Long Coolant Hoses under Cab

The hoses under the cab run through the oval shaped main chassis tube. It is merely a question of pulling the old hose out and feeding the new one through. Unlike the 308's the tube from front to back is not a hard line but rather soft sided radiator hose. I reccomend that you use the old tube as a guide to feed the new one though and this is a job that is best done on a lift rather than on the ground on jack stands.

 

The rad does not need to come out and I would feed the hoses both out and in from the back. Also lube the the outside of the hoses well with dish soap as it is a tight fit and the slightest bit of extra friction will make the install difficult.

 

Superformance sold me Alfa Gomma 32mm (recalling from memory) and I can have the length for you when I get home.

BTW, I believe I've heard is a nasty job and not fun to do, so perhaps it makes sense to pay a bit more for a longer lasting product? Have you looked into Scuderia Rampante:
http://www.scuderiarampanteinnovations.com/solutions.html

After buying the two fuel cross pipe hoses and fuel filler hose from David Helms Scuderia Rampante (http://www.****************.com/), I'm really impressed at the quality and would recommend it.

 

just to chime in with some comment that may/may not be helpful. I have tried replacing the coolant tubes in my GT4 with this

http://www.jegs.com/i/Gates/465/28324/10002/-1

comes in 10 foot length, wire reinforced.

I got one in...but for the life of me i could not see how i could get the 2nd one in. The chassis tube is two narrow, with the schutz type coating reducing the internal diameter of the chassis tube a bit further, and the first hose hogging space, i couldnt even get the 2nd one started (even with a squished end). a 246 may be a different proposition, otherwise you need to find hose with a narrower OD. the challenge seems to be finding slim but with the right ID, and in say min 6 foot lengths (guess for a 246 which has a short wheelbase than the gt4) - maybe OEM mondial hose (or tracing down the manufacturer of that).

SRI Hoses. that was my thought too as I already have the SRI fuel coolant hose kit. Dave Helms took my call a few weeks back (I really appreciated that he would use his precious time talking to a rube like myself). Maybe I can save some of his time by passing on the following notes:

First thing is that Dave's hose comes in long enough lengths (12 ft I think) that conceivably he can cut it for you.
2nd is that Dave admits this will be very expensive even if he takes an generous view that he can use the offcuts.
3rd is that Dave did not guarantee that 2 lengths of hose would fit in the chassis tunnel. In a gt4 i have my doubts, his is a big sturdy host, same od as the Gates, and with one hose in, there isnt much give between the tunnel and the first hose to fit the 2nd in! even with pull ropes, its hard to exert the force where you need it!

Finally, Dave mentioned that most Mondials still seem to be on their original not very high quality OEM hose. Dave surmised that in their dark protected place (away from engine heat mainly and sunlight, it may be overkill using his hose ie a normal quality hose may last year and years (Dave confirmed my thinking that most leaks will come at junctions, not down the length of the hose).

On my car I was hopefully lucky enough to find a quality workshop that can repair the alu tubes.

good luck - sure is piece of mind getting these done one way or another.

 

and what I was trying to get at there is that in this application (a long piece of hose gently resting in the cool and dark...) the risk of failure is more at the end ie spend less time and money and worry on the hose and more effort getting a perfect seal at the joints thats going to last (no good advice there unfortunately!)

this is my simpletons assumption ofcourse and there may be other factors I have failed to take into account.

 

forgot to mention...i will probably have that gates hose available if someone wants it as it looks like i will re use the aluminum tubes - as I said though you'd need to see if there is more space in a 246 than a gt4 (or be smarter at making it fit). pm me

 

Sorry for the late response
I received lengths of 32mm by 8' 6" and 32mm by 8' 8" from Superformance for the two coolant hose run replacements
Hope this helps

Scott

 

Gents,
A few years ago, a friend and I changed all of the hoses and pipes on two Dinos, a Tipo M and an E. The pipes and hoses are somewhat different on those two models...save for the two long hoses through the central spine. We ordered the E hose kit & pipes from Superformance, and the ones for the M from DinoParts. When we pulled the old hoses out, they appeared to be original but were in surprisingly good condition. Only the ends that protruded from the tunnel showed significant signs of deterioration.

Now, don't even consider changing hoses without replacing the pipes (all of 'em) with the S/S gems. No matter how good the mild steel ones look on the outside, they are likely ready for the recycle bin. Follow Scott's super tutorial for that part of the project. For the long hoses, here's a how we did it. It's a dirty, labor-intensive process, but is well worth the effort! And, yes, ya gotta do this on a lift.

If you don't get the new long hoses from Superformance or one of the usual suspects, make sure that you buy bulk radiator hose that is 32mm (1.25") ID and 42mm (1.65") OD. The OD is critical. If you go larger than 42mm, both hoses will not fit in the tunnel! I don't believe that wire reinforced or marine-grade hose material is necessary. In fact, it's a pain to cut & hook up once in the car. It is also quite rigid and doesn't like to make the curves up front to connect to the radiator. Heck, the original stuff did not have wire in it and it lasted for over 37 years in each car! Most local parts suppliers can order the hose in bulk.

