Rebeldryver's '65 Impala SS Black Betty

[milner351]

I think the piece of metal straight pipe (or even curves if you like to weld) and a bit of rubber at each end is a better alternative to the corrugated hose - purely from an estetic point of view, the actual flow impact is probably negligible - but I can see the corrugations creating turbulence near the wall of the hose - do they make much different? In most cases - likely not enough to have any measurable effect.

[Scott Liggett]

I think the piece of metal straight pipe (or even curves if you like to weld) and a bit of rubber at each end is a better alternative to the corrugated hose - purely from an estetic point of view, the actual flow impact is probably negligible - but I can see the corrugations creating turbulence near the wall of the hose - do they make much different? In most cases - likely not enough to have any measurable effect.

With less than 14" total length of the lower hose, by the time you bolt on the two bends there wouldnt be any visible aluminum tubing on the lower hose. Since will be a turbo right above it in the future, you wouldnt be able to it anyways.

[milner351]

gotcha - I'm slow - catch on eventually.

I've seen some pretty inventive hose routings to make turbos work.... you'll giterdun.

[Scott Liggett]

gotcha - I'm slow - catch on eventually.

I've seen some pretty inventive hose routings to make turbos work.... you'll giterdun.

The upper hose routing was purposely built with the turbo placement in mind. The idea right now is to place them facing foward just in front and outside the valve covers. Though that is the plan. Where they will eventually end up may be someplace else.

[Loren]

I once had a parts store let me bring in a length of wire that was bent to how I thought a radiator hose should go, and then spend awhile in back (don't try that with RockAuto) going through molded hoses. I got close but still had to put a splice in the middle of what I ended up with.

That mount will work fine as long as the tanks are supported at the bottom corners. The radiator support which the radiator is mounted to is a rigid piece...looking from the front, it's not going to trapezoid-out. The only way it's going to flex, like to accomodate frame twist over uneven road, is along a lateral axis in which case the three-point mount is actually an advantage...the support will twist but the radiator won't have to.

Whoops, I think I have about forty pages of catching up to do on Black Betty, here...

[squirrel]

I have an old Gates hose book that has a listing by the size of the ends, and it has schematic drawings of the bends. So if I spend a few minutes looking in the book, then I know what part numbers to eyeball when I get to the parts store. And the guy at the parts store, whom I've been dealing with for over 25 years, is very helpful.

But I recently got rid of the metal upper hose on my 55, and replaced it with a flex hose. For the sake of appearances. It's not what you'd do on a turbo car, but it looks right on an old fashioned blower car

[Huskinhano]

I can see the corrugations creating turbulence near the wall of the hose - do they make much different? In most cases - likely not enough to have any measurable effect.

Agreed. I don't think the corragations are going to have much of an impact either, I was just wondering out loud.

[Mr4Speed]

The lower hose usually has a spring inside it that would impede flow a little, and it isn't going to flow out faster than it flows in.

[milner351]

4speed - very good point which reminds, me - why is it that some lower hoses come with springs inside and some dont?

I know the quality of hoses varies widely - I have handed a few "store brand" hoses back across the counter after taking a look at how flimsy they were.... but - if the mfr had a spring in the lower hose - doesn't it make sense that all aftermarket hoses for that application should have the spring installed?

[squirrel]

It looks to me like gates (for one example) quit putting springs in hoses some time in the not too distant past.

[DanStokes]

Someone told me that they expected you to transfer the spring into the new hose - no idea if that's correct. It's there to keep the hose from sucking flat when the pump is spooled up but I really don't know if that's much of an issue. The flex hoses would, of course, solve that as a by-product of their design.

Dan

[Scott Liggett]

4speed - very good point which reminds, me - why is it that some lower hoses come with springs inside and some dont?

I know the quality of hoses varies widely - I have handed a few "store brand" hoses back across the counter after taking a look at how flimsy they were.... but - if the mfr had a spring in the lower hose - doesn't it make sense that all aftermarket hoses for that application should have the spring installed?

The spring keeps the hose from kinking and collapsing. I pulled the spring out of the old flex hose and shoved in the new molded hose trying to get it to fit cause it was kinking and folding shut.

[yellomalibu]

When I worked at the parts store, the Goodyear rep told us that their hoses didn't require the inner spring. I still have a goodyear hose on the Chevelle and it has never been an issue.

I did have to change a hose on my first car that looked fine idling, but would suck itself shut at some rpm and make the car run hot.

[Scott Liggett]

When I worked at the parts store, the Goodyear rep told us that their hoses didn't require the inner spring. I still have a goodyear hose on the Chevelle and it has never been an issue.

I did have to change a hose on my first car that looked fine idling, but would suck itself shut at some rpm and make the car run hot.

That is true as long as you are not trying to force a stock molded hose onto a radiator with its fitting in a different place than stock. Thats my issue.

Since these flex hoses are not the cause of the car overheating, the rest of this discussion is mute.

[Deaf Bob]

True.. Harder to find hoses with springs in them...
We run 2 springs in our derby cars... If we can get them in..
With rpms and heat, the bottom hose collapses.
For daily drivers with some spirited driving one spring's plenty..
I think Scotty Boy's got his punkin screwed on right...