Has anyone ever used this product? Or, know of someone who did? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

greazzer · #1 09-20-2015, 11:00 AM

Because I need a non-OEM hose solution for my EWP which does not look like a hack job, it's either a custom, longer aluminum tubing or conventional rubber hose; however, there's no COTs item out there .... except maybe this:

Hose Candy for bullet proof hoses

It permits custom bends in hose, and they sell other products.

Any experience out there with these folks?

leathermang · #2 09-20-2015, 11:23 AM

What is an EWP ?
What is COTS ?

greazzer · #3 09-20-2015, 11:44 AM

Oops, my bad ...

EWP = Electric Water Pump

COTS = Commercial Off the Shelf

Sorry about that ..

leathermang · #4 09-20-2015, 12:05 PM

So the end of your hose currently is just a regular arrangement... it goes over a tube and is held with clamps?
or it has a threaded end on it ?
Do you have a picture of the original .... are there some special bends which have to be accommodated ?

greazzer · #5 09-20-2015, 01:22 PM

Here is a sequence of snappies showing the bends. I can do an "all aluminum" piece until I get to the point of pointing down, and at that point, it's just a straight piece of hose from the EWP to the aluminum tube end.

greazzer · #6 09-20-2015, 01:23 PM

Last 2. Holding a camera and holding those pieces is about impossible, but you should get the picture so to speak.

leathermang · #7 09-20-2015, 01:42 PM

OK.....so you can do all that aluminum tubing to the point to where only a straight length of regular water hose will connect everything up mechanically properly ..
BUT you do not like the way that would LOOK ?
Am I reading this correctly ?

greazzer · #8 09-20-2015, 03:00 PM

Correct as to the aluminum piece being welded together, however, ... that is why I tinkered and tinkered with the outlet piece to get to this point with the aluminum piece so I would like the look. I think once welded, sanded down, and polished like chrome, it will have sort of a factory finish. If I can get the pipe bent vs. welded by 3 welds I think that will look a little better. Not sure.

OR, I could go with the outlet with just a small piece welded to it (around 2" to 3"), and then the moldable type of hose which is the topic of the thread.

I got two options at this point

leathermang · #9 09-20-2015, 03:09 PM

Are you using sand inside your aluminum when you bend it ?

greazzer · #10 09-21-2015, 05:32 AM

No home garage bending for me ... lol It will be a on a real bender if I end up going that route vs. 3 welds. Right now, pretty much decided on the all aluminum approach so I sort of answered my own question. I do like their solution to a hose clamp, however. So, it's maybe tinkering with a few of those vs. Jiffy Tite connectors for a coolant solution.

t walgamuth · #11 09-21-2015, 07:21 AM

The metal tubing with short rubber tubes attaching is common in race cars.

My old 59 Ferrari was that way too. There were metal tubes everywhere, hand made, sometimes lovely y's and headers made up and final connected like you are planning there with a short section of straight tube, or sometimes a curved section.

bricktron · #12 09-21-2015, 11:41 AM

i always found the hose clamps worse looking than the metal pipe sections. i found some cool black nylon locking ones at mcmaster-carr, but they cannot be removed intact.

Mimzer · #13 09-21-2015, 11:54 AM

Interesting, the hose bending benefit aside, the hose reinforcement alone seems like a great idea. Used to wrap the hoses on my off-road truck with fiberglass filament packing tape to reinforce them, but it did look a bit ghetto.

greazzer · #14 09-21-2015, 12:14 PM

Because the number of hoses, et cet , engine clutter is cut down a bunch with my configuration, I am thinking about trying out those shrink tubing like hose clamps. I like JiffyTite also, but they are pricey, but popping off fuel lines is the way to go IMO.

Maxbumpo · #15 09-21-2015, 01:54 PM

Consider the length of that aluminum tube (mocked up via your photos) and the strength required to hold the weight of the coolant and whatever hangs off the end. Looks like a lot of stress to me, unless you add some metal bracing along the way to support it.

Consider going the other way: fancy aluminum tubing off the body-mounted (I presume) EWP with the rubber hose bridging the last gap between tube and engine inlet, so that the engine vibrations are dampened close to the engine and avoid additional stress on the tubing. If you can have a bend in the hose, I think that would work better to dampen the vibrations. MB engineers etc. etc. etc....