Bob Labuz wrote:
>
> Mike and others,
>
> During my last restoration, I replaced all the "New" hose clamps with
> the originals. And I mean originals. I located the necessary clamps in
> my parts forest and cleaned and painted. After installation, they just
> looked better and gave a more consistent look. No extra clamp
> protruding etc. I took the trouble to make sure they were round and
> there are no leaks, drips or errors. I didn't do this for originality,
> but after replacing the hoses and clamps to the heater in the engine
> compartment, It just looked better so I did the rest of the cooling
> system.
I'm a bit curious that we haven't heard from judges and other
knowledgeable people on whether or not items such as original clamps
gain or lose points; are they considered a consumable, or not?
BTW, the wire clamps are not just a legacy of old British
manufacture--they were still being used on Japanese cars at least
through the middle `80s, and for a fairly sound engineering
principle--for the same amount of application pressure on the tightening
screw, the wires, having less surface area than a band, will bite into
the hose more completely. Avoiding obvious places for leaks during
assembly reduces the time necessary in the so-called hospital lines.
Of course, if the clamp is old, rusted and distorted, none of the above
may apply. <smile> And, I suspect, the wire clamps probably tend to
crush the hose reinforcement a bit more, causing the hose to fail a bit
earlier than it might otherwise.
If one wants the trick item of the day, however, investigate local
availability of constant torque clamps--these are made, principally, by
two suppliers, Oetiker and R.G. Ray.
Cheers.
--
Michael D. Porter
Roswell, NM
[mailto: mporter@zianet.com]
`70 GT6+ (being refurbished, slowly)
`71 GT6 Mk. III (organ donor)
`72 GT6 Mk. III (daily driver)
`64 TR4 (awaiting intensive care)
`80 TR7 (3.8 liter Buick-powered)
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