Both types is clamps have pluses and minuses.  The nice part about the
spring clamps is that they keep tension on the hose no matter what.  Over
time the hose will smash a little and a regular band clamp would need to be
tightened a little (many times they may not smoosh enough to require
re-tightening but I have seen many instances when it will).  The minus on
these is that installation in some places is a major pain in the rear.  You
just don't have enough room to get a pair or grips in there to take the
clamps on and off.

The worm drive clamps and great to put somewhere that is hard to get to.
You can snake a screwdriver or nut driver down into a hard to reach spot and
tighten or loosen these clamps as you have the need.  If you are going to go
with a worm drive clamp I would go with clamps where the bands have rounded
edges that are rolled away from the hose (keeps the clamp from cutting the
hose).  Also you want the ridges on the clamp to be raised away from the
hose.  These are what the OE VW clamps are like or any high quality clamp
you might buy.  Really cheap clamps from Autozone's "Help" department have
just slots in the clamp with no rolling.  The threads on the worm drive
screw are very coarse.  I have had these clamps never stay tight from day
one.

Just FYI.

Thanks,
Ken Wilford
John 3:16
http://www.vanagain.com
Phone: (856)-327-4936
Fax: (856)-327-2242

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]On Behalf
Of Todd Last
Sent: Wednesday, December 18, 2002 12:23 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: What kind of hose clamps do you use?

I'm in the middle of replacing some radiator hoses in my Vanagon. I'm
finding both the factory spring clamp and after market screw type clamps.
Does it make any difference what kind you use, and does anyone have any
particular favorite types?

Just regular hardware store hose clamps ok?

Todd
'88 Westy