Radiator hoses

[P.S.]

The hoses that came on the Tudor when I bought it got replaced and I noticed that the old hoses had thin rubber "skins" sluffing off the insides of the hoses. Complete cooling system flush cleaned that out. Put new hoses on and ran the car for a year. The new hoses came from Sac Vintage, made by Vintique (yes, I know). I pulled the hoses today and noticed the insides of the new hoses are losing rubber "skin" from the insides also.

Are there any hoses sold for Model As today that will not come apart like this?? I don't want that rubber in the engine and radiator. I run distilled water with a little bit of soluble oil for coolant.

Although, now, I need to replace the radiator anyway. My fault- I did something stupid and trashed the original radiator....

PS

[1930artdeco]

Paul what did you do to the radiator? You can always just get another core installed. This way you get to keep all of the moutning points and tanks original. this is what I did.

Mike

[Tom Wesenberg]

You can buy straight hose at any auto parts store, just give the ID and how many inches you want.

[ken ct]

NAPA has some super duty spirel wrapped straight hose you can get in i think in 3' lengths you can cut pices off what ever you need. Lasts forever. Expensive but. Thats plenty for at least 4-5 pcs for a V8. Only need 2 on model A. You can make an extra set. ken ct.

[Tom Wesenberg]

You can also go to a junk yard and cut off straight sections from any hose that has the right ID and some straight section.

[whirnot]

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You are running soluable oil (cutting Oil) for coolant? Oil will deteriorate rubber to an extent when in constant contact. How much deterioration depends on the oil makeup and the rubber, but I would definitely use a coolant that is made for Engines.

[P.S.]

Originally Posted by 1930artdeco

Paul what did you do to the radiator? You can always just get another core installed. This way you get to keep all of the moutning points and tanks original. this is what I did.

Mike

Hey Mike. Remember that nice original radiator in my car you were admiring?....

After finding and fixing every last rattle and noise in the car, I was quite pleased with myself for having solved all that (well except for that valve tick). It was nice and quiet going down the road with the doors all sealed, etc. Then, a new noise develops lately, best described as the sound of a clay saucer being gently tapped against the motor block, and only heard after a long downhill, engine braking all the way descent (like that road from my house) or after a long 2nd gear 25 MPH the whole way climb (like that road up to my street). Not always there, and not changing with RPMs or temp, or whatever.

Went in search of the noise, not getting anywhere. Decided to "punt" thinking it could be something rubbing against something else up front. I noticed that the hood gap on the passenger's side was pretty much touching the radiator shell while there was about 1/4 inch on the driver's side, and also noticed the hood hinge had about 3/16 of gap. So, I loosened everything and began tweaking everything to get the gaps all correct, and therefore, nothing to rub. Tweaked on the front end, radiator mounting, everything. When it was all straight, tightened everything up, and bingo! Got all the gaps around the hood absolutely perfect! Then, I was going to take the car for a drive to town and see if the noise went away. When I went around front, I noticed a giant puddle of coolant on the floor. My heart sank...

Apparently, old radiators don't like being "tweaked". What was I thinking? Complete stupidity. It appears that the tubes connecting to the lower tank are all leaking where they meet the tank. Some cussing took place on the Lord's day, for which I am now ashamed.

SO, I decided to remove the radiator. Pulled out the Andrews book and thought, "That doesn't look too hard." This is a good time to remind you of my mechanical ineptness. The further I went, the worse I made it. It is now at the point that the car is disabled, sitting in that tiny tool shed I call a garage with pieces in disarray and some stripped threads, broken pieces, etc. Since all I did was make it worse and worse, and I saw the dollar signs spinning higher and higher, I finally decided to stop. I am now seeking someone who will fix the car in exchange for money.

Of course, I also now need to buy a new radiator, redo some wiring, new grommets, new hardware, new hoses, etc., etc. This is very disturbing and caused a "family meeting" last night. Options were discussed. Selling the car was even brought up.

Why is there NOBODY around here that will work on a Model A for money?

