Reply to "cooling hose installation"

On some cars (my '72 included), the 6" long hose piece doesn't work very well unless you add another hose clamp around the outside of the knked area, tightened just enough to keep the kink from forming. But I chose to NOT use any pre-formed pieces. Instead, I went with your other choice, slightly modified: I bought a copper 45 (or 90) degree bend with two short pieces of copper tubing soldered in each end, so short 1-3/8" hoses are standard throughout the car. IMHO, the more corrosion-proof metal tubing and the less oddball hoses in the Pantera, the more likely there will be no trouble on the road far from home. Incidently, the curiously twisted metal tube attached to the waterpump is most valuable, since the OEM preformed, two-sized rubber hose touched the gearshift shaft and in a few thousand miles, the vibrating shaft would saw thru it.... And there was zero chance you'd ever find one at a roadside service station.