Matt Beazer <teseract@moparhowto.com> wrote:
> Anyone know the part number for the lower rad hose from the dealer?
I don't, but I did have a thought - when you check with the dealer,
if the hose seems to be too expensive (as things at dealerships often
tend to be), you might want to check at some local auto parts places
to see if you can buy a lower hose for a different application that
has a spring in it and buy it for the spring. I notice that many of
the applications on Rock Auto do have hoses that come with the spring.
(The Dak doesn't seem to be one of them.) Come to think of it, auto
parts stores should start selling these springs separately - maybe the
"Help" section. I notice that you can buy these types of springs
aftermarket (Earls seems to make them) but the prices are such that
the spring alone seems to be more than what you could buy a radiator
hose for with a spring already in it.
I did check a couple of the online places that sell Mopar parts,
but none listed any radiator hoses for the '95 Dak. At first I
thought maybe the truck was old enough for them to not carry them
anymore, but then I noticed that it doesn't list them for the late
model trucks either.
If you have any junkyards in your area, they might have a box of
'em that you could rummage through, or if it is the type of yard where
they let you wander around and cut parts off cars, it shouldn't take
too long to find a vehicle with a lower radiator hose that has a
spring.
You might also be able to find such a spring at a well equipped
hardware store or industrial supply outfit.
Yet another thought would be to get some exhaust tubing of the
appropriate OD (1.5" probably?) and cut little rings out of it that
you could slip into your existing hose. I should think they'd keep
the hose from collapsing as long as they were spaced no further than
3" apart or so. You'd just want to be sure to cut them wide enough so
that they wouldn't rotate in the hose and block the flow.
Hmmm, what about an old garage door spring?
Anyhoo... Just a few very random thoughts from the cheapskate that
runs my brain. Of course, you should probably call the dealership
first before running all over the place trying to find an alternative
- it might end up being inexpensive enough to just buy the thing and
forget about it. :-)
--
-Jon-
.- Jon Steiger -- jon@dakota-truck.net or jon@jonsteiger.com -.
| '96 Kolb Firefly, '96 Suzuki Intruder, Miscellaneous Mopars |
`-------------------------------- http://www.jonsteiger.com --'
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