[P.S.]

Thanks for the hose tips, guys. Since this car still looks so original, I kinda wanted to use original looking hoses too. Otherwise, the junkyard option would certainly be the way to go.

Bill- yes, soluble oil. The original owner, and the next owner between me and he ran it too. So, I just kept it up. About 1/2 cup of soluble oil and the rest distilled water. The inside of the motor block that you can see through the openings is clean as a whistle, so it can't be all that bad.

[1930artdeco]

If you sell her you will regret it. If that is all you did don't worry about it. Things happen that will be far worse. You just learn that 80 year old metal takes kid gloves at times to deal with.

Mike

[P.S.]

I know I would, but you have to remember- That car isn't a hobby to us; We actually use it. Family demands that a car be practical, and what makes the Model A so impractical in our case is that there's nobody (capable) around that will fix it. I am under tremendous family pressure to resolve this issue.

[Steve Wastler]

One can only surmise that the 'continued' use of this 'soluble oil' may be the contributing factor in numerous premature internal hose deteriorations. Flush out the system, fill it with 25/75 antifreeze/water.

[oliverguy]

Look in the back of the model a mags or pick up a hemmings motor news to find a model a mechanic. The local model a club likely has a half dozen guys who will do work for cash or trade. I'm sure in california there are a ton. You might have to haul it to them though.

[eshaver]

Originally Posted by ken ct

NAPA has some super duty spirel wrapped straight hose you can get in i think in 3' lengths you can cut pices off what ever you need. Lasts forever. Expensive but. Thats plenty for at least 4-5 pcs for a V8. Only need 2 on model A. You can make an extra set. ken ct.

Ken makes an excellent point! I've been running this type of hose on my 53 Ford truck . I've never experienced a problem. Yes, like a Snap -On Tool , you'll pay for the name . However , the QUALITY is there ..........

[P.S.]

Originally Posted by oliverguy

Look in the back of the model a mags or pick up a hemmings motor news to find a model a mechanic. The local model a club likely has a half dozen guys who will do work for cash or trade. I'm sure in california there are a ton. You might have to haul it to them though.

Thanks for the tip.

I am a paid member of one club, and an "adopted" member of another. The closest club is 60 miles away. Hauling a dead, disassembled car to a scheduled monthly tech seminar 60+ miles away 2-3 months from now is not practical for repairs. Was hoping for a closer option, though it may not exist.

[QGolden]

My word! There has to be another club member of one of the two clubs that you haunt living within 15 or 20 miles of you. Get a phone list of members and make some calls. Explain your dilemma and invite them over to "review the problem" and include a cookout on the grill lunch in the offer, tell them to bring their wife/husband or whatever. It seems you have kids, if they do, then invite them too. Keep it light and enjoyable, talk cars.

The least you should get is some decent hands on advice, the most is a new friend, with tools and knowledge. I for one tend the be the guy in the neighborhood who gets called when others have mechanical issues, everything from keys locked in running cars, to diagnosing funny smokey smells coming from the Brakes! I am always pleased and a little bit proud that my neighbors think enough of my limited skills, and me, to help. Put the shoe on the other foot, If a member of whatever you do excel at, called you looking for help, would you not jump to the chance to share your skills with him?

If you were 2,900 miles closer to me, I would pop over....

[Rock Hornbuckle]

Originally Posted by P.S.

Why is there NOBODY around here that will work on a Model A for money?

Try advertising for a mechanic that will work on a Model A. Then check them out thoroughly, ask for references. Then check them out again. Ask everyone in the two clubs with whom you're associated, for names of reliable mechanics, then check them out! Remember, you get what you pay for!

There is a saying we used in the engineering/construction management field, "three things everybody wants, 1. low price, 2. quality, 3. timely, you can't have all three, you can only have two, so choose carefully!".

[P.S.]

