Re: [Chrysler300] Radiator Hose Clamps

I think I may have figured out how to tell the junk "Corbin style" clamps that don't work, from the the good ones that work as well as they did in the day of a billion OEM uses by the car manufacturers. The good ones will have the clamp number - such as R16, or R36 - stamped into the ring. That stamped number will likely denote a well made one.

Also, one misunderstood cause of frustration is that today's hoses are often made of tougher - but thinner - hose material. So the Corbin clamp size that sealed these old hoses perfectly is going to be too big to seal the new thinner-walled replacement hose. A new slightly smaller size clamp solves that easily. The R number denotes the OD diameter in 1/16" increments that a particular Corbin clamp was bent to be used on. E.g - R14 = 14 sixteenths of an inch = 7/8" OD hose. So taking a vernier caliper reading of the hose OD will indicate the perfect R number clamp to seal it.

The ones you see for cheap on Ebay typically don't have the stamped R number, and the claims of the sellers as to what hose they will seal are what ever the seller guesses - even suggesting a clamp will fit a certain range of hoses sizes.

Wrong. They will probably leak. No wonder restorers think they don't work well and hate using them.

Keith Boonstra

On Tue, Jan 30, 2018 at 9:14 PM, John Grady jkg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [Chrysler300] <Chrysler300-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Agree , all the retro reproduction wire clamps are junk . No spring temper , just bent wire from China . Had same experience , gave up . Many of the originals have been “sprung” by opening them too much takes steel in the wire beyond steel yield point — never work well again . You do need the right tool to control that .
Easy to ruin with pliers.
I do not like look t too much but have taken to using worm drive clamps and breaking off the tail left over , right at the clamp , and putting worm underneath . Looks a lot better than 1” tail hanging off
Sent from my iPhone

On 30 Jan 2018, at 5:26 pm, plotkin_associates@xxxxxxxxxxx [Chrysler300] <Chrysler300-noreply@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

Tried to replace the screw type clamps holding the upper and lower radiator hoses in my 64 Chrysler 300K (413 cu in, 4 brl, no a/c). The repro spring type clamps that I bought fit but weren't tight enough to stop antifreeze leakings when the engine was started. Any one have or know where to get original spring type clamps for a 64 300K that hopefully would have a tighter fit. Used are fine as long as tight. Need 4 of them. Thanks for any help.

Myron