Lotus Europa Community
Lotus Europa Forums => Technical Articles and DIY tools and tips => Topic started by: TurboFource on Wednesday,November 23, 2022, 12:24:18 PM
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Saw this online and figured I would try it on a piece of scrap...some radiusing of the pliers would make it better....and some practice
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Neat. 8)
Saw something similar that used a pair of modified vice grips.
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That's clever - what material is the pipe you tried it on?
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It is 6061 aluminum
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This is one of my worries - I have replaced the coolant pipes on my TCS with Stainless from one of our UK Lotus suppliers - but the pipes are not finished with this detail - and nor from memory were the originals.
Someone on here I am sure mentioned some time back, (JB...?), that they got around this issue by installing pop rivets thereby producing a "security ridge", albeit not continuous, after the pipe clamp. (I mean you would have to push the hose over the raised rivet heads first).
I was wondering whether to make some "olives" and araldite them in position...... :confused:
Or am I just overthinking this and it is not a detail worth worrying about?
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Hmmm . . I probably wouldn't trust Araldite for that application - interminably immersed in hot water!
For the large SS coolant pipes, pop rivets is likely the fastest, cheapest and quickest solution. Probably SS or Monel rivets would be the go - not aluminium.
Alternatively it should be possible to wrap a strand of copper wire around the SS tube and silver solder/braze it in place.
There's only 7 pounds of pressure in the system.
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I think the lack of a bead at the end of the transfer tubes is because the tube fits tightly in the grommets in the frame and having a bead would make the tube too large in diameter to fit into the grommet. Putting pop rivets in lieu of a bead is a good solution but I've never heard of a hose coming off a transfer tube in the first place.
Thinking about it, beads would be especially nice where there might be some relative movement between the things connected by the hose. That would be in the rear where the hoses connect with the engine. Those ends could be beaded without worrying about the grommets because the tubes are installed from the rear. There is not real movement between the front of the transfer tubes and the radiator so I would suggest that beading the front of the transfer tubes might be a lower priority.
Just a thought. As I say, none of my transfer tubes are beaded and I've had no problems.
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Just a thought. As I say, none of my transfer tubes are beaded and I've had no problems.
That's good enough for me - one problem less. :)
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I have the stainless , I do not have a bead on them. I'm using only one clamp for now but may use two counterclockwise to each other.
I have great respect for an overheating engine, gotten burned once.
dakazman