I went to Napa and Autozone looking for a radiator upper and lower and everyone is saying the lower is not available. Why would the upper be found but not the lower??

Can't answer your question specifically- it doesn't make alot of sense- but it's been like that for at least a few years now. Those flexible and reinforced hoses that you can get will fit and work fine- they just don't look very original.

Rad. hoses on anything other than stock engine/car/year becomes harder to find.

You end up having just to make you a templet out of something, then take that to the parts store and look through all the hoses till you come up with something close

The flex hoses comes in alot of diff lenghts, and sizes, even mis matchs end size dia.

One of those may be your best bet for the lower. Theres even a good benifit to them.. They come with the springs inside them.

You really cant find a molded lower hose anymore with the sping in it. Don't know why, but nobody makes them anymore.

The spring helps to get the pump from sucking the hoses shut, so the flex fit hose does have that extra binifit.

You should have seen the trouble I went through to get rad. hoses for my camaro. It was funny to see the looks of the counter people's faces.

1988 camaro, with a 1971 350, with a mid 70's 3 core c-10 truck rad, with a early 90's ford taurus elec. fan

Classic Industries has a listing for a 1970-1981 sb lower radiator hose. It's a reproduction for 305-350 cars. 22.75$ each.

I put a 454 in my 71 and had to put a flex hose on the lower. dont look to bad but not stock.

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I love the DARK SIDE!!!!!!!

Try classic Industries. They show a listing for a 1970-1981 SB 305-350 original GM lower hose for $22.75.

Why did I put it was a repo? And Why did I reply twice? Why is my dog looking at me like that? mmmmmm Must be the wife's fault.

<font face="Arial,Verdana" size="2">Originally posted by hydex:
Try classic Industries. They show a listing for a 1970-1981 SB 305-350 original GM lower hose for $22.75.

</font>

Samll block hoses dont fit BBC

Whoops, my bad. I missed the 454 BBI listed in your profile. They do have listings for older big block hoses.

I put both rad. hoses on my old '80 C/10 6-banger P/U recently and found a lower hose that I wanted to use for the upper and then bought a really cheap, stock type springless, lower and took the spring out of the one I am using for the upper and put it in the lower!!

Heck, a lower with a spring was like $32 or so and the one w/o the spring was like $6/$7 or so!!

Go figure????

AND I bought 4 feet each of 5/8" and 3/4" black heater hoses AND the 3/4" jobber was $4.00/foot vs $.84/foot for the 5/8" hose!! I asked why and the young kid had no idea why the 3/4" hose was higher??

I went to one of their other stores in town and exchanged it for a 4 foot piece of regular, $.89/foot heater hose and got the difference in money back!!

I do figure that they are trying to sell EXPENSIVE industrial hose rated at 125psi marked as heater hose is why the cost difference!! WAY over-kill, imho...

Watch this b/c I didn't bite!!

O'Reilly's is the store chain!!

pdq67

[This message has been edited by pdq67 (edited January 22, 2005).]

whats the big deal guys i have been putting in bbc in 78-81 camaros for 15 years and the small block 350 hoses work just fine on the bbc cars.........top hose just nneds some triming to shorten it and the bottom the same.........no problems here.....

but if you have a stout bbc that turns some serious rpms the rib type lower hose with spring molded in sure is the way to go so you dont sucked the wire into the bbc water pump..........

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1980 z28 3900lbs daily driver,414ci bbc,13.505 @107.19 mph w/2.15 60ft. 2.73 gears in street trim.

1981 camaro "the race car" as the kids say. 454 .060 over 13.5 to 1 comp.roller cam,tunnel ram w/2 600 carbs, 4500 stall and 4.10 gears...under recostruction on chassis and engine mods.

1986 ford pick-up "the tow rig" runs a slow 18.00 flat at 75 mph in 1st and second gear only.

I'd try GM. You might try asking for a 3973193 hose, or a 3959486 hose. These should be the old GM numbers for the 1970 and 1971-2 big block lower hoses.

<font face="Arial,Verdana" size="2">Originally posted by ddeennis:
whats the big deal guys i have been putting in bbc in 78-81 camaros for 15 years and the small block 350 hoses work just fine on the bbc cars.........top hose just nneds some triming to shorten it and the bottom the same.........no problems here.....

</font>

I will second this, all I did was just trim a little off each and they look like they came that way from the factory. SBC hoses work, as with putting a BBC into a non BBC car you are going to have to make-modify stuff to make a good fit.

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Confucius says " he who uses small, crimped exhaust, gets short of breath"

I'm having a bit of a problem with this idea of using SBC hoses on a bigblock. If you are using a BBC w/long water pump the hose size needs to be a 1/4" larger in diameter to fit the pump and if you're using a bigblock-type radiator the lower rad opening is also larger. Are you guys just stretching the hose or something?

<font face="Arial,Verdana" size="2">Originally posted by Eric:

I'm having a bit of a problem with this idea of using SBC hoses on a bigblock. If you are using a BBC w/long water pump the hose size needs to be a 1/4" larger in diameter to fit the pump and if you're using a bigblock-type radiator the lower rad opening is also larger. Are you guys just stretching the hose or something?</font>

didnt know there was any differences between a bbc radiator and sbc radiator.....lol........in all of my bbc conversions they have used the radiators for the sbc factory set ups......i go and buy a 3 row radiator for a 350 a/c car for what ever year i have and works just fine...........since a bbc wasnt offered in 78-81 i just replace it with a nice factory 350 radiator......the hoses work and they fit.....theres no stretching of the hoses.......it just looks factory.....the bbc and sbc water pumps have the same size inlet on the water pumps......and the thermo state is the same on either bbc or sbc........so where is the stretching coming from.........

the hoses only need to be shorten since the bbc is longer.......thats it.....

