Engine Hoses for Rolls-Royce & Bentley Cars: Why IntroCar remanufactured these original Coolant & Heater Hoses

Bentley Motors currently stocks radiator and heater hoses for classis Rolls-Royce and Bentley in small volumes. Low volume manufacture is expensive, and this is reflected in the prices they charge.

Many are no longer available from Bentley Motors at all.

Some (those for the post-war six-cylinder engine cars) have been re-designed for reasons of economy, and no longer resemble the hoses that were originally fitted to the cars, meaning that vehicles they are fitted to lose authenticity.

Coolant Hoses need not be expensive. Modern hose manufacture is relatively straightforward, and there are several good hose manufacturers that will produce OE (Original Equipment) standard hoses in the correct materials, reinforced with cotton braiding to meet modern-day requirements. The challenge is that all moulded hoses – those that have a particular shape - require investment in tooling and large batch sizes. Unfortunately, there are a very large number of different moulded hoses. If we were going to manufacture hoses we knew that we would have to be committed to the project financially. As a business we do not shy away from investment. Coolant hoses degrade over time, so there will always be a demand. If the price can be kept at a reasonable level, then customers will always buy a high quality, accurate replacement. Because we buy hoses in good volumes, we gain access to the best factories and our unit price is reasonable, allowing us to offer good prices to our customers. Since our initial investment we have tooled literally dozens of hoses for Rolls-Royce and Bentley models from 1946-2003. We also keep an eye on stocks at the factory: if a hose looks as if it is about to become unavailable, or if the price demanded by Bentley Motors suddenly increases, then we invest in remanufacturing the hose. Within the range of classis hoses, those for post-war six-cylinder models posed a particular challenge. At the time these cars were built, the technology of reinforcing hoses internally with cotton was relatively new and was not employed by Rolls-Royce Motorcars. Instead, hoses were reinforced externally with a cotton stocking, or “stockingette”, which is why hoses of this type have an appearance characteristic of the period. [caption id="attachment_1662" align="alignleft" width="300"] Silver Cloud I/S1 bottom radiator hose with stockingette finish.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1663" align="alignright" width="300"] Silver Cloud I/S1 hose with a modern wrapped finish. Note the external convolutions on the stockingette version, as per the original design.[/caption]                           We were particularly disappointed by the range available for six-cylinder cars. Not only were the hoses expensive, they deviated from the original design in the following respects:

• The hoses were wrapped in tape, rather than in the original stockingette finish
• The convolutions, necessary to prevent the hose from collapsing when bent, were internal rather than external.
• The internal convolutions did not prevent the hose from collapsing substantially when bent, restricting coolant flow to the engine.

The hoses from Bentley Motors did have one advantage over the original: they featured a modern internal cotton reinforcement, which is far more resilient. We resolved to add this feature to our own hoses. Unfortunately for us, manufacturing hoses that are internally reinforced, feature an external set of convolutions, and have a stockingette covering is not easy. Technology has moved on, and few manufacturers have the machinery available to make hoses in the original style at all. It took time, but eventually we found a company that could do everything we needed. We had to tool five hoses at once, and order a substantial volume of each hose, but now we can supply hoses that have the following features:

• Period “stockingette” covering
• Period external convolutions
• Internal cotton reinforcement to modern standards (but not externally discernible)
• Prices that are 60-65% cheaper than the current offering by Bentley Motors

And it was a fun project! [table id=28 /]  ]]>