I did that on mine. One bolt you can thru-drill and sneak a nut on the bottom - problem solved forever. The other one I carefully drilled out and did a Heli-Coil (or similar) and saved the housing. 6mm IIRC. It was worth pulling the housing as it allowed me to clean it up on the rotary wire brush (think bench grinder) and get a clean surface under the hose.

I used the 1 5/8 gas hose and it fit's PERFECTLY. I suspect it's what they used from the factory except it's readily available. I cut mine with a hacksaw - works fine. I'm sure the silicone would work fine too but be REALLY careful that you don't cut it with the clamp - easy to do on silicone (voice of experience).

Dan