Hoses
With so much effort and time dedicated to the interior trimmings, it was time to give the engine a bit of a spruce, the first practical upgrade was to replace the nasty rubber coolant hoses with some nice silicone. Obviously, no manafacturer fabricated a direct replacement kit for the Mirafiori engine so it was another case of customising.
Merlinmotorsport.co.uk seemed to provide the most competively priced products which included metre lengths of Flexihose in every bore. This flexi hose can be cut and bent to all manor of angles, they also supply reducers, angles, joiners, clips etc.With the coolant drained and the old hoses ripped off and measured up(measure the external diameter of the fitting, not the internal diameter of the old hose) my order was promptly placed and received.
I found the best policy was to fit one end of the hose(stainless steel clamps were used for longevity) and the mark the other end with the other clamp where the hose is to be cut, this allows neat cutting along the clip.
You will find(if you use the Flexihose) that the hose contains a single metal coiled wire woven into the wall for integrity, this will have to be cut so a pair of wire cutters is a must.
A few of the angles tested the flexibilty of the Flexihose, but we were able to get them all on without any kinks.Of course, that just leaves you to fill the system back up(minus air locks!), silicone hosing offers great performance and looks.
Merlinmotorsport.co.uk seemed to provide the most competively priced products which included metre lengths of Flexihose in every bore. This flexi hose can be cut and bent to all manor of angles, they also supply reducers, angles, joiners, clips etc.With the coolant drained and the old hoses ripped off and measured up(measure the external diameter of the fitting, not the internal diameter of the old hose) my order was promptly placed and received.
I found the best policy was to fit one end of the hose(stainless steel clamps were used for longevity) and the mark the other end with the other clamp where the hose is to be cut, this allows neat cutting along the clip.
You will find(if you use the Flexihose) that the hose contains a single metal coiled wire woven into the wall for integrity, this will have to be cut so a pair of wire cutters is a must.
A few of the angles tested the flexibilty of the Flexihose, but we were able to get them all on without any kinks.Of course, that just leaves you to fill the system back up(minus air locks!), silicone hosing offers great performance and looks.
Before hoses removed And with the new hoses A paint job was in order Just how far it will bend
