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MG MGB GT V8 Factory Originals Technical - Cool Flex

I have a 1977 MGB with a rover 3.5 engine. I presently have two rad hoses connected together to connect the water pump to the bottom of the rad which is on the passenger side of the car. This requires passing between the cross member and steering rack to the bottom of the rad with several sharp bends. I am not satisfied with the set up as is now and in event of a roadside repair will be difficult to match and install this configuration.
I have been looking at a product called Cool Flex. These hoses are said to be able to be formed to fit and not lose its shape. Does anybody have any experience or comments regarding this product?
What hoses and are commonly for this set up, or are there other alternatives?
The website for coolflex is www.coolflex.com

Thank,
Dave
BR Dave

Dave, I've seen the product but don't have any experience with it. Looks like you have to have exactly the correct length to get the smooth ends for the hose connections. I had a similar problem with the lower hose for my V6 midget project. I wound up using some prebent exhaust tubing and welded up couple of pieces that routed the lower hose around the crossmember and rack. Used a couple of short pieces of hose to connect to the water pump inlet and the radiator. No worries about rubbing a hole or having it go soft and spring a leak in the future. http://www.mgcars.org.uk/v8_conversions/midget/images/billyoung/Slide5.JPG
Bill Young

Been looking at this as well. Found the following link and looks to be the same as Coolflex, but at a lower cost. http://www.thehoffmangroup.com:16080/Zirgo/search.lasso?search=zirgo+hose

If you order, please list your experience as I am about to go this route. Like the idea of flex to meet the bends we need.
Jeff Howell


$55 for 12 inches of "Zirgo Ultra" radiator hose?

I had no idea radiator hose could possibly cost so much. And for stuff that looks so gaudy (and, in the case of Cool Flex, so offensively over-hyped)!

I'm with Bill on this one. Bend some pipe and put Gates Green Stripe at the joints. Classic. Simple. Cost effective. Here's a picture: http://www.storyboardtoys.com/MGBGT-Cooling.jpg
Curtis

hello BR the hoses clamped to pipe clamped to hoses etc,etc. well my car was like that, looked like crap!! however i've seen others who took a little more time & effort & it didnt look bad at all.. i felt my stock B radiator was inadquate the p/o had not done a quality job on the hoses & they were in poor shape from rubbing & rot,, so i tossed it all put in an alum. rad. with both ports on the drivers side& got [2] hoses from D&D [however all this wasent cheap!!] but it does look & work great,,, as far as the coolflex stuff i have no idea ,,i dont care for its looks [reminds me of that chrome wrap crap some guys actually put on M/C cables,,uh,,tackey??]have you talked to d&d?? they seem to have everything else and after 20 or 30 [by now] stupid questions thier still nice to me?? go figure...
denny

I have a 78 MGB with a D&D radiator. I solved the problem by running the lower hose straight out the inner fender then down and under to connect to the bottom of the radiator. One radiator hose and a piece of drain tail pipe (which is chrome plated brass)is all it takes. Covered the edge of the hole I cut in the inner fender with some door edge guard you can buy in the automotive section of Wal-Mart and other parts suppliers. The hose part number is Gates-21772 or Good Year-61330. No rub problems at all.

Will email a picture.
Jim Miller

I used to have the hose-and-tubing arrangement but I've always been on the lookout for hoses that would fit properly and I finally found them. The only thing is the part numbers are in a notebook out in the shop but if anyone is interested I'll get the numbers tomorrow.

Jim
Jim Blackwood


Application- 3.9 Range rover motor. Alloy radiator, inlet toplefthadside(portside), outlet bottom righthand side.
For the Bottom hose I used a bit of polished stainless exhaust tubeing with some bits of rubber either end. The stainless looks good and is immune to fanbelt damage.
For the top hose I found this.
Nissan Pintara RWD '86-'89

Grommet GR206
MACKAY CHI564
OEM 2150154500
GATES 05-0598

This radiator hose actually fits better than the RV8 one and costs $15(Australian) . Compared to about $60.
Its longer than the RV8 one which suits my application of radiator far forward and engine far back perfectly. infact I had to cut about one inch off the ends.
Peter

Using an extended radiator with both openings on the right hand side, Autozone # L-182 (top) and L-59 (bottom) work very well for me.
Jim
Jim Blackwood

Hello again BR DAVE i must be dislexic,,[if thats how you spell it??]my radiator & hoses came from D&D but the ports are on the passenger side /NOT the drivers side as i stated in my above post.. there are certinly cheaper places to get an alum. rad. but D&D are nice /knowledgable & thats good for me as i'm NO accomplished car mechanic...so i support them & they put up with me,, thanks..
denny 1

I have a Griffin Aluminum radiator and it was special made for me. Top fitting is in the center and bottom is on the passenger side with extra coolant capacity.

I went the Cool Flex route for a while but had trouble with them staying on, I did not like the clamp/attachment system but the look of the chrome or polished flex hoses was very nice.
Michael S. Domanowski

Thanks for the info. Jim, thanks, I would be interested in a picture if you have one. Mike, I appreciate learning that you had trouble with the cool flex staying on. I am interested with a reliable rad hose, would have gotten the black hose with plain rubber connectors. I am not interested in chrome and stainless for my rat rod. I will check out the other suggested configurations. Dave dsburstyn@sympatico.ca
BR Dave

I use the cool flex on my MGB v6. I ordered mine from summitracing.com.
I have 14000 miles on it and no trouble with the hoses.
I do carry a spare cool flex with me when I travel.

Good luck
steve

I also went teh exh tubing route. I also had to contend with a change in hose size while making the bend, so it was much easier to use steel and have it act as an enlarger at the same time.
Larry Embrey

This thread was discussed between 08/03/2006 and 14/03/2006

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