Engine Coolant hard line mod...or not?

Wayne Waldrep

Before I post a pic, do you have one of yours?
Dirt-Old 20+Year Member
Apr 14, 2003
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Cuba, AL
I have a couple questions that I'd like to get opinions on. I have a collapsed lifter so I've taken the intake etc off. The hard coolant lines can be a pain. I got the lower off without removing the hard lines. Even with everything removed i couldn't get a wrench on the front swivel bolt fitting. I don't really like removing it anyway if it's not leaking.

The stud that the hard lines bolt to in the back makes it a problem. I'm going to cut the mounting bracket off. If need be I'll make a removable bracket. Or if yall think it's not necessary I'll just run it without. What are your thoughts on that?

Can't remember my second question...hmmmm. I hate when that happens...lol. Just one for now i guess.
 
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I think it's important. Without it, you can have vibration which in time, may fatigue the metal in the coolant pipe.

When I rebuilt my engine, I used all new chrome ARP hardware on the intake, except for that stud. I kept it, and cleaned/painted it and reused it. I thought it was important enough to reuse to restrict movement, although it does make it a bit PITA to install/uninstall the lower manifold
 
Yeah i have ARP stainless on the rest as well. The vibration issue was my concern. I'm going to make something. I won't put it back on as is. Having to remove the swivel fitting is worth NOT doing. Thanks for the reply.
 
Ahhh, what?
LOL.....joking!!





heater tube holder.JPG


I'm thinking I'll make this out of aluminum. The yellow piece for sure aluminum. The red bracket will probably be good out of steel. I'll tap the yellow piece. All this without looking at the part so I'll have to see about clearance. This will only need to be removed after the upper intake is off so it should be pretty clear.
 
Really, I think you don't need anything like that, the rubber hoses should keep it still. Mine does not move at all as near as I can tell,
and I am talking about the heater hose tube just in case your mind is in the gutter Wayne
 
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Shaved the factory bracket.

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Test fit
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Done. Now all i have to do next time is remove the bracket and never touch the hard line. The mounting stud will be wide open.
Oh forgive the self tapping screw for now.
 
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I'm preparing to be laughed off the board so here goes....:D

Putting the cobra intake back on soon and went to town to all the parts stores looking for anything close to the PCV lines. I obviously need the two curves lines shown....(red arrows). We all know this. They probably aren't available and probably nothing close is. Most all the parts stores, even NAPA, says they only keep the help section formed line (yeah only ONE) in stock. They all have the same junk now. So in hopes that someone pulled a rabbit out of a hat and found something close enough to work, tell me what ya found.

Right now I have the PCV hooked to the Yellow arrow. The Vacuum Tree to the Purple arrow. The Green arrow is blocked off. FP regulator to one of the small fittings and the other small one blocked off. It's been running like this for over 10 years but I'd like to do it right. I also think the PCV needs the full vacuum of both of those fittings combined. I have no reason to believe this other than they did it that way for some reason. I routinely hear "vacuum is vacuum" but there are also different size lines for a reason as well. So......does anyone have a source or anything else you can tell me?

Thanks!



borrowed pic...thanks

DCP_0101.jpg
 
Not 100% sure, but I believe the PCV should pull vacuum from the bottom of the intake. If you notice in the pic, both ports where the PCV is pulling are where any at the bottom of the plenum body, and the inlet. I don't know the exact engineering reason for this
 
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Not 100% sure, but I believe the PCV should pull vacuum from the bottom of the intake. If you notice in the pic, both ports where the PCV is pulling are where any at the bottom of the plenum body, and the inlet. I don't know the exact engineering reason for this
Thanks for the reply. I'm close to getting it back the way it's supposed to be.
 
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Decided to clean the crud off these while it's apart.
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And paint them. After they dry for a day I'll sand the fins and letters.
 
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Sorta time-lapse. After I fire it up and make sure it was actually a bad lifter I'm going to remove the front pieces and redo them as well. But for now I'm almost there.
 
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