How do you keep your cloth braided hoses looking good?

I used a thin band of heat shrink tubing on the very end of the cut just to keep it neat looking and stop fraying. I don't know that it matters or if I would do it again.

 

I had my engine out to do head gaskets and replaced all the hoses and had it all pristine but now it's been a year and a half and 5,000 miles and it looks well, less than pristine. There's not much you can do in this regard other than keep it parked in the garage. If you spray them with Armor-All it will just attract more crud and if you constantly wipe them you'll wear down the braid. If you want to use the car for it's intended purpose you just have to accept that it will eventually look like Steve McQueen's 917 at the end of the movie "Le Mans" Dirty and beaten up.

 

I recall some years ago there was a poster who used a thin coat of black RTV just around the edge to stop the fraying.

 

For a full concours restoration you need to use the braid. And that goes hand-in-hand with the statement that the only way to keep them looking good is to not drive it. The only way to keep a perfect 100 point car at perfect 100 points is to not really drive it.

For a car you are going to drive the regular rubber hoses are the way to go.

 

I have been having a terrible time finding cloth braided hoses in the US at the right size. They all seem to come from Europe and they can't be easily found or bought. I just end up using high quality rubber hoses freely available in the US. I stay far away from the concorso judges, opting to tell them to eff off instead.

 

I’d use rubber next time. I bought some braided ones before and they look messy now!

 

Brian that's why you need two identical cars, one you don't drive and the other one you beat the heck out of it...

 

You can get metric braided hoses from Belmetric too. Prices are more reasonable. Sold by the meter.

 

You need 6mm, 8mm, 10mm, 14mm, 16mm, 18mm, 20mm, and I think 22mm hoses. I don't think they have everything.

 

Wise decision. Especially because all that cloth braided stuff isn't appropriate any more for today's modern fuels. Wuerth for instance says in their spec sheets of their braided hose: "no more suitable for fuel systems".

DIN 73379-3E is the way to go. FPM/ECO hose.
Former NBR/CR-hose is meanwhile outdated as well

Best from Germany
Martin

 

To keep my braided hoses looking black on my 328 I use black liquid shoe polish.

Alan
N.J.

 

I used to spray paint them black and they came looking like brand new.

 

I keep my engine neat and couldn't keep the braided hoses clean so I switched to rubber. Several advantages :
Available everywhere, they are suitable for modern fuels, easy to keep them clean and you can visually inspect them for cracks and leaks. Besides, they also match the black rubber water hoses and coil/distributor covers for a more uniform look. Just my 2 cents.

 

You'd be surprised how effective a thick black sharpie can be.

 

I use steel braided hoses for the air , oil , coolant lines and whatever else I can use them on. I love the way they look.

Thank you

 

I just bought these from them. Would recommend!

 

Change them.

Buy Viton hose in bulk from someone like JEGS and change them. Don't paint them. Don't shoe polish them. Change them before they rupture and light your engine on fire.

 

If you live in a city that has a Ferrari Dealer, you can buy the braided hose at the parts counter. They have rolls of it.

 

A diluted solution of SimpleGreen is effective in removing the grime. Heck, even parts store brake-kleen works. As to age and condition - obviously, old hoses should be replaced.

 

If not, go to the next city.

 

Go to any hydraulic hose and fitting shop in your city..they will have or can get any hose and fitting you desire. I'm quite sure these shops are where Ferrari sourced half thier stuff in the past anyway.

So cheap they may not even charge you if they have random cut offs lying around.