Got some prototypes finished, finally.
I'm going to have to work on a couple things to tweak it to where I like it. They look presentable as is, but I need to change the date code stamps themselves. I originally got them made out of silicon because of the increased flexibility, but one thing about the silicon stamps I learned is that they do not hold nor distribute the ink as readily or evenly as the standard rubber stamps. Thus, the date code stamps look ok, but not as good as they could, IMO. I got a great idea in using my Beugler striping tool to do the yellow stripes, and got some quality ink and mixed the color myself that works quite well in the striper tool. I may need to thin it a tad more, but it worked out alright. I did a few practice runs on a piece of paper, taped off where the date stamps would go, and then striped them by hand using the tool. I used a Dewalt tool to try and match the shade of yellow. Maybe need to tweak that a bit as well. The stripes and date codes were done BEFORE bending and vulcanizing the hoses while they were just straight and subsequently, much more ingrained into the hose material. This is why they "barber pole" slightly on the finished product. A real PITA to replicate.
Tried to get the difference in nuances about the two different year hoses nailed down as well. The 84 upper hose has one little bend where it would go near the cruise control unit (if equipped) and the 85 has an extra "notch" to ensure it clears that. The part number stamp used in 1985 was also "misaligned" as compared to the 86-88 version. The date code and "AU" stamping on the 84 hoses used a "gap" in between the two codes inside the stripes as it were, while the 85 had one code, stripe, next code, stripe, so on and so forth.
For those who GAF, the hose date codes were typically like the alternator date codes and others. Last digit year/Month/Day-Day/Shift. So for example, for an 85 model, a 5A02C was made on Jan 2, 1985 on the third shift. You would expect this to end up in a car within 2 weeks to a couple few months, give or take, so it would work on a mid-January or February built car. You may see them with something like a 4M20A as well, which would mean December 20, 1984 on first shift. They used a zero in front of single digit days to keep the spacing correct.
The bottom hose stamping for the part number was similar, but the 84 winged foot was flatter, and not tilted like the 85 version. Also, I've seen different versions of the winged foot on different years and different ones on the same years. I guess it depends on when they were made and who was stamping them. Some were stamped opposite from another as well. I guess this makes it easier because of the variances in the stamps from the hose factory.
For comparison, I tended to use an original set of hoses from an 84 H/O, and unfortunately, I only have pictures of the hoses for an 85. I never even thought about it and when I had the 85 serviced at the dealership for hoses, belts and coolant/oil change, they put on GM parts, but...the hoses were no longer factory striped. I really didn't give it too much thought back then. If I did it myself, I'd have likely kept them, but since the dealership did it, I never saw them again.
Originals for 84:
85 sampling:
Here they are, and nowhere else. I've never seen another set. Maybe people aren't that interested to do it, I dunno.
I'm going to have to work on a couple things to tweak it to where I like it. They look presentable as is, but I need to change the date code stamps themselves. I originally got them made out of silicon because of the increased flexibility, but one thing about the silicon stamps I learned is that they do not hold nor distribute the ink as readily or evenly as the standard rubber stamps. Thus, the date code stamps look ok, but not as good as they could, IMO. I got a great idea in using my Beugler striping tool to do the yellow stripes, and got some quality ink and mixed the color myself that works quite well in the striper tool. I may need to thin it a tad more, but it worked out alright. I did a few practice runs on a piece of paper, taped off where the date stamps would go, and then striped them by hand using the tool. I used a Dewalt tool to try and match the shade of yellow. Maybe need to tweak that a bit as well. The stripes and date codes were done BEFORE bending and vulcanizing the hoses while they were just straight and subsequently, much more ingrained into the hose material. This is why they "barber pole" slightly on the finished product. A real PITA to replicate.
Tried to get the difference in nuances about the two different year hoses nailed down as well. The 84 upper hose has one little bend where it would go near the cruise control unit (if equipped) and the 85 has an extra "notch" to ensure it clears that. The part number stamp used in 1985 was also "misaligned" as compared to the 86-88 version. The date code and "AU" stamping on the 84 hoses used a "gap" in between the two codes inside the stripes as it were, while the 85 had one code, stripe, next code, stripe, so on and so forth.
For those who GAF, the hose date codes were typically like the alternator date codes and others. Last digit year/Month/Day-Day/Shift. So for example, for an 85 model, a 5A02C was made on Jan 2, 1985 on the third shift. You would expect this to end up in a car within 2 weeks to a couple few months, give or take, so it would work on a mid-January or February built car. You may see them with something like a 4M20A as well, which would mean December 20, 1984 on first shift. They used a zero in front of single digit days to keep the spacing correct.
The bottom hose stamping for the part number was similar, but the 84 winged foot was flatter, and not tilted like the 85 version. Also, I've seen different versions of the winged foot on different years and different ones on the same years. I guess it depends on when they were made and who was stamping them. Some were stamped opposite from another as well. I guess this makes it easier because of the variances in the stamps from the hose factory.
For comparison, I tended to use an original set of hoses from an 84 H/O, and unfortunately, I only have pictures of the hoses for an 85. I never even thought about it and when I had the 85 serviced at the dealership for hoses, belts and coolant/oil change, they put on GM parts, but...the hoses were no longer factory striped. I really didn't give it too much thought back then. If I did it myself, I'd have likely kept them, but since the dealership did it, I never saw them again.
Originals for 84:
85 sampling:
Here they are, and nowhere else. I've never seen another set. Maybe people aren't that interested to do it, I dunno.
