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Date:         Mon, 30 Oct 2000 22:49:25 -0500
Reply-To:     Bradley Flubacher <flubach@HOME.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Bradley Flubacher <flubach@HOME.COM>
Subject:      when all else fails, improvise
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Well, maybe some of you remember reading about my questions about changing the hard radiator return line to soft tubing. I took the advice given to me and got rid of the two plastic sleeves I bought at Lowe's. These were the sleeves that connected the soft lines together.

I bought two peices of metal tubing at Lowe's and intended to use them. But I got to thinking- this same tubing I used in my house for plumbing and in no time it started to degrade. Maybe it reacted with the copper, I don't know for sure, but I decided not to use it. I don't want to have to do this again.

I called around to all my local parts stores (yes, FLAPS!), and no one had a 1 1/4" plastic sleeve made for cooling systems! They all said it was an unusually large size. One or two wanted to sell me exhaust sleeves. I didn't feel comfortable with this. So what to do?

I decided that I could salvage small sections of the hard line that I was removing. I cut two sleeves, each about 5" long, from the old return line. Luckily there was enough without any signs of rust. Now granted this hard line has no lips or ridges on the ends, but I did double clamp every union. Anyone see a problem with this?

I suspect this will work just fine now. So from my radiator I have the factory soft line running into a section of the factory hard line. To this I have clamped a straight soft tube, then a sleeve. Next the "bendable" soft tube, another sleeve, then the engine compartment factory equipment soft line.

Thanks for all the help! Bradley Flubacher State College, PA '84 soon to be running again, '82 diesel westy, pulling into the garage next, thanks to the arrival of my new diesel compression test kit from "Hands on tools"


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