Need Radiator Hoses
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 494
Likes: 0
From: Virginia
Need Radiator Hoses
Need to make an upper and lower Radiator hose for my 73 - 350. These are nice, but $$ 
http://www.coolflex.com/
Anything else out there a little more reasonably priced?
http://www.coolflex.com/Anything else out there a little more reasonably priced?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,192
Likes: 27
From: Boca Raton Florida
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 494
Likes: 0
From: Virginia
Unfortunately I have a non-standard radiator. I bought new Napa hoses almost a year ago and they wouldn't fit, they still took them back 
I decided on these, seem to be a good value:
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku
http://store.summitracing.com/largei...?part=SPE-7799
I decided on these, seem to be a good value:
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku
http://store.summitracing.com/largei...?part=SPE-7799
Pro
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 702
Likes: 1
From: Sealy TX
St. Jude Donor 06-'07
Originally Posted by FAST73
Need to make an upper and lower Radiator hose for my 73 - 350. These are nice, but $$ http://www.coolflex.com/
Anything else out there a little more reasonably priced?
http://www.coolflex.com/Anything else out there a little more reasonably priced?
Coolflex is an a copper seamless tube that is corrugated. They tout the "seamless" aspect as being superior to the seam welded stainless steel hoses offered by others. I like both, but for the $$, stainless steel is excellent. There are miles and miles of stainless steel hose used in industry and believe me that there are very few problems with leakage in those hoses, especially at the pressures that our cars operate. One other thing Coolflex says is that there product is manufactured in the good ole USA, but then they tell you that they import the seamless tubing from, I believe, England.
"Q:
Why is Cool-Flex more expensive to make?
A:
Cool flex radiator and heater hoses are the world's most expensive to make because they are the highest quality hoses you can get. The copper tubing (it's 99% copper 1% tin) is manufactured in England. It is seamless. Then it is shipped to the USA so American craftsmen can corrugate it to our specs. It is then 100% inspected for imperfections and flaws. After the corrugation process the tubing is one-third of its original length. After inspection, the Cool-Flex is cut to 12-inch, 24-inch and 36-inch lengths. Then it's carefully packed in special boxes, with the correct separation between each length of hose, so it can be shipped to a chrome shop setup especially to plate Cool-Flex to exacting standards. The plating has to be correctly done so the product can bend and flex with no effect on the plating. After careful racking and plating and then inspection and packaging, the Cool-Flex is delivered to our facility and carefully packaged for you our customer. It just ain't a piece of molded rubber hose! We are so confident in the quality of Cool-Flex, that if the hose ever leaks or breaks, that is in "for-ever," we will give you another one at no cost at all."
I'm not knocking them, just giving my dos centavos.
