Using central heating pipes for car cooling

[johnyma22 3]

I'm fabbing up a hacked together cooling system for a conversion I'm doing and I found that central heating radiator pipes you would use at home fit perfect as joiners for my silicone hoses.  I'm using them as "connectors" basically, 20mm or so lengths where I can jubilee the hoses onto.

 

I guess that home radiator pipes are mostly copper so in theory would brown/green up after a while but should they rot inside the silicone hoses?  One assumes not...  Perhaps Coolant might cause this tho?

 

Obviously aluminium pipe (ideally with a barb/flare on) would be a better choice or even plastic adapters but can anyone think of a reason not to use copper central heating pipes other than aesthetics?

 

Cheers!

[Biggles 65]

Risk of the hoses blowing off due to lack of a bead is the only one I can think of - unless there's some wierd corrosion effect from copper and aluminium in the same water circuit (copper & aluminium in direct contact is not a good combination from a corrosion perspective).

[Ozymandis 96]

I first did it on a Holbay Hunter engine in the 70`s, and on many vehicles  since.

None ever blew off or caused any electrolytic corrosion.

 

I have also taken a Yorkshire fitting , a straight coupler, cut it into 2 and soldered a bit on either end of 28mm copper,to act as a retention bead, and used it to front mount a hillman imp radiator, long term 30yrs+ and there is no electrolytic corrosion.

[Biggles 65]

Sounds like good to go then.

[wicked 103 3 Cars]

Aluminium hose joiner are only a few quid on ebay? Why bother with copper?

Modern coolants might affect the copper, but likely you'll use the blue stuff.   

 

[Ozymandis 96]

whoops

Edited October 31, 2019 by Ozymandis

[SootySport 23]

On 10/26/2019 at 9:22 PM, Ozymandis said:

I first did it on a Holbay Hunter engine in the 70`s, and on many vehicles  since.

None ever blew off or caused any electrolytic corrosion.

 

I have also taken a Yorkshire fitting , a straight coupler, cut it into 2 and soldered a bit on either end of 28mm copper,to act as a retention bead, and used it to front mount a hillman imp radiator, long term 30yrs+ and there is no electrolytic corrosion.

Ex Hunter GLS owner here too. Loved the twin 40’s sound and thrashing my mates Mk3 Cortina GT’s.    Haven’t seen one since I sold mine in 1980.

[StuF215 1 1 Cars]

When I completed my conversion I used 22/15mm copper pipe to make the rear coolant pipe work from the heater matrix (aluminium pipe) to the engine and expansion tank. Not just joiners I soldered elbows and a tee on to mimick the original. Far more compact and neater than silicone I also also used 32mm aluminium for the bottom hose. 
 

9 or so years later it’s doing fine and not Degraded or blown off. I wouldn't worry just make sure you have enough length into the silicone to clamp tightly. 

[Ozymandis 96]

Bernie I saw one and an Avenger tiger  in Bradford about a year ago when I was going to pick up some MG parts, they made a shedload of induction roar under a railway bridge, thats why I noticed them. It took me back years. My first illegal driving lesson was in my brothers Hunter.

 

[Ozymandis 96]

On 10/30/2019 at 11:19 AM, wicked said:

 

Modern coolants might affect the copper, but likely you'll use the blue stuff.   

 

OAT doesnt harm copper or electrolytically attack anything in circuit with it, what it can do is attack SnPb soft soldering, so if using a modern coolant best practice is no soldered joints.

General motors had a probem with their coolant at the switchover to OAT, leaks with brass/copper soldered radiators and heater matrices. they issued a bulletin about it at one point, which is where I got my info.

Edited November 9, 2019 by Ozymandis
spelling

[SootySport 23]

On 11/9/2019 at 12:42 AM, Ozymandis said:

Bernie I saw one and an Avenger tiger  in Bradford about a year ago when I was going to pick up some MG parts, they made a shedload of induction roar under a railway bridge, thats why I noticed them. It took me back years. My first illegal driving lesson was in my brothers Hunter.

 

I have seen a Sunbeam Rapier H120 at a car show last year,  which also has the Holbay engine  but that’s it, guess there wasn’t many made.

[Ozymandis 96]

I saw one of those H120`s in some dodgy mill units in Milnsbridge circa 1987, where my Brother had a place, a young Asian lad had put a new roof on it. It was mint and had a car stood on its roof, so he found another and chopped the roof off and swapped it.

Then he bust the screen trying to fit it as he had got it a bit low.

He had a second laminated screen, so I s*it You not, he cut it down with an angle grinder and successfully fitted it, You couldnt tell.

[16v205 9]

I've done the same with 15 & 22mm copper pipe, in fact I've only just taken them out the engine bay after 11 years and had no issues at all. 

 

I soldered an olive on the end of each pipe so the hose couldn't pull off when the jubilee club was tightened. 

 

 

[petert 549]

Lol., 3/4" galvanised steel water pipe is what you want. Nice heavy wall thickness, which rusts readily on the inside. Cut a 3/4" BSP thread on the end and screw on any fitting you want.