Hydro pipe conenctors

[ChrisM]

Morning all.

Hydro pipe unions that connect the front displacers to the flexi and rigid pipes - plated or painted?
What ideas have people got for dealing with the hose end fittings to the displacers? Mine are cruddy looking.
Getting a few bits together for plating. The above fittings, coil bracket, some nuts, bolts etc. Anyone have a list of other obvious parts that are were plated?

Cheers - Chris.

[InimiaD]

I immersed the hose ends of some recently bought units in a molasses bath and they turned out quite tidy.
I think that the connectors were plated from new, but replating them could present a problem.
I'm thinking of getting a DIY plating kit in the near future and I'll see if it is possible to plate the unions.

[mk1]

I have done lots of plating, it's easy & you can get a good finish. But plating will not solve the problem of pitted mating surfaces.

[ChrisM]

Thanks.

The mating part looks OK and I think it will seal fine. I am just looking at the cosmetic side of it. I have been using vinegar with great success, and had been considering trying that, then plating. Whats needed for a bit of DIY plating? A frost kit or did you make something up? I have a few spare displacers to try it out.

Cheers - Chris.

[mk1]

The DIY plating kits are OK. The most difficult bit is getting a power supply that is powerful enough to do larger parts. This will usually set you back as much as the plating kit.

Look on ebay, they are MUCH cheaper than Caswell or Frost.

M

[ChrisM]

Bright zinc or copper first? I would probably be best off just sending it all up the local platers, but I don't think they are going to like my hydro units

[CooperTune]

While not quite on topic, I'm about to assemble a complete and correct 66 build titled 67 LHD Cooper S. The hydro tubes are in bad shape and have been patched a couple of times. I'm thinking I will buy .500 O/D stainless tube and form up a set of replacements. I will take pics and let you know how it comes out. Plan is to make two pair while at it. Also have a Inno MK3 Cooper wet car. Steve (CTR)

[Andrew1967]

While not quite on topic, I'm about to assemble a complete and correct 66 build titled 67 LHD Cooper S. The hydro tubes are in bad shape and have been patched a couple of times. I'm thinking I will buy .500 O/D stainless tube and form up a set of replacements. I will take pics and let you know how it comes out. Plan is to make two pair while at it. Also have a Inno MK3 Cooper wet car. Steve (CTR)

I made up a section of hydro pipe for my Dad's Landcrab using some 1/2" OD stainless tubing with no problems - what wall thickness are you going to use ?

[ChrisM]

Hydro pipe is 3/8 no? I used the cupro mini spares ones same as Mark has fitted to his Speedwell. About as close as you can get fit wise without making them yourself, and then only if you are skilled with a pipe bender. I struggled, but they are on.

[mk1]

The CuproNickel ones from Minispares / M-Machine are pretty good, not perfect, but pretty good.

You can't plate too much of a thickness onto the unions as it will start to effect the fit.

High build copper is a good way of filling minor scratches & imperfections.

[Andrew1967]

Hydro pipe is 3/8 no? I used the cupro mini spares ones same as Mark has fitted to his Speedwell. About as close as you can get fit wise without making them yourself, and then only if you are skilled with a pipe bender. I struggled, but they are on.

Think you're right on a Mini but Landcrabs are 1/2".

It certainly helps that most of my time at work is taken up bending tubing.

The Mini machine pipes are very good and not worth the hassle of trying replicate yourself.

[69k1100]

Any reason not to use flexible hydraulic pipe instead of the rigid pipe?

[CooperTune]

I still have the OE tubes removed from my 67 S in 71 when it went dry. The RH tube was repaired once with a compression fitting. I will measure wall thickness and order material to match. I'm located within walking distance of a high pressure hydraulic hose and line shop. Due to length it will require two people, one to run the bender and one to control the loose end. I have just started the S project and I have yet to remove old pipes from storage. Once I start I will see about pics. Steve (CTR)

Edit: you are correct the tubes are .375 OD, this should make my tube bender happy. He was saying how rough the .500 thick wall was to work with. Also the material is not cheap by the ft.

[Daz1968]

My car has steel hydro pipes but they are in two halves with a joint under the floor, think I bought them from midland mini centre they are correct shape and zinc plated not sure who made them though. Reading above though is it possible to re plate the connectors on end of hydro unit hoses without taking them off the hose, or does the plating solutions damage the rubber.

[ChrisM]

My car had those multi part pipes fitted when I bought it. I only have one rear section, otherwise I would definitely have reused them. I will give the plating a go on a scrap spare and see if it ruins the rubber.

[minicentie]

I took 10mm hydrolic pipe,it's overkill with a thickness of 1 mm. It's a though bent,but i did.
After a good 2 day's it fitted real nice.
But for the right look i reused the old nuts. Drilled them 10mm ,from 9,5 (3/8 inch).
Then made a tool to get a flare on the pipe. It's perfect dry after only 3 years now.
I'll be at beaulieu.

[ChrisM]

Bit off at a tangent. Chucked a cut up rusty displacer in acetic acid for a week. Rubber looks OK. Will try and post some pics. This was a particularly crusty example, and is as removed. The parts still look rusty when pulled out, but gently wire brush them and bright metal appears. You could certainly hang the connectors in this solution, but would probably want to blank them if risking totally submerging the displacer. In the end, bead blasting may be more appropriate here.

[geroch]

Usually they are in this state: