Today's challenge

[63 R2 Hawk]

Well, I decided it was time to fix that leaky Ranco heater control valve- you know, the one that takes a rocket scientist to disassemble and replace the $7.00 rubber seal- so I took my time since I had it bypassed with the heater on all the time and it's winter any way. Got the valve fixed, leak tested and installed OK. Decided to replace the heater hoses and, while I was at it, replace the worm type hose clamps with the *proper* Corbin style spring clamps, the ones you usually throw away and replace with the worm screw clamps. Rummaged around in my tools and found the special tool required to remove and install those %%$#&@@ clamps and spent several hours trying to get them properly expanded and seated. I gave up on the one coming out of the water pump, spent over an hour with it and it won, I put the worm clamp on it and called it good. Glad my car is a driver, not a show car, I'm sure that one improper clamp would be an award buster.....

[JDP]

Well, I decided it was time to fix that leaky Ranco heater control valve- you know, the one that takes a rocket scientist to disassemble and replace the $7.00 rubber seal- so I took my time since I had it bypassed with the heater on all the time and it's winter any way. Got the valve fixed, leak tested and installed OK. Decided to replace the heater hoses and, while I was at it, replace the worm type hose clamps with the *proper* Corbin style spring clamps, the ones you usually throw away and replace with the worm screw clamps. Rummaged around in my tools and found the special tool required to remove and install those %%$#&@@ clamps and spent several hours trying to get them properly expanded and seated. I gave up on the one coming out of the water pump, spent over an hour with it and it won, I put the worm clamp on it and called it good. Glad my car is a driver, not a show car, I'm sure that one improper clamp would be an award buster.....

This will not make you happy: There is no deduction for screw clamps now, it's a safety issue.

[rockne10]

True!

The safety of our Studebaker owners is paramount to our club; unlike the corvette and porsche cadres.

Now there I go; casting a disparaging net over the entirety of other marque clubs.
Some of my best friends have been known to own vettes and porsches. I just don't capitalize their brands.

[JDP]

I lost a upper hose on a show R2 GT at the drag strip with the wire clamps. The repro hoses have a thinner wall and one let go at high RPM and took out the belts. To make matters worse, N8 and I managed to lean on the wiring harness hard enough to short it out where it was clipped to the fender well. Damn near lost the whole car over the "correct" clamp, but was able to pull the battery cable before the whole thing went up in smoke under the dash. We spent a entire day at a friends shop repairing the harness.

[63 R2 Hawk]

I was thinking about all that about half way through, remembering my dear old dad who taught me to throw those cheesy clamps away and replace 'em with some good ones. I did keep the radiator hose worm clamps though, they're staying put. I wouldn't trust the Corbin clamps on the main coolant hoses, but the heater hoses should be fine, at least in my lifetime. They're not coming back off now.

[63 R2 Hawk]

I was talking to a neighbor-I live in an aviation air park-and was told that the Corbin style clamps are preferred by some av heads because the spring action keeps constant clamping force on the hose regardless of temperature and allows the clamp to expand and contract during hot/cold cycles. I still see them on aircraft, so somebody must believe that theory.... Personally, I would trust the worm band clamps more.