On Wed, 19 May 2004, Eric Zeno wrote:

>    ANY hose on ANY pipe, under pressure will come
> off unless it has something to bite into.  ANY "good" mechanic
> will tell you this.  Its not rocket science, you just have to
> have been around mechanical things long enough. If you
> simply look at the original equipment on ANY vehicle,
> no manufacture, uses just a flat strainge pipe.  Those
> barbs are expensive and require special tools, but are needed.

FWIW, I've seen people make 'fake' barbs on copper fittings by putting a
circle of copper wire around the end and soldering.  I saw this done with
a cooling hose fitting that had been custom-made for a Subaru conversion.
I think they used 14 ga. wire.  The end result is the same, you have a
smooth ridge that the hose clamp, once properly secured, can't be pushed
over.

With a stainless steel pipe, maybe something similar could be done by
welding a wire ring near the end?  I don't think I'd trust a hose clamped
onto a non-barbed pipe.  I've heard too many stories of them popping off
at inopportune moments.  The problem with risking this on a cooling system
is the pressure is highest right at the moments when you really can't
afford to lose a hose.

David Brodbeck, N8SRE
'86 Volvo 240DL wagon
'82 VW Vanagon Westfalia Diesel