I bought a new upper radiator hose because I thought that the one that was on wasnt the correct one. It was crimped really bad, so I figured it was a bubba job. So I bought a new one, and it came in today. I took the old one off and once it was all uncrimped it turned out to be the correct hose. But I figured since I had the new one, Id replace it anyway. The new one get crimped (near the radiator end) just like the old one. My question is, is it possible to cut alittle of the end that connects to the thermostat housing, will doing that shorten the hose enough to uncrimp the hose? How bad is to have a crimped hose? I know it will hurt the flow but will I have any other problems?

 

This, in itself, could creat many, more expensive problems. Uncrimp it!

 

Measure and practice the cutting on the old hose
Yes you can and sometimes NEED to cut them to make them fit properly.

I have had to loosen both ends and twist the hose to keep it from rubbing on certain areas.

If the hose is cut/adjusted ...whatever... and is not crimped or twisted I would say you did good.

 

where did you get it from? When I check on radiator hoses I get a list of like half a dozen in different shapes and sizes. As it turns out there's enough people with different radiators that parts shops now list them in their computer systems. And, many of those systems don't have an OEM indicator to show what was stock...or if they do it's wrong. I had this experience when I replaced my upper hose and had to bring my old one in and have them match it with serveral until I got one with the correct bend and length. I think one of the problems is that some radiator hose people don't know that there is a difference between the hoses for vettes with cowl induction and those with over the radiator cold air induction...I believe the ones with cowl induction (75 and earlier) had a hose shaped like an elbow which had to reach around the alternator while the 76 and later need to have an extra bend to clear the air cleaner scoop. If you try to install the 75 and earlier then it will get pushed down by the air cleaner scoop...and get kinked. But, I see you have a 69 BB...is it a stock radiator? You shouldn't cut any of the larger radiator hoses...the fibers inside of them are almost as bad as tires to cut through and will leave a jagged end which will not only look bad, but be more difficult to seal up. Keep trying hoses until you get one that works.

 

I guarantee you that if your car is stock Doc Will have the proper hose
If its not stock then you get to look at pictures

http://docrebuild.com/dr-r-web/RAD-HOSE2.PDF

As always with DR Rebuild, call before you order as some of their prices are out of date

 

There are two different hoses for a 69 BB. If you have a tri-power then you should get the hose that doesn't have the sharp bend in it. All other BB applications use the hose with the sharp bend in it.

You should contact DeWitt's for the correct application. Tom is a great guy and will answer all of your questions in addition to being a forum sponser.

http://www.dewitts.com

Regards,

Jay

 

The one I bought from Napa was supposed to be cut to length

 

I bought the hose through ecklers. I bought a hose cutter so I could get nice clean edges. I worked on it today and it didnt even come close to fitting, I tried cutting it to make it fit but I couldnt get it to uncrimp enough so I called the auto parts store and just bought a 30" flex hose (rubber). It took 15 seconds to put on and fit better than the 40 dollar hose from ecklers. Even with the old radiator the correct hose didnt fit properly.

So in the end, I got the new flex hose, aluminum radiator and electric fan hooked it up and finally took it on its maiden ride (maiden to me and my gf). It was great. Afterwards the car stayed nice and cool with all the new goodies. I must say I am one happy kid.

 

 

all the ones I ever bought had to be cut to fit, cut it, fit it and your done

 

Well I also have an aftermarket radiator now, but even with the old radiator the old hose didnt fit right. Could be that the car is orginally a sb but the previous owner put in a bb. And i dunno if he has the correct radiator support for a bb, so that could be why the hose would be getting crimped. I dont know for sure, just thinking through my fingers.