Molded C-hose DIY replacement

[furgo]

I've been going over my vacuum lines and so far I've been able to replace all of them with direct equivalents of the same size.

However, when it comes to the molded C-hose (#022 201 919), it gets trickier. There are currently two options:

• If it's salvageable, do a quick repair of the cracked ends
• If not, get a silicone one from Gee Bee

This is a DIY third option, which is essentially "cut and paste your own hose". The idea is not mine, but I've not seen it shown in any forum so far, so I thought I'd share it here.

While there isn't that much choice in getting shaped molded rubber hoses, there is quite a lot of offer in silicone hose. You can generally get a fairly broad spread of diameters and shapes, and the idea is to combine these.

Essentially, the C-hose is a U-bend (180°) section plus a 45° bend section. So you can:

1. Get one of each, with an 18 mm inner diameter, or the closest you can get. Mine had an arm length of 100 mm.
2. Get 2" 1/2 of aluminum pipe, with an outer diameter of 18 mm
3. Use your original C-hose to compare with and cut the sections to size. Use a hose cutter (even then, silicone hose is a bit tricky to cut straight).
4. Join the two sections with the aluminum pipe

At this point, you're done. You can use clamps at each end and at each side of the joint and that's it.

I added a couple of optional steps to mine:

5. I used some RTV to seal the joint: essentially I spread some Permatex Ultra Black (use whatever brand you prefer here) across the perimeter of the aluminum tube at its middle and then I joined the ends.
6. This is strictly personal preference. It is essentially for looks and does not add anything in particular function-wise (other than preventing the silicone surface from being a dust magnet): I wasn't quite happy with the super-shiny silicone look, so I effectively mated it. What I did was to use wire harness tape (PET fleece) and wrapped it all around it. And that's the end result:

Final notes:

• You'll notice that the bend radius of the 180° section is smaller than the original. I couldn't find one with a bigger radius, but it works fine once installed. It has enough clearance not to interfere with the decel valve, and that's what counts. You might be able to find that section with a bigger radius, though. If you do, go for it .
• In terms of diameters, as mentioned the spec is 18mm ID. I used 19 mm ID, as the next step down was 16 mm for the seller I found. Even though the hoses I used can be stretched 1-3 mm, I did not want to overdo it. In hindsight, I could have probably used 16 mm and then spare myself the use of clamps.
• Even though it fits fine and I'm happy with the end result, I'm still not entirely satisfied with silicone. I'm trying another option with rubber and I will report back if it works out
_________________
'79 Westy, P22 interior, FI 2.0 l Federal, GE engine (hydraulic lifters)

Decode your M-Plate

[KentABQ]

That's a great solution to an NLA problem. Nicely done, furgo!
_________________
-Kent-
1976 Riviera, 1.8l FI chrome yellow VAN - "Chloe"

"I must say, how can you be in a bad mood driving this vehicle full of vibrant color.
Cars of today are so bland in comparison. It's like driving a celebration!" ---WildIdea

Bus ownership via emoticons:
---williamM

[busdaddy]

Nice work!, unless it's super loose clamps aren't really needed on vacuum lines, if fact it's better to have a place to blow apart in the event of a backfire and save the stress on the AFM.

Maybe some of that expandable woven wire sleeve like a Chinese finger puzzle would be better than the tape? I use the hockey tape on many 1920's/30's restorations, but it has to be shellaced to resist engine oil and heat, otherwise it turns into a gooey mess days before the customers next big show.
_________________
Rust NEVER sleeps and stock never goes out of style.

Please don't PM technical questions, ask your problem in public so everyone can play along. If you think it's too stupid post it here
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!

Слава Україні!

[SGKent]

don't know if this is the same one or not but this one is for a manual trans. They work perfect and many folks here get them from him.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1220031




.
_________________
"Most people don't know what they're doing, and a lot of them are really good at it." - George Carlin

[furgo]

[mr. lang]

David, you could peel the woven mesh off of a flexible fuel line having the same diameter you need. The one on my hose to the type 1 oil bath cleaner comes off all the time, so this could work.
You can push it together, which will give it roughly double the inner diameter, so easy to slide on.
The finish would look like the hose to the right, that you posted.

Can you apply some heat to get the bigger radius?
_________________
1966 Bus | 1969 Bug | 1976 Passat LX two-door | 1984 Golf 2 C (daily driver)
There are three kinds of people: those who can count and those who can't
Und läuft ...

[furgo]