Heater hose routing

[Yadkin]

I'm having a problem with the heater hose routing. The adapter from the intake manifold that I removed before rebuilding the engine was a simple elbow, feeding the carb spacer. It appeared to be original, with an extension on the threaded end, but was badly corroded so I replaced it with something similar. I've had the routing set up temporarily to bypass the heater core, but now I need to connect it.

The circuit needs a shut off valve to the core but the carb spacer needs water all the time, so I can't just pipe it all together in a loop. I found this routing diagram which seems to work, cooling the carb spacer and heating the choke, and allowing the core to be shut off.

Is this correct? Macs sells the manifold tee for a whopping $40 (see picture).

[jopizz]

The water control valve is what shuts off water to the heater core, not the elbow.

John

[Yadkin]

I know. But the (expensive) tee fitting on the manifold has a smaller opening to feed the carb spacer to favor flow to the core. What I really don't like is that easy kink feature on the hose doing a 180 back through the choke heater.

Here's a alternate schematic that I came up with to simplify the routing. I don't see why this wouldn't work just fine.

[jopizz]

Looks like it would work. Like you I wouldn't pay $40 for the T connector. I think the last time I needed one I found a plastic one at NAPA that worked for less than $10.

John

[Yadkin]

The problem is that the carb spacer is so close to the intake fitting that a tee won't fit in between them. And I don't think plastic threads would last too long screwed into the manifold.

The only potential issue I see with my schematic is that the carb spacer is a restriction in itself, so I may not get as much flow through the core as I would otherwise.

But then again, I don't plan on driving this car in the winter.

[jopizz]

I'm not sure how beneficial the carb heating system was. They did away with it in '66 so I imagine it wasn't that effective. Unless you're a stickler for originality just eliminate it and get a standard fitting for the intake.

John

[Yadkin]

I believe the spacer is for cooling, to prevent the gas from boiling after shut down, absorbing all the heat from the cast iron intake manifold. In later years they went to a phenolic spacer to insulate, which is far simpler and less expensive.

I like it because it's unique. Many experienced car guys have never seen a water cooled spacer.

[Yadkin]

Here's the tee I'll be using. I found 5/8" barbed nylon tees at the hardware store, along with a 1/2" nylon bushing. I pressed the bushing into the branch and there's my restrictor.