Originally Posted by QGolden

My word! There has to be another club member of one of the two clubs that you haunt living within 15 or 20 miles of you. Get a phone list of members and make some calls. Explain your dilemma and invite them over to "review the problem" and include a cookout on the grill lunch in the offer, tell them to bring their wife/husband or whatever. It seems you have kids, if they do, then invite them too. Keep it light and enjoyable, talk cars.

The least you should get is some decent hands on advice, the most is a new friend, with tools and knowledge. I for one tend the be the guy in the neighborhood who gets called when others have mechanical issues, everything from keys locked in running cars, to diagnosing funny smokey smells coming from the Brakes! I am always pleased and a little bit proud that my neighbors think enough of my limited skills, and me, to help. Put the shoe on the other foot, If a member of whatever you do excel at, called you looking for help, would you not jump to the chance to share your skills with him?

If you were 2,900 miles closer to me, I would pop over....

If you were 2900 miles closer, I'd feed you award winning BBQ tri-tip until you couldn't eat another bite!

You would be proud to know that I am the first guy who jumps at the opportunity to help others. I drive the work vehicle to all the Model A club tech seminars and am the first guy to jump in and help whenever possible on other people's cars. I have driven to guys homes and wired their cars, or done other jobs within my skill level and never accepted a thing in return. As for people around here, I have even done home wiring, electrical work, and antique electronic restoration for others, and never accept anything in return- just to share my abilities with others. I never, ever complain about having to do it or how far I have to travel to help someone. However... I live too far away for those who would be willing to help me with a car problem.

Just had an option open up: There's a guy in another Model A club who has now offered to let me bring the car to his garage and will help me, perhaps next week. His place is about 60 miles the other way. I am going to take him up on his offer. I just need to get the beast and all the parts over there. Calling U-haul shortly...

Also, update on the hoses- Just got off the phone with Sac Vintage. They want to see the "peeling" hoses in person, so I will bring them by when I pick up the new parts. They asked what I run for coolant and all that. They see NO reason why the hoses should be losing "skin" from inside. Might be a Vintique problem. So, I requested to purchase hoses from a different supplier for this next set. We'll see.

[P.S.]

Originally Posted by Rock Hornbuckle

Try advertising for a mechanic that will work on a Model A. Then check them out thoroughly, ask for references. Then check them out again. Ask everyone in the two clubs with whom you're associated, for names of reliable mechanics, then check them out! Remember, you get what you pay for!

There is a saying we used in the engineering/construction management field, "three things everybody wants, 1. low price, 2. quality, 3. timely, you can't have all three, you can only have two, so choose carefully!".

Thanks for the input.

I have requested from both clubs, anyone who would work on the Model A for hire. I get the same answer from both- Request a tech seminar on (whatever the problem is) and then bring it to that tech seminar in whatever month it is scheduled. The good news is, you will eventually get the car worked on my competent people, and likely very cheaply. The bad news is, this is usually not convenient or always possible. I don't own a trailer for the car, and really need to find a more local solution.

See post above. I have only missed a couple of tech seminars in a year, routinely drive 1.5 hours to the club seminars in the modern truck just to go help others. Not everyone is so generous. I need a local solution.

[whirnot]

Originally Posted by P.S.

Thanks for the hose tips, guys. Since this car still looks so original, I kinda wanted to use original looking hoses too. Otherwise, the junkyard option would certainly be the way to go.

Bill- yes, soluble oil. The original owner, and the next owner between me and he ran it too. So, I just kept it up. About 1/2 cup of soluble oil and the rest distilled water. The inside of the motor block that you can see through the openings is clean as a whistle, so it can't be all that bad.

Soluable oil is made for using as a coolant when machining parts. It is an antifriction process. Although it would help lessen rust in the engine, It does nothing for acting as an engine coolant. I highly suspect it is the culprit for eating hoses. I have never heard of it and I have been a trained mechanic for over 40 years.

[1931 flamingo]

AFTER you've got it back together and running I'd install 50/50 anti-freeze or if you insist on water, put in a couple cans of rust inhibitor. Ck out Berg's for radiator. Replacing radiator and hoses NOT a big deal. JMO
Paul in CT