The steel coolant lines on my '82 diesel Westy had the typical rust in the
last 18" of pipe, so I cut this out and replaced with marine coolant/exhaust
hose, sized to fit over the steel pipe. For now, I have double clamped
each joint, as they are prone to slipping, since there is no 'flare' on the
pipe where it was cut. Now I have a friend facing the same issue no their
'85.
Ideas that have come up so far as: 1) welding a bead around the pipe to
simulate the stock flare. 2) Buying the expensive tool to create the flare in
the pipe (way too expensive!).

Any other ideas? The drawback with welding is having to remove the
whole length of pipe (and presumably the fuel tank as well). Unless I can
bend a wire around the end of the pipe and just tack it in place in a few
spots with the pipe installed...

In both vans, the pipes appear pristine except for the rearmost 18", so
replacing the whole lot seems overkill. But maybe 1.5" hose the whole
way is a better choice long term? The marine hose I used is much larger
(very thick), so I don't know if it will fit in some of the tight spots.

Ideas welcome...

Shawn Wright
http://zuiko.sls.bc.ca/~swright
'85 Jetta D
'88 Westy 1.6TD 5 speed
 (see progress at http://members.shaw.ca/vwdiesels)
'82 Diesel Westy