I don't think you can just re-bend them, it's in the molding. Get them from NAPA, theirs come pre-bent, you just trim the ends to fit.

 

Thx MFE. That sounds like the way to go. My local parts store just gave me the hose 'cause I go to them religiously, so I thought I would try to make the hose work. But it is looking like it is gonna be more hassle that it is worth.

 

i got both of my heater hoses from Autozone.Cost more than I had expected,but,I wanted to do it right the first time.

 

Yeah I went to autozone cause they are close by. the only ones they had are form the water pump to the metal heater core runner tubes that travel across the manifold.

Napa had the preshaped ones for $20+ each. So I am gonna try using the free tubing I got and go from there. If I fail, I'll chalk it up to a lesson learned.

 

N/M Misread post.

 

Sometimes if the hose is cut too long (or in some instances, too short) and you try to bend it, due to the hose length, it may kink or collapse. If the length of hose is long, try cutting the hose just a tad shorter, then try the bend again. It's trial and error when working w/ one of those lengths of straight generic hose. Sometimes if the hose is short enough, when you go to bend it, the curvature is just right and it won't collapse or kink.

The easiest way to test fit is stick the one end of the hose on one of the outlets, then take the open end (that is not connected) and test the curve out as you extend it to the other outlet. Once you get the right bend, then cut the excess off and install the open end - done.

Sometimes using the generic straight hose works for a quick fix, sometimes it does not. Depending on the rubber's quality (ie: thickness & overall compound), some of those hoses are just too soft and are only good for use for a straight run w/ no complex curves.

 

CobarJet:

That is exactly what happened. I was on the long side and had a curve that worked for 1 bend, but was to much to over come for the opposite bend and kept collapsing/kinking.

I did take a hand full of zipties and stuffed them in the tube to keep it from collapsing while still being flexible. Then I heated the hose up to 250F in the oven, shaped it then cooled under running tap water. It actually worked pretty well for the smaller 5/8" tubing and I got that one to work out fine. But the bigger 3/4" tubing ended up not playing nice. So I took MFE's suggestion and went to NAPA and got the proper pre-shaped 3/4" tubing for $16.

Thx for the suggestion though. I did find that cutting the 5/8" tube just a tad bit short made the bend more like a 110deg bend instead of a 90deg, which helped it keep from kinking.

I'll chalk it up to a lesson learned. I think for the amount of effort I put into shaping the free hose, I should have just bought the pre-shaped hose for $17. All the heating, shaping, cooling, testfitting in a cramped space ended up being a big PITA, But I had to do it since I already cut the hose off and the NAPA was 8 miles away. So I had to make something work. :hammer:

 

That is one thing it is worth it to buy the right part. Heck, even my local Ford dealer sells them for about $15 each. I do carry a 2' long piece of tubing in my car "spare parts box" (along with headlights, a belt, old upper & lower rad hoses, clamps, and other misc small parts), just in case I need to emergency fix a hose. Had to do it once, at night on a Sunday, on the road from New Orleans to Houston. Glad I had the hose and a gallon of water! Got me to the next town and eventually home.