I noticed this morning that my new-to-me Mercedes 300D (1981) was leaking coolant off the edge of the oil pan. After checking the forums here, I decided that it was probably due to a failed water pump, so I went and got a new one.

While removing the fan to install the water pump, I bumped the top, large coolant hose, and it came detached from the radiator. When I looked closer, I noticed that part of the cylindrical fitting on the radiator had broken off with the hose (i.e., the part that the hose is normally clamped onto). There's still about half an inch of this fitting left. (In case it's unclear, this is the top attachment point, on the driver's side of the radiator, about 1.25" in diameter.)

What I'm wondering is, can I just clamp the hose back onto the remaining stub of the radiator fitting that it normally attaches to, or would that just be asking for trouble? Or is there any way I can "rebuild" this fitting?

I'd like to avoid the expense of putting in a whole new radiator right now, but I also have a 1200-mile round-trip to make in the car next week, so I need to know I can count on it. Any suggestions?

Matthias