I just finished up the installation of my radiator and radiator hoses. Engine is a 350 Chevy, car is a 1931 Ford coupe body on a Kiwi Connection 1932 Ford frame, grill shell is reproduction metal 1932 Ford. The radiator is a custom build from Brice Thomas Radiators in Gadsden, Alabama. The firewall is recessed and the radiator is pushed forward about an inch on the crossmember to give space for the engine (and it is still really tight!). My car has a mini-channel, so the radiator is a weird height. The car had an inexpensive looking radiator in it when I bought the car, and I had to chop that up and re-weld it to make a mock-up radiator that I could take to them to copy the dimensions. I used a custom Rootlieb hood that was made for the car to help align the cowl, hood and radiator complex. Once I got the radiator mocked up and aligned, it was time to source radiator hoses. Note on radiator inlet/outlet placement: I'm a symmetry nut, so I had the top hose centered in the top tank. I had the lower hose installed an inch from the lower right corner of the tank to allow placement of either a temp sensor or a sacrificial anode in the bottom tank. I wish I had placed the lower hose at the FAR RIGHT corner of the lower tank. I consulted the HAMB using the search function to research hose options. Welding rod was bent to the approximate shape needed. The upper hose was chosen by going behind the counter at OReilly's, finding a hose with the one bend that the top hose needed, then cutting the hose down to fit. The top hose turned out great. For the lower hose, I researched part numbers on the HAMB and ordered the part number recommended on HAMB (I don't remember if that is a Gates PN or a Dayco PN) at Auto Zone a second part number from NAPA. Both had to be ordered, but arrived the next day. Took them home and compared. The Auto Zone hose won. Avoiding a kink on the inside radius of the hose is the challenge. By progressively cutting down each end of the hose I was able to get a smooth hose without a kink. Like I said above, I wish I had placed the lower hose outlet to the extreme right of the lower tank. The best method that I have found for t******* hoses is with a band saw with a blade made for cutting wood. The OReilly PN for the top hose is 70537. The AutoZone PN for the lower hose is 70155.
Nice job! I always take the hose# stickers off and save them in my car files so if a hose fails, I can quickly look up the part # and avoid the search all over.
Upper hose fits 1970 Chevelle, lower hose fits tri 5 Chevy. Look like they fit the car, and the theme of the car, very well.
The Jalopy Journal
