hose clamps for 1953 Firedome V8

James

I just looked in a S16 - S17 - S18 and a S23 - S24 De Soto Passenger Car Shop / Service Manual for what you are speaking of. The figures shown in both manuals
all have the Wire Clamp which uses the special "notched" pliers shown.

There is an reason these type of clamps have been swaped for the better ( wide )
screw tightened clamps. As long as all your clamps are of the same design I
will always think and feel your 1953 De Soto has a good attention to detail.

Are you going to be in Saint Elmo this July for The Annual Convention ?

Thanks, Rodger. I checked the service manual and there they are plain as day: the wire clamps! I have heard they may not hold as well as the screw type with the replacement hoses that have thinner walls than the original hoses. Figure I will put all screw type on for now because that is the type already on the radiator and bypass hoses.

As for the convention, I'd like to go but Minnesota is too far from Maryland. There are a lot of things to do here, so the '53 will not be sitting in the garage.

James,

In case you are interested, fellow Marylanders, Ferd, and Thelma Driver, will be driving their 1952, to Minnesota to the Convention.

If you are interested in joining them, give them a call. They are wonderful people, whom I have had the joy of knowing for years.

Having talked to Ferd on the phone, he plans on going up through Canada, and back down to Minnesota. The reason is simple, less traffic. I would do the same.

Mark Waite
Wisconsin

Hello James. I have a 53 with all of the wire hose clamps. I do not drive the car often enough to really be an expert on how well these clamps hold the hoses but my family has never had any leaks at these clamps. These clamps have a lot of spring to them and hold well. There is a special pair of pliers to take the clamps on and off with a notch like Rodger indicated. They can be removed with pliers but you need to be strong and careful. I lucked out - a friend's retired mechanic father had a pair of these pliers. I may be able to round up some of these clamps but they will need cleaning and painting but they have probably been removed only once and are most likely better than what you can buy new. The reason - in my mind - to go with the new wide screw type clamp was cost. There is not much that is Not changed due to cost except for design problems.

Paul, thanks for your reply. I would really prefer the original type wire clamp as long as they hold ok. So I will keep the screw type until I can get a full set of wire clamps for the heater hoses (4), the carb (2), the bypass (2), and the radiator (4). Last year Bernbaum had no wire clamps. I will call them next week to see if they now have them. And I'll order some new hoses.

Mark, Ferd And Thelma Driver are good friends. I see Ferd about every month at our DeSoto breakfast here in Maryland. They are great travelers! Jim Turner

James, the wire hose clamps jsut complete the job. There are maybe 5 or so in this photo.

YearOne has them. Look here https://www.yearone.com/Catalog/1966-74 ... production

If you don't have a pair of the special pliers you can make your own with a pair of conventional slip joint pliers. Just cut grooves in the jaws the width of the wire. Or most tool suppliers (Mac, Snap On) still sell them. I highly recommend getting a set.

I have seen lots of those wire clamp pliers with notches on eBay.

Just a couple of things to keep in mind:

1. If you do drive to the 2013 convention by way of Canada, remember that you now need a passport, which can take some time to get.

2. If you are going to have your car judged at an NDC Convention, you will lose points for having the wrong type of hose clamps. Having the correct hose clamps in good condition is worth 12 points (out of a total of 400 possible points). One of these days, I'm going to write an article for our club's magazine regarding the judging sheets used and discuss what each of the judged items are worth. This is on my "to-do" list, but unfortunately so are a lot of other things with higher priority.

Bill Noble

Making progress but still don't know for sure what sizes of clamps are needed and where to order.

Shop manual shows "ID" which I figure means interior diameter of hose for upper and lower radiator is 1 3/4". Four clamps needed.

Shop manual also shows "ID" for bypass hose is 1". Two clamps needed.

As for the heater hoses of which there are three, I don't see an "ID" for them in the shop manual. I am guessing they are 3/4" ID (or 5/8"). Then there are two carburetor hoses that appear to be the same size as the heater hoses. So I figure it's ten of that size needed.

Where to order? I see from Tim's post that Year One referenced above is one possible source. I will give them a call.

James

Please say ... I need _____ Water Hose Clamps for The Ratorator Size
and I need ______ Hose Clamps for the Heater Hoses.

All week this has been bothering me and I have re-located "my stash".

I do not want this lack of The Correct Clamp to be the reason that you
can not be at Saint Elmo this July.

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My email has quit. Over and over they say it will be back in three days ...
so do not even try contacting me by it.
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Rodger & Gabby
COS

James, I will check my receipts to see what and how I ordered the hose clamps. It was about 10 years ago so I will check my receipts tomorrow during the Pats and Ravens football game.

James, I checked my receipts and I bought the hose clamps from Andy Bernbaum around 1995. And I believe you said they are all out. Send me your email and I can send you a list of Suppliers in which you may find one that has the hose clamps. This is a good sources for parts but probably does not have an alternate source for hose clamps. Hopefully you can deduce which may have some.
pmurko@cox.net