Lower B&B Radiator Hose with a 302

Wbulk · #1 (**permalink**) 07-10-2011, 09:37 AM

After being off from building the car for about eight months for various reasons I am trying to get back into it. I'm evaluating how to do the lower radiator hose. I decided not to use the stainless flex hose as the joint at the radiator needs to angle up about 22 1/2 deg. at that point without going down further. It looks like I will go with the exhaust tubing method with the 90 deg. bend going up to the water pump.

I am guessing I will go with the standard water pump lower hose and cut it to connect to the tubing going down. Do any of you know the part number for the short 1 3/4" hose connecting the radiator to the tubing? I am trying to save hours of looking at hoses at the parts stores. It looks like it needs a 22 1/2 deg. bend in it.

The reason I decided to go with the tubing is it seems to be the best method to get it up higher out of the way. I may even crush it a little with my press where it goes under the frame to get it up higher. If any of you have pictures that would help.

Thanks.
Wayne

Rick Parker · #2 (**permalink**) 07-10-2011, 09:42 AM

THis is not the same as your application but shows what can be done.

Wbulk · #3 (**permalink**) 07-10-2011, 09:58 AM

Rick, that is good work.

Wayne

Wbulk · #4 (**permalink**) 07-14-2011, 03:31 PM

I lucked out and found the right hose pretty quick. I found that Gates hose 20609 works really well and you can get the upper and lower pieces out of this one hose. This is a pretty common hose and fits a ton of Ford vans and some dodges.

I did what others had done and got a piece of 1 3/4" aluminized muffler tubing bent. I had seen that tread on making a tool that would dimple the end of the tubing to make a hose stop if that's what you call it. I had also seen over on the FFR forum where a guy used a few wraps of wire and some JB Weld to make the stop. I decided to do a version of that.

I noticed that coat hangers were just about the right size to make the stop. I bent them around a 1 1/2" piece of tubing and let them overlap. I then forced them over my 1 3/4" tubing and cut them so the two ends met. I sanded the tubing and the coat hanger with 80 grit and put a coat of JB Weld around the ring. I think it should work pretty good. I will give it a try.

Wayne

lnfletcher · #5 (**permalink**) 07-15-2011, 12:37 PM

It's amazing how many different ways we find to do things while building these cars!
Very interesting, I'll be interested in knowing how this works out.

Wbulk · #6 (**permalink**) 07-21-2011, 08:30 AM

This is the finished hose. No doubt the stainless flexible hose would have looked better but I believe at the connection of the radiator it would have hung down lower. As it turned out it is all higher than the bottom of the main frame. I guess I am more practicle than flash.

Wayne

NFLDMNBB · #7 (**permalink**) 07-21-2011, 08:53 AM

Looks great! Actually it looks just like mine. The only difference is that I have a friend that’s a Tinner. He was able to roll a bead on each end of the pipe for me. I recently installed a new Griffin Aluminum Radiator. The bottom hose always leaked. When I disassembled it the bottom tube had a straight cut on one end and a flare on the other without a bead.

On your car is the radiator connection smaller diameter than the tube diameter? Mine is 1.5” on the Rad. and 1.75” tube. I really like your idea of the hanger bonded with JB! That should do the job, very creative!

Roger

lnfletcher · #8 (**permalink**) 07-21-2011, 11:41 AM

Hey Wayne, It's hard to tell how much space you have between your frame and the tube, but you may want to put a rubber pad in between.
It took me almost a year to figure out what that rattle was when I punched it and the torque caused the two to rattle together!
It looked fine sitting there without going down the road!

Wbulk · #9 (**permalink**) 07-21-2011, 04:08 PM

Roger, mine is 1 3/4" on both the hose and the radiator.

Larry, it's just about 5/16" of a gap. I was thinking about that, thanks for reminding me. The other option I was pondering was just welding a bracket to the tube and then bolting it to the under side of the K member.

Wayne

lnfletcher · #10 (**permalink**) 07-22-2011, 03:54 AM

I took the easy way out. All I did was to cement a part of the radiator hose that I had cut off to the top of the tube where you couldn't see it. Solved my raddle and allowed the tube to move as much as needed.

Andreas · #11 (**permalink**) 08-23-2011, 11:35 AM

90'd out of the radiator towards the passenger side and went over the cross member. it doesn't sound like anybody else has had problems with the lower hose getting hit but i didn't want to find out the hard way.

Dwight · #12 (**permalink**) 08-23-2011, 01:10 PM

I'm working on a 351W B&B in my shop. Just a bunch of maintain items.

Last week I reworked the lower tube by cutting, reshaping and welding it back together so the radiator end is 1 1/2" in diameter to match the radaitor.

I think I will install a rubber pad between the frame and tubing. Thanks for the tip.

Dwight