I,m about to embark on plumbing in my 'blade engine.
Where can I source 25mm aluminium tubing to make a couple of long coolant pipes to link the engine to radiator?

Cheers,
Andy.

B&Q - Television section

You need an 90 degree aluminium aerial extension tube it's 25mm too. This is perfect for going down the long nearside straight from the radiator down the chassis side rail then bends in a nice curve up to the pump inlet. Less than £10 IIRC

HTH

[Edited on 1-7-05 by Hellfire]

but whats the reception like n hows the video coming along ?

sorry for thread nick, but Hellfires hit it in one.

quote:

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Originally posted by Jon Ison
sorry for thread nick, but Hellfires hit it in one.

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i'm just soooooooooo good at gerrin it wong.......

speeling sucs too

Brilliant!
Thanks for that, Hellfire....Looks like I'm off to B&Q this morning then...

What about swaging the ends?
I've seen a thread whereby someone used a pair of molegrips, a small ball bearing and nut to form 'pimples' around the circumference of the tubing.
Does this work?
What have others done?

Andy.

Swaging - yes it does work if you get it right. We used thick walled 25mm ID rubber tube and it's resistance to bend is very good. Therefore, the thick walled rubber tube from the bottom rad to the allly tube providing it's a good fit will not pop off If for your own peace of mind you want to swage it then go ahead. We never had any problems at all with this or any other section of plumbing on the blade engined car.

We have used 22mm copper tube (domestic plumbing stuff) on the ZX12 engined car. Using pre-soldered joints it's gives us the natural swage we needed to take it to 25mm when connecting rubber for this build. We then got this powder coated for corrosion resistance. With it being copper, it's thinner than aluminium and the weight difference is minimal in comparison. Not only this but it can be soldered and this enables you to put in T's and stuff for oil cooler tubes and things. We have some pictures in our rebuild diary if you need more information. If the information isn't enough I'll take some more for you to give you a better idea.

HTH

One way Ive seen mentioned as a "cheat" swage on large pipes is to put a couple of shallow rivets through the tube wall where you want the swage. This gives two bumps that will stop the hose sliding off, and wont leak because obviously the hose itself is over the rivet sealing it. Just make sure you use shallow rivets though so the back of the rivet doesnt cause a significant blockage in the pipe.

i just used the welder to leave a few bumps on the tube end - even worked on copper pipes nowts popped off yet