Radiator hoses – you can’t get there from here.

I read in several build threads whimsical tails of making a pattern for radiator hoses then easily matching them up at the auto parts store. So I made my patterns and headed to town.

 

This is the top pattern.

After a little trimming on the water pump neck so they don't have to stick out so far I did pretty well finding a top hose

But the lower outlets point in 2 different directions on 2 different planes and you just can’t get there from here with rubber hose.  It's really hard to see in the photo how weird the angles are or how tight it is to the A/C compressor.

And the pattern

There was no way to make the half of a figure 8 needed but I did find a hose that would get me in the ball park.

So now what?  Looking at this picture the obvious easy way out would be to take the radiator to a shop and have them point that outlet straight up. But anyone with a credit card can do that and I'm not beat yet!

So with a completely bogus plan in mind I hit the 30 cents a pound scrap pile and found everything I needed for under a buck.  And with my usual design on the fly method I started tacking things together

What- you don't have a lower radiator hose manifold on your car?

Perfect fit. Nailed it!

Weld, check, leak, repeat...

The observant eye will notice the weld on top is different in this shot from the one in the vise. 

 

Yes that is rust from a lot of leaking water and rewelding.... 

But it painted up fine.

Yes it is ridicules and took me a good 6 hours to make by time I fixed all the leaks.  But even with mileage to the steel yard and wending wire figured in I have less than 5 bucks of materials in it.  Which brings the total $$ I have into the entire cooling system to 500 bucks less than Flyin miatas cooling set up thank you very much!

OK truth to be told if I did it again I would take the radiator to a shop even if it costs 50 bucks to turn that inlet up.  It would have been worth it in time, weight and confidence of it not leaking.  But now I know for the next build!

Neither death or life or angels or demons, neither the present age or the future or any powers, neither height or depth or anything else in all creation can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Rom 8) And you thought this car had power!