I am a Beck/Arnley distributor (and have been selling their product since
1972). Beck hasn't handled radiator hoses for 10 years. When they did, they
were usually Lea-Healey for most British applications. Most vendors now
have McKay who are an Australian manufacturer. They usually have a
fiberglas cord running lengthwise. The LH hose were quite good, but the
older versions were better with a wound cloth appearance though rubber
coated. The John Bull brand had the actual cloth on the outside, but they
haven't been in the States for around 25 years. They are for show only,
though, as shelf rot renders them horribly unreliable.
A seasonal eyeballing of your hoses should keep you from being
surprised.
Cheers. Peter C.
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At 12:04 AM 6/24/2004, David Riker wrote:
>It is my experience that most of the spridget hoses lack reinforcement. My
>local supplier stocks Beck Arnely. I have looked far and wide to find
>reinforced hoses for mine, and have managed to gather them from swap meets.
>You are right, without reinforcement threads woven through the rubber, they
>don't seem to last much beyond a year or two.
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Jim Baustian" <jabaustian@att.net>
> > >
> > In 34 years of British car ownership this was the first hose ever
> > encountered that did not have a fabric reinforcement to assure structural
> > integrity. In my opinion and that of a mechanical engineer a radiator hose
> > without reinforcement is a disaster waiting for a place to happen. My
> > question, better stated, should have been directed towards the potential
> > failure of radiator hoses operating at high temperatures and under
>pressure.
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