Steel Tubing Radiator "Hoses"

[toobroketoretire]

About 5 years ago I did away with my long radiator hoses and fabricated steel tubing "hoses" to virtually eliminate any possibility of a blown hose. I will have to admit it was a very lengthy job to make them because of the multiple angles and MIG welding involved but in the end they came out perfect. The top "hose" uses two short pieces of 1-1/2" heavy duty straight hose and the bottom "hose" uses two very short pieces of 1-3/4" straight hose. I used 14 gauge exhaust tubing in their construction so they will last virtually forever. And for the 3/4" bypass hose I reduced it to 5/8" and am using heavy duty 5/8" heater hose that will also last a very long time because it is so much tougher than the pre-formed bypass hoses.

 

[toobroketoretire]

1971 Corvette Top And Bottom Radiator "Tubes"

Okay, I got my camera battery re-charged so here's the pictures of my latest top and bottom radiator "tubes" that are constructed from 14 gauge (.070") exhaust tubing and MIG welded. They will last damned near forever because of their heavy duty construction and as every auto parts store stocks heavy duty straight hose I'll never have any problem replacing them.

What prompted me to make them was the lousy top and bottom hoses I got from Corvette Central 5 years ago. They must have been made in China because within 6 months they had swollen to 1-1/2 times their original diameter and were so soft I was afraid they would burst at the worst possible time in the worst possible place...............like on a Los Angeles or San Francisco freeway where there is NO place to pull to the side of the road.

I used longer pieces of straight hose for the top tubing assembly to give more uh "give" for the engine to torque under a heavy throttle. The top tube required about 4 hours of labor and the bottom tube required about 8 hours of labor so it was a VERY lengthy job. As my '71 is my daily driver and it gets about 25,000 miles put on it every year I am trying to make it as dependable as possible because I HATE being broken down on the side of the road.

For heater hoses I have always used the heavy duty Gates "Green Stripe" hose because it is so tough and even then I replace them about every 3-4 years just to be sure they won't fail. And I replace my thermostat every 3-4 years for the same reason. When it comes to an engine worth several thousand dollars a $6 thermostat is nothing. Oh yeah, and I replace my alternator belt about every 2 years and I keep a complete set of belts in my rear storage.

 

[dougelam]

And he has a fan clutch
Oversized alternator belt as well

Sent from my SM-T530NU using Tapatalk

 

[toobroketoretire]

I got the idea from the large industrial engines I used to overhaul. They use steel tubing wherever they can then join them together with short pieces of heavy duty straight hose.