Heater pipe support

[So Cal Mark]

some years had a bracket welded to the pipe, other years had a removable clamp. In my experience, almost every pipe I see with a welded bracket has the bracket bent down and unused since someone removed the exhaust manifold and didn't want to drain the cooling system.

[RRoller123]

That is EXACTLY how my car is configured.

[Turbofiat124]

When I turbocharged my Spider some 15+ years ago, that support clamp conflicted with the turbo exhaust manifold. I sawed it off. Never had a problem. That pipe is not that heavy, I don't know why it would need a support anyway.

Mine is also an 80 model so it had that one-off "brass box" that sits on the intake plenum that's bad about leaking at the soldered joints. The 8mm hose going to it came off the heater pipe. And then the return (or supply?) line connected to a TEE between one of the heater hoses. Where the 81+ models went to the upper radiator neck.

Initially I just connected a hose to both nipples. Later I sawed the 8mm nipple off, sanded it down with a file and there was enough of the new heater hose to cover the hole.

[RRoller123]

I think the issue is probably not weight but vibration. There isn't too much weight in that small diameter pipe. But that is a long distance to run without support, and at any harmonic, or as the engine moves slightly in its mounts, that thing will stress the joint at the water pump pretty badly, or back at the inlet to the heater box at the firewall. I have read that this water pump connection is a common failure point, so maybe that explains it.

The idea of a welded clamp doesn't make sense to me either, as the weld will likely weaken the pipe, is difficult to get perfectly aligned, difficult to remove when needed, and it is too rigid, unforgiving of TCE expansion differences between the iron block and SS tube. An Adel clamp with an appropriate silicone polymer cushion seems like the right way to go!

Pete

[So Cal Mark]

I'm having straps made that mimic the removable clamps, they'll be available soon

[RRoller123]

I will be your first customer!