<font face="Arial,Verdana" size="2">Originally posted by Eric:

I'm having a bit of a problem with this idea of using SBC hoses on a bigblock. If you are using a BBC w/long water pump the hose size needs to be a 1/4" larger in diameter to fit the pump and if you're using a bigblock-type radiator the lower rad opening is also larger. Are you guys just stretching the hose or something?</font>

This has been my experieance as well.

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70 Camaro Z/28 with 461cu.in. BBC & OD Auto, 3.31 12 bolt posi.

According to the NAPA online catalog, they have four different pn's for BBC lower radiator hoses. (specifically for a '71 with a 402) So, the parts are out there, somewhere...
These three say that they include the spring in the hose:
http://www.napaonline.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ExecMacro/NAPAonline/search_results_product_detail.d2w/report?prrfnbr=28518825&prmenbr=5806&usrcommgrpid=80190001
http://www.napaonline.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ExecMacro/NAPAonline/search_results_product_detail.d2w/report?prrfnbr=15572729&prmenbr=5806&usrcommgrpid=89198061
http://www.napaonline.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ExecMacro/NAPAonline/search_results_product_detail.d2w/report?prrfnbr=15572843&prmenbr=5806&usrcommgrpid=89198025

This one doesn't have the spring.
http://www.napaonline.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ExecMacro/NAPAonline/search_results_product_detail.d2w/report?prrfnbr=15591375&prmenbr=5806&usrcommgrpid=89198045

the fourth one is a universal style flexable hose.........ribed style.......but you are right they are out there......pick your year off bbc and chances are it will fit.......with little or no modifications........

I 4th that. I just shortened mine a bit and fit great!

I just did a search at autozone for the lower rad hose for a 70 Camaro with a BBC. Got the factory hose...no problem. That was about 2 years ago, but I wouldn't think it would have gone away...

www.partsamerica.com (http://www.partsamerica.com) (Kragen) Lists the following for 70 Camaro w/402. First three are lower, last 4 are upper.

Dayco 70399
Curved Radiator Hose: W/O A.C.;
1 Year Limited Warranty Ships in 5 days
Weight: 3 lbs. $9.99



Gates Rubber Prods. 25528
Flexible Coolant Hose (Standard): Lower; W/O A.C.; Cut At A
1 Year Limited Warranty Ships in 1 day
Weight: 2 lbs. $11.99



Gates Rubber Prods. 20559
Molded Coolant Hose: Lower; W/O A.C.
1 Year Limited Warranty Ships in 1 day
Weight: 2 lbs. $14.99






Dayco 70724
Curved Radiator Hose: W/O A.C.; Cut To Fit
1 Year Limited Warranty Ships in 5 days
Weight: 3 lbs. $11.99



Dayco 81191
Upper Radiator Hose: Flex; w/o AC
1 Year Limited Warranty Ships in 5 days
Weight: 3 lbs. $9.99



Gates Rubber Prods. 25482
Flexible Coolant Hose (Standard): Upper; W/O A.C.
1 Year Limited Warranty Ships in 1 day
Weight: 2 lbs. $15.99



Gates Rubber Prods. 20686
Molded Coolant Hose: Upper; W/O A.C.; Cut At C
1 Year Limited Warranty Ships in 1 day
Weight: 2 lbs. $16.99






[This message has been edited by gpierce (edited January 26, 2005).]

Just an FYI- be careful buying a hose off of the web or even locally... save your reciept.

My brother tried to buy a lower rad. hose for his 70 BB Chevelle twice (at two different stores, NAPA and Autozone), and in each case the part number was correct in the listing but the hose was not even close to fitting. He ended up ordering one from a classic parts house.

[This message has been edited by WildBillyT (edited January 27, 2005).]

I went to Napa yesterday.... They told me sure you can have a part number but its no longer available http://www.nastyz28.com/ubb/frown.gif

I had the same problem, a bbc with long water pump has a bigger outlet yes u can make one from a small block fit but it takes alot of pushing and bs to get to slide over outlet. In my case I finally got the hose to fit over the outlet on the water pump but would not fit my radiator outlet its a aluminum Griffen rad. So I had to buy one of those flex hoses and it fit like a glove. Had no problems with the upper it was for sbc didnt even have to trim.

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I love the DARK SIDE!!!!!!!

Well I tried some fab work today. The SBC lower hose will work. Its not perfect but I trimmed it a little and it will be ok. Now the upper hose I will have to buy. Trimming and what ever it will 100% NOT work!
all you guys that said you used SBC hoses I dont see how.

<font face="Arial,Verdana" size="2">Originally posted by camaro454:
I had the same problem, a bbc with long water pump has a bigger outlet yes u can make one from a small block fit but it takes alot of pushing and bs to get to slide over outlet. In my case I finally got the hose to fit over the outlet on the water pump but would not fit my radiator outlet its a aluminum Griffen rad. So I had to buy one of those flex hoses and it fit like a glove. Had no problems with the upper it was for sbc didnt even have to trim.

</font>

the sbc and long bbc water pump have the same inlet dia.......i even went out to the garage to make sure my mind wasnt playing tricks on me........they are the same size..........i just got measuring them.......