Broken Radiator Barb, Coolant Leaks, & Small Coolant Hose Diameter?
I'm gearing up to do some more work on the delorean this summer, since I wasn't able to get it back to running last fall. My last thread was here: https://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?1...-Turbo-Edition
I finished off the season by breaking the small, upper plastic barb on the OEM radiator that everyone says to be careful not to break! It's completely my fault for rushing things last fall when it was too cold to be doing any work. I tried to epoxy it, but just couldn't get it to set and hold (again, the cold probably didn't help).
I figure I have two options. One is replacing the radiator + fans with shiny new ones. The other is trying to patch up my mistake. On one hand, the original fans are pretty ratty (the battery voltage dips when the radiator comes on - maybe lower amperage fans might help), and it would be nice to have a new radiator. However, doing some research it seems like quite the pain and I need to plan on getting a new rock guard and some other replacement parts... Really, I'm trying to converge and get this thing running since it's been down for over a year now, so I'm leaning towards a patch job.
I'm thinking I can find the correct size barb I can drill, tap, and epoxy a new barb fitting in: https://www.mcmaster.com/barbed-fitt...for-chemicals/
Can someone help me find the ID for the small small hose? Has anyone tried a patch job like this?
Further, I'm struggling to get the new silicon coolant hoses not to leak, even with new hose clamps. I think the OEM aluminum hoses are a bit pitted and coolant is finding a path out, even with the hoses clamped. My current plan is to smear some JB weld on the ends of the pipes and then sand them down smooth. Thoughts on this? Maybe there is a sealant I should use for the silicone coolant hoses?