Kyle
12-26-2017, 11:05 PM
DIY Hose Molding For Anyone Interested:
In the process of engine reassembly I didn't feel like hunting down a bunch of discontinued hoses or paying 15 bucks or more for a simple bend in a hose, so I took the wingnut route and tried my hand at some DIY hose molding.
Basically, I filled some bulk hose (in this case, 5/8th heater hose and some 5/16ths vacuum) with the largest flexible material I could (with some pb blaster on there to remove it later) and baked them at 325 degrees for 11 / 10 minutes respectively. The results were pretty satisfying. Not as perfect as factory made stuff, but I used them all in reassembly and they all fit pretty well.
The tightest bend (forward side of air intake chamber to pipe) came out slightly pinched but still very open and certainly better than without the treatment. Most of these are for air, so I was more willing to take risks without fear of a catastrophic overheat like with coolant (although 2 of these are for the TB coolant (de-icer?) lines).
642264216420
The hoses all relaxed a little when I took the pipe out of them post-oven, but they very easily flexed back into the bend I "molded" without kinking
6424
In the process of engine reassembly I didn't feel like hunting down a bunch of discontinued hoses or paying 15 bucks or more for a simple bend in a hose, so I took the wingnut route and tried my hand at some DIY hose molding.
Basically, I filled some bulk hose (in this case, 5/8th heater hose and some 5/16ths vacuum) with the largest flexible material I could (with some pb blaster on there to remove it later) and baked them at 325 degrees for 11 / 10 minutes respectively. The results were pretty satisfying. Not as perfect as factory made stuff, but I used them all in reassembly and they all fit pretty well.
The tightest bend (forward side of air intake chamber to pipe) came out slightly pinched but still very open and certainly better than without the treatment. Most of these are for air, so I was more willing to take risks without fear of a catastrophic overheat like with coolant (although 2 of these are for the TB coolant (de-icer?) lines).
642264216420
The hoses all relaxed a little when I took the pipe out of them post-oven, but they very easily flexed back into the bend I "molded" without kinking
6424