Re: Water distribution tube removal

Posted by HH56 On 2013/4/5 17:24:30

Was reading one of the Model Garage stories today and the subject was water distribution tubes. Fellow came in with car gauge reading hot but no other bad symptoms. Had to have the car fixed in a short time or the fellow would be out of a job. Gus saved the day by doing the usual checks on the engine, radiator and gauge in no time at all and then diagnosing the tube as the most likely culprit. Interesting part of the story was how he removed the old and inserted the new without pulling the radiator since that would have taken too much time.

Old tube removal was not a problem. It apparently was rusted in pieces like the one in the photo posted. Since this was a 1949-50 story and a tube was rusted, wonder if replacement tubes during and maybe just before or after the war were made of steel instead of brass and a reason for the steel tubes occasionally found?? I digress -- At any rate the new "quality" brass tube Gus installed in a hurry was done by cutting the tube on three sides several times at a distance a bit shorter than that between block and radiator. He then bent the tube at the cuts so it would fit in that space. Slide a section in, straighten and solder the tube shut then slide to the next bend, straighten and solder and repeat until the tube was fully in.

Gist of this post is since this story was in a national magazine, wonder how many mechanics -- shade tree or otherwise -- decided to take a short cut in their own repairs. If anyone has run across a strangely cut and soldered tube, this might explain it.