'76 Radiator Hoses

[plwindish]

This is a detour from the topic I've been doing for updating my '76 Avanti. After the car got back from the muffler shop last week from having larger stainless pipes from the headers to the new mufflers and on back to the rear with new stainless tips, the lower radiator hose crapped out back at the engine shop. The Avanti hoses, both top and lower than I ordered and got from Studebaker International are not even close to fitting. The engine shop also ordered both upper and lower hoses through their supplier and had the same luck. They sent the old hoses back with the supplier to match up the hoses. Who out in Avanti land can tell me where to go for readily available hoses for a '76 Avanti II with the SBC 400 motor? When I had the motor rebuilt, I opted for new fuel pump, water pump, carb, starter, alternator, distributor and radiator hoses. Studebaker International's catalog stated the hoses would work up to '83, SURPRISE!!!!! Has anyone had good luck with Auto Zone, Pep Boys, O'Rielly's or NAPA for radiator hoses? I didn't know if Avanti would still show up in their books or not. I guess when I do find a supplier, I'd better lay in another set for "just in case". Until the hose "snafu", I was getting stoked for a great ride tonight. Oh Well, hopefully, just 1 more day to wait.

[WayneC]

There was a previous thread on the subject.

http://www.aoai.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=1721&st=0&p=5893&hl=radiator%20hose&fromsearch=1entry5893

or: http://tinyurl.com/3fezzyh

Last time I needed hoses I ended up taking my old ones to a local parts store that let me check through their hoses until I found something I thought would work (by cutting the ends off longer hoses that had the same approximate bends). On the thread link above, several people chimed in with hose numbers that worked for them.

Do not forget the lower hose must have a spring inside it to prevent it collapsing from engine suction.