So recently I upgraded my radiator to one with a 2" core, up from the stock unit. Because of the added thickness of the core, and mostly because of my tilted radiator mounting scheme for the over the top IC piping, the stock hose would not fit properly. The radiator inlet connection was too close (from front to back) to the thermostat housing connection point. The radiator is tilted back at the top about 5" from the stock location.

So I went in search of a new solution. I made some measurements, drew a sketch, and headed off for Auto Zone. I spent 30 minutes or so at Auto Zone behind the counter rummaging through all of the hoses they had in stock. I knew I wanted a hose of the proper diameter, with something a 180 deg bend that then bent back about 100 degs. Hard to describe but see the pictures below.

The guy that was helping me out was pretty cool. He apparently had a Miata that his sister had wrecked, and was looking for a donor car. Either that or he was going to part out his. He know what a MS was, etc. But I digress... Eventually I found the perfect hose.

All one has to do is cut it down since only a small section of it is required. This is actually kind of nice because it allows one to trim it to fit their particular installation. The guys that was helping me could not cross-reference the part number back to the vehicle type that the hose is intended for. So I am including pictures of the hose label for reference. This hose fits perfectly once it is cut to size.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Enjoy

 

Goodyear Molded Radiator Hoses Radiator Hose - Molded - Direct Fit - Rubber - Black - Chevy - GMC - C - K-Series Pickup - Suburban - 454
Brand: Goodyear Belts and Hoses
Mfr Part #: 61549

 

Bad ***!

I need to do something as my radiator relocation has left me with a very slight kink in the upper. By chance could you measure the distance from the radiator to the motor (pick a good spot I could reference from)?

Also how much was the hose BTW?

 

Thanks Brain

If you measure from the back edge of where the stock radiator is normally located it is about 5" to the back edge of the tank where it sits now.

The hose was about $15 IIRC.