Reply to "Stainless cooling pipes"

I am having a similar issue with with the ss cooling pipe kit I am installing on a '71. The kit is designed to get rid of the molded hoses by engineering the bends into the pipes and using only straight hoses with double clamps for connecting them. It's designed for a stock system. The cooling system on the '71 is modified.

Here is what I ran into:
- The car uses an aftermarket Fluidyne radiator with 1-1/2" short straight so the two pipes to the radiator requires I use two 90 degree hoses that are 1-3/8" to the pipe and 1-1/2" to the radiator.
- I didn't have problems with the gooseneck pipe tha connects the water pump to the pipe on the driver side under the car. I just had make sure the small end goes around the shift rod shaft. The only thing I had issue with on this was the hose to the waterpump inlet was a little short.
- I did have problems also with the pipe connections to the pressure tank.
1. The top connection from the thermostat does not line up with the pipe on the pressure tank. The 90 degree bend on the pipe is off by an inch. The hose was long enough to compensate. So instead fo being straight, it has a slight bend to it.
2. The bottom pipe doesn't line up so I can't use the short 90 degree pipe to connect it to the pipe on the passenger side that goes under the car. I had to get a molded pipe that matched the bend I needed to connect the pipes and not use the 90 degree pipe. The pipes didn't line up as the previous owner went to a rotary a/c compressor and modified the stock factory ac/alternator bracket instead of buying an adapter to fit. The mod lowered the position of the compressor housing and limits the alignment of the new pipe. The one I pulled out was clearanced to fit. The current owner is reluctant to clearance the pipe I am left with trying to modify the bracket somehow. Replacing the modified bracket with a stock bracket with the proper adapter to mount the rotary compressor is also being considered.
- Finally, if there is a thermostat provided in the kit, make sure it is '351 Cleveland' specific. The thermostat in the kit I'm installing is the wrong type. It doesn't have the hat the covers the hole in the bypass plate when open. You would think a Pantera vendor would know better than to put the wrong thermostat but it apparently still happens.