A discussion of hose clamps (yes, I CAN be that boring).......

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

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Every factory-original clamp on my 1978 K-20 Chevrolet, bought brand-new one owner, was that type.

My belief is that the manufacturer purposefully uses a very easily broken bolt that will twist off before enough torque is applied to crush things.

Liberal application of anti-sieze, both to the threads and also the sliding collar, is highly recommended.




My 1985 Ford F-350 came with the two-wire/bolt type clamps.


I have owned several various vehicles that came with those stainless "pinch-together" one-use clamps that go together sort of like a metal deer-tag and then are clinched tight via a special tool.

 

[PwrSmoke]

Thanks to all in this discussion. I was on the hunt for some particular clamps and all the leads here put me right onto them. Yes, it's a geeky topic but I love it!

 

[Agnem]

I also love the OEM clamps and use them whenever I can. Worm clamps strip and slip, and are the dickens to get started when they have been bent out of shape. About the only time I prefer them is when I want to put a clamp on a hose without disconnecting it. Consider that Ford used these on everything for years, and now what do they use? A spring clamp! A SPRING CLAMP! Like that is going to last 30 years.

 

[firehawk]

I also love the OEM clamps and use them whenever I can. Worm clamps strip and slip, and are the dickens to get started when they have been bent out of shape. About the only time I prefer them is when I want to put a clamp on a hose without disconnecting it. Consider that Ford used these on everything for years, and now what do they use? A spring clamp! A SPRING CLAMP! Like that is going to last 30 years.

I still have the spring clamp on my 94 firehawk, and it still works great. I see no reason why they wont last. The car also has over 300k miles on it, so it has both miles and age.

 

[whiteboyslo]

Since McMaster isn't a fan of posting actual pics or brand names of their stuff, I thought I'd share some pics and impressions of the clamps I got from them.

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I ordered the following PNs:

5443K26
5443K27
5443K28
5443K29

I used 2 to clamp the lower radiator hose, 1 to clamp the upper hose at the radiator end, and didn't use 5443K27. Sorry for not paying attention to which one went where, but I'll try to post back with that info later on for those curious.

Overall, I'm pretty impressed with these. They're BEEFY for sure. Each is about half an inch wide. The edges are slightly rolled to help prevent puncture, and the mechanism used to clamp them down is very sturdy. Since it uses an actual bolt to close the clamping mechanism, it's easy to get a wrench on it. Speaking of the bolt, it has a neat feature built in that acts somewhat like a lock washer to prevent it from backing out. One slight downside of the design, though, is the amount of room the bolt/nut mechanism takes up. It's pretty tall, so you really have to plan the orientation to get it to fit.

Hope this helps someone,

Mike

 

[whiteboyslo]

Double post

 

[Optikalillushun]

Something like this?

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66 Fairlane had them originally, cursed the whole time removing them (rusted, bent and partially broken). Same style went on but new, all never sized and they come apart like butter. Only thing i found is they REALLY grip the hose, so much that its a PITA to get the hose off but its a cleaner look an doesnt damage the hose.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

Only thing i found is they REALLY grip the hose, so much that its a PITA to get the hose off but its a cleaner look an doesnt damage the hose.

I made two inexpensive investments at Harbor Freight that really help when removing stuck on hoses without damaging anything.

One is a purpose-made hose removal "probe" or "hook", which is a simple blunt-pointed special-bent screw-driver-handled gizmo that works on small heater-hoses and huge radiator hoses.

The blunt pointed end is probed in between the hose and the nipple it is attached to, then wiggled/worked around the perimeter until the hose has been freed.

The other is a 4-pack of small "picks and hooks" that are used the same way on the smaller hoses, such as fuel-lines and vacuum-hoses and the like.

Add a couple sets of hose-gripping pliers and most hose removal problems are solved.

 

[dgr]

Those look like they would provide more constant tension than a screwclamp. How much does the screw rotate around the hose once you start tightening them? Definitely Ann advantage for those OEM ones pictured

 

[whiteboyslo]

Those look like they would provide more constant tension than a screwclamp. How much does the screw rotate around the hose once you start tightening them? Definitely Ann advantage for those OEM ones pictured

Are these questions directed at me?

Mike

 

[dgr]

Yes mike. Compared to a regular screw clamp, do you have to chase it around the hose while you tighten it?

 

[whiteboyslo]

Oh, I see what you mean. Actually, they stay in place quite well. Because of the 'locking' design built into the bolt head, finger-tight will hold it steady just fine. All I did was locate the clamp where I wanted it, tightened it by hand, grabbed a ratcheting wrench (best tool ever!), and cinched it down. Admittedly, I didn't use a torque wrench on these as I suggested I would in my first post, but the design to these has me pretty confident that they wouldn't tear up the hose like the worm drive units do.

Mike

 

[Blind Driver2]

I also love the OEM clamps and use them whenever I can. Worm clamps strip and slip, and are the dickens to get started when they have been bent out of shape. About the only time I prefer them is when I want to put a clamp on a hose without disconnecting it. Consider that Ford used these on everything for years, and now what do they use? A spring clamp! A SPRING CLAMP! Like that is going to last 30 years.

It's only supposed to get the vehicle out of warranty

But, I've never found one that has worn out.