You could just run a new piece of hose and get rid of the T (Y) entirely.  Every plug is a potential leak.  And if those braided hoses are original they're ready to blow. 

The coolant lines to the heater core are probably the most common cause of overheating.  I think I just saw two stories about it on the forum, and I have my own story, coming up the Highway 26 hill at night, and not noticing that my temperature gauge was pegged out until I got to the top.  Close enough to home to just keep going and hope.  The heater core hose had split and was blowing steam by the time I got home.  It survived but I was never really sure it hadn't made my head gasket coolant leak worse.  Anyway, those old braided hoses are dangerous.

I plugged that hose then the in on the rear intake, the out on the front intake and plugged the hole in the main thermostat housing.

People will say that you need some type of flow but mines been like that for years. I DO NOT romp on my car until it gets up to heat and the thermostat is open. I know where that is on my TEMP gauge so there's no problem for me. That hole @Zed Head talks about in the thermostat is enough for my car.

Okay then, I’ll plus the kind on the side of the engine, plug the lines in the intake and thermostat and that’s it? Sounds like an okay plan? Is it okay to no longer hav water through the balance tube? I assume it is, I talked to someone before about getting rid of that “y” piece, but just to make sure

Zedhead is on the money - my original braided hose from the thermostat housing to the carbs blew and I had the most beautiful and dramatic under-bonnet recreation of Jellystone park! That is what turned my attention to the question, do I really need this superfluous water routing!?

 

 

As for the Y pipe, I kept mine but blocked it with some 15mm copper pipe plumbing end stops. They are just the perfect diameter to hammer in and for good measure I added a tiny bit of solder - which really wasn’t necessary but I sleep better with it there!

 

 

 

Spray the whole thing with silver VHT paint and it looks the part!

[mention=23570]Siteunseen[/mention] - nothing wrong with a functional engine bay! It’s how she drives that counts!

 

I wanted to kind of make sure we're on the same page here. You say balance tube but that's the one up top with vacuum ports the balance the air between the two carbs. No coolant.

There's a smaller hardline between the intakes for coolant flow. The balance tube is the bigger one on top with the pcv hose connected.

The coolant tube is the smaller one down about 6 inches. It's cad plated is this pic. In between those reddish looking spacers between the carb and intake. I'm using my phone so no paint program to make markings, sorry.

Just wanted to be clear on that.

 

15 hours ago, AK260 said:

Zedhead is on the money - my original braided hose from the thermostat housing to the carbs blew and I had the most beautiful and dramatic under-bonnet recreation of Jellystone park! That is what turned my attention to the question, do I really need this superfluous water routing!?

 

 

As for the Y pipe, I kept mine but blocked it with some 15mm copper pipe plumbing end stops. They are just the perfect diameter to hammer in and for good measure I added a tiny bit of solder - which really wasn’t necessary but I sleep better with it there!

 

 

 

Spray the whole thing with silver VHT paint and it looks the part!

[mention=23570]Siteunseen[/mention] - nothing wrong with a functional engine bay! It’s how she drives that counts!

 

Dude, that's genius! Now I'm going to have to do that. Thank you???

 

Dude, that's genius! Now I'm going to have to do that. Thank you???  

 

 

Brilliant, glad to be of service! ;)

 

BTW, I was getting complaints about it looking odd, so I got another one, a piece of 15mm pipe just long enough to fit into two cap and hammered them together. See below ...

 

 

That worked as a cap? Looks good and closes up the potential bug/spyder nest. Cool! I'll do the same when I do it. I found a spare Y pipe today to get ready beforehand.

I get the urge to make what you have work.  But, the "other" solution is a long piece of hose and use the guides/holders that a 280Z uses.  Removes many potential leak areas.  On the other hand, a person could put a valve/stop penis on the Y port and use it for flushing the cooling system.

Stole this from the internet to show the 280Z hose.

Edited October 14, 20204 yr by Zed Head

You lost me there Boss.

I don't see the same thing you see. Wooo, that's kinda scary right?

I don't think a 280 has that Y pipe. They don't have the coolant line behind the head, mine doesn't I know. 

@AK260 I like that idea for the plug,  I’ll pick some of those up and do that for sure. 
 

@siteunseen thank for trying to clear things up! That’s exactly what I’m hear to do! Coming out of the water line at the back of the head, it has a port that goes off and into the balance tube seemingly, as well as there’s another hardline that comes out of the balance tube, right behind the intake water line and then goes to the thermostat. 

Edit - Dang it, how can a whole hour go by then two people post at exactly the same time?  I was replying below to siteunseen's post.

 

I'm saying just replace the two pieces of hose with the Y connection in the middle with one piece of hose.  The Y doesn't serve a purpose anymore.

Unless you want to keep it for the extra port in to the cooling system.  And to be clear I used "penis" as another word for ****.  Instead of rooster.  Just to be ridiculous.

Edited October 15, 20204 yr by Zed Head