Berg’s Radiator upper hose connection

[Dave Young]

I’ve got what may be the last new Berg’s radiator, that I bought from him last winter just as he was shutting down the business. The box arrived, I peeked inside and put it away til needed. Well, opened it up today to install on my ‘26 RPU and saw that the upper hose neck is very different than all of my other radiators. Not only does it take a much longer hose, but the alignment to the outlet on the head is pretty far out of line. I’m definitely stuck with it at this point and am just hoping that I can get that 2” hose to clamp tight enough to not leak. It’s a high, flat tube rad on a ‘26 high head engine with a ‘26 style fan hub. Has anyone else experienced this and had success with the hose being stressed and not leaking?

[TXGOAT2]

Are you comparing the newest Berg radiator with other Berg radiators? Berg's radiators are not identical to stock radiators, but they fit without vehicle modification and perform better than stock. Upper hose length may need adjusted. My 26-7 car has a Berg radiator and the late style fan assembly and there have been no issues with fit.

[Moxie26]

Dave.... Would Snyder's Model A radiator hoses especially the top hose solve your problem ? Same diameter as the T hoses, top hose is about twice as long. 26 and 27 Model T's both used the five row and three row radiators.. on the three row a spacer was added to put the fan closer to the radiator. Would your Berg radiator be the five or three row version ?

[ModelTWoods]

Are you comparing the newest Berg radiator with other Berg radiators? Berg's radiators are not identical to stock radiators, but they fit without vehicle modification and perform better than stock. Upper hose length may need adjusted. My 26-7 car has a Berg radiator and the late style fan assembly and there have been no issues with fit.

Same success, here. I've got one on a 26 fordor with no problems.

[TRDxB2]

I’ve got what may be the last new Berg’s radiator, that I bought from him last winter just as he was shutting down the business. The box arrived, I peeked inside and put it away til needed. Well, opened it up today to install on my ‘26 RPU and saw that the upper hose neck is very different than all of my other radiators. Not only does it take a much longer hose, but the alignment to the outlet on the head is pretty far out of line. I’m definitely stuck with it at this point and am just hoping that I can get that 2” hose to clamp tight enough to not leak. It’s a high, flat tube rad on a ‘26 high head engine with a ‘26 style fan hub. Has anyone else experienced this and had success with the hose being stressed and not leaking?

Pictures help to understand (found some). I also have a Berg. I just tried to fit an older red hose to it and it fit nicely. I then tried a recent repro that was a darker red and it felt a bit loose on the radiator but not the water neck. Need to find the black hose that came with the radiator.
--
--
This problem was discussed in a few older discussions, but only length & fitment were at issue
------
https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/1 ... 1283611652
.In the photo where the upper clamp is, that's about 1/2" past the end of the outlet

berg & upper outlet.png (430.89 KiB) Viewed 1292 times

-------
-------
https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/7 ... 1509768274

---
----
Restoration supply https://restorationstuff.com/

[Allan]

I thought the Bergs top outlet was longer so the standard length hose would do the job. is there a reason why the whole length of the outlet tube needs to be covered with hose?

Allan from down under.

[DanTreace]

Berg's is a very well built radiator, for me only real thing is it isn't Ford design tanks, and he uses an available , but good, long neck casting for the upper inlet. That part is different, and have experienced hose connections to be more difficult because that neck is smaller dia. than the Ford design.

Gary told me the avail casting is all he could get, the neck is narrow, so by using the longer hose, you slide it up to gain more contact of the neck, as the end portion of the casting has a bead, that bead is small diameter. My choice was to use modern worm tooth radiator clamp, placed up high.

[Dave Young]

Hey, Bob. Not sure which row unit I’ve got, but the fan spacing looks good. The radiator looks beautifully made in all regards but my only concern is the mis-alignment at the top hose. Hose length was no issue as I keep 3’ lengths of 2” on hand for my trucks. It’s pretty crooked. I put regular SS clamps on it and I just have to see if it leaks. If so, silicone hose is my next route to try.

[John.Zibell]

To prevent leaks I use clear RTV on my hose connections. It seals the connection and prevents corrosion. When you want to remove the hose simply twist and it comes right off.

[TXGOAT2]

Some minor mis-alignment between the radiator tank inlet and the water outlet on the engine is not unusual. If you have severe misalignment, the issue may be in the car rather than the radiator. I believe that repro water outlets are available, and it's possible there is some alignment issue related to them, or some of them, though I don't know of any.

The radiator can be tipped forward or back a little by adjusting the radiator to firewall brace, but it must not be put in any strain by doing so, and hood alignment needs to be considered. The position of the body on the frame will affect hood alignment to some degree, as will frame alignment. A spacer could be made to move the water outlet forward a little, as long as fan clearance and pulley alignment were kept reasonable.

[Adam]

Dave, Misalignment like that usually means the front crossmember in your car has been replaced and a TT truck crossmember was mistakenly installed. Your old radiator may have been modified to fit. Not the fault of the radiator manufacturer.

[JBog]

To prevent leaks I use clear RTV on my hose connections. It seals the connection and prevents corrosion. When you want to remove the hose simply twist and it comes right off.

Do you put the rtv inside the hose?

[Norman Kling]

When the frame sags at the crankcase ears, it is usually lower on the right hand side because of engine torque and braking. In that case the top of the radiator could be to the left of the outlet on the engine. You would straighten the frame to get it to line up. The radiator studs could also be tighter on one side than the other which would tilt the radiator. They are spring loaded, so a small adjustment can be made there. Some people even use a flexible spring type hose.
Norm

[George Mills]

Dave,

Last one I got from Gery went on a 26-27. I was able to use normal red hose but do recall a fight, where the solution was to slide the red hose up high on the neck, guide the lower on the head outlet as radiator was installed and then wiggle down and clamp all up…no leaks, no rtv. Pictures follow

[Dave Young]

No leaks, all good!

[John.Zibell]

To prevent leaks I use clear RTV on my hose connections. It seals the connection and prevents corrosion. When you want to remove the hose simply twist and it comes right off.

Do you put the rtv inside the hose?

on the part the hose goes over.