Solid upper rad hose.

[Zedzag]

I need to make a custom upper rad hose for my LSX 2nd gen swap. Who has built their own? I would like to give it a rib on either end where a piece of rubber will connect it to the waterpump and rad but how do I do that? Weld a bead around it? The tube will most likely be stainless or aluminum for corrosion reasons.

Any tips or tricks from those who built one or had one built?

[Blown353]

Best way is to find and use a bead roller.

A friend has a really trick small one made specifically for doing tubing, you clamp it in a vice and then turn a hand crank to form the bead. I can't recall who makes it though...

[parsonsj]

I made both upper and lower hoses for II Much. I got the material (1.5 and 1.75 mandrel bent aluminum tube) from Burns Stainless. I cut the tube with a band saw, and straightened the edges for welding with a belt sander. It was only a couple hour job, and I clocked the tube with permanent markers. The upper tube needed two welds, and the lower tube took 4.

I was going to weld it myself, but instead I sent the tube to Ron Davis to have their professional welders weld it up, and pressure test (which I didn't have a fixture for). A tube bead roller finished it up.

The material is expensive, but the rest of the job is pretty straightforward.

jp

[Zedzag]

A bead roller would be perfect but I think they're quite expensive for a 1 time job. Maybe I could get some exhaust pipe flared on each end to create that ridge?

What about that Wysco flexible tubing? I've seen a few guys here use it.

[PhillipM]

Please don't use the flex tubing!! that stuff is ugly....

[Camaro_Dan]

instead of using a bead roller you could just weld around the end of the pipes and sand it down to a nice bead.

[Zedzag]

instead of using a bead roller you could just weld around the end of the pipes and sand it down to a nice bead.

yeah that looks like the best bet so far.