The final step in prepping was to clean up the inside of the tunnel. We crafted up a 'bottle brush hone' apparatus. We bought a wire chimney brush from our local country hardware store and trimmed it to fit tightly in the oval tunnel. We tied about ten feet of ski rope to it. After coaxing the old hoses out, we fed the rope through the tunnel and pulled the brush through with the rope. (Stand to the side as the brush comes out, or you'll find yourself covered in rusty metal debris.) We did this several times to 'hone' out the tunnel & make a clean surface for the hoses to slide against. It made the job much easier, and prevented cuts or abrasions in the new hoses. We also cut the hoses longer than necessary so that we'd have extra to work with at each end.

The first hose slid in easily, of course; it's the second one that was a challenge. We punctured the very end of that one so that we could attach the ski rope to it with some heavy safety wire. We again snaked the rope through the tunnel; one person pulled the second hose forward while the other guided/twisted/pushed and verbally persuaded it from the back of the car, all the while making sure that the first hose didn't shift forward.

Oh, another point: Once the two too-long hoses are in place, secure the engine ends to their new stainless plumbing with new stainless hose clamps and slide both hoses forward a few inches to their 'normal' position. Then, go forward and cut the appropriate hose to splice in the "T" for the heater (Tipo E) and finally cut the hoses, as needed, to make the connections at the radiator.

Remember, measure twice-cut once...or something like that! Actually, trim on the conservative side each time until you get it perfect (another reason why the wire-laced hoses can be a pain to fit!).

'trust this process helps, too. Keep us posted,
Coop

 

...and ofcourse I wasnt clever enough search through the 246 parts on superformance to see if they had suitable hose - 8ft plus should be sufficient for 308gt4's as well. I note that they dont even mention the hose in the mondial section, which also had rubber hose as OEM, not aluminum like the 308's.

and agree, the wire reinforced hose is a pain to cut neatly (made worse by the fact you are cutting it in situ) and is probably overkill.

Very interested to hear that the detioration of the hose was at the ends, which suggests just a simple hose will last a long time in that position.

 

..and to further illustrate my fail, just measured the Gates green hose and its about 45mm od. No surprise the 2nd hose didnt go in - I'm just glad I didnt murder myself trying to get it in!!

 

I just ordered a section of Gates green stripe 42mm OD. I used vaseline to get it in the Mondial.

 

I actually found it easier to pull both hoses through together.

Before you pull out the old ones tie a piece of rope to them. Pull out the old hoses leaving the rope in the chassis tube.

Bind the two new hoses together with electrical tape. Reattach to the rope (on the centre line ie between the two hoses) and pull back through.

Good tip by Coop, never thought to "chimney sweep" the tubes that way

Simple

 

can you give the link where you found the hose - I only found the larger OD gates on Jegs.

 

Duhhh. We never even considered the 'two-fer' approach! Great discovery, Tony; that makes perfect sense...rubber sliding only on smooth metal (especially after 'The Sweep').
Did you use any type of dry lube (graphite or chaulk) or wet (soap suds or rubber conditioner)?
Thanks for everyones input. What a team!
Cheers,
Coop

 

Vaseline is petroleum based, not sure but it might be a concern on the material your hoses are made from. On some rubbers it acts as a slow solvent.

If Rob/Paul chime in I believe that is why they chose soap as it won't degrade the hoses.

I think this sounds brilliant - By doing both at once you avoid the like-on-like friction.

Another big concern of mine that I haven't seen mentioned here is how do you prevent particles and things from getting inside during the install process. For storage I've stuffed a paper towel down all 4 ends to prevent this.

Also it is the ends of mine that were split, slightly frayed, the interiors look good, but have that diagonally wrapped style hose common in the 70's

 

That's why I used it. Vaseline is about the most chemically stable petroleum product on the planet. It's been in there 10 years, and I've got about 100k miles. Soap is not a lubricant, and if anything is going to etch, It'll be liquid soap.

But, do what you like, it's your car.

 

In our trade we have plastic blanks that fit in steel tubes when they arrive on the lorry, I used these but if you can find a plastic bottle or similar, cut of the bottom and insert into the hose end.
Tony

 

Coop,

No i did it dry, with no lube at all.

 

I have a Mondial so I do not know what the Dino looks like exactly but I did replace both of my lines with SRIs product. After pulling out the hoses I used a tape measure and fed it down the tube to the far end, this was easy and I did it a few times. I tied a string to the end of the tape measure then retracted it. Very quick and easy, once all the way through I just lock the tape measure and go to the other side and tie the string to it.

I then saturated a rag with silicone spray and tied the string to it and pulled it through the tunnel to clean the dirt and lubricate the channel. (Do your own research on the safety of silicone and how much is safe to use but it was the lifesaver for me.)

I then used the rag to wipe down the tube that was to be installed. I tied a string around the end of the tube and put a couple wraps of duct tape( string already through car via tape measure trick. I found that with the silicone lube I was able to push the coolant line about 80% of the way through, then went to the other end and used the string to pull remainder. I actually did it by myself, it is recommended to have two folks, one gently pulling and one pushing.

I had tried with other non petrolium lubes and I couldn't even get the hose to enter 2 feet into the cavity.

Pulling mine out I did find exactly what Dave Helms mentioned, the ends showed age, the center section that is enclosed in the car was in decent shape.

1st pic is two lines side by side, second is the rearmost entry, you can see the compartments for the lines is separate on the 3.2 Mondi and lower not yet installed. 3rd is just the hoses sitting to left of car.
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