the toe board. Almost invisable. You normally have to solder elbos on the heater core so that it doesn't poke out through the fire wall. I don't know what you are using for an engine but most modern engines have block draines down near the bottom of the block you can use that outlet instead of the one up buy the intake.