barnett468 wrote:

.
did you also remove the o ring from the bypass tube then tighten it up then try to install the bolts in the t stat housing then if they fit then barely tighten them and use a feeler gauge to check for gaps as i previously suggested?

 
The bypass tube has no oring, it is welded to the housing.  With the spacer on the end of the tube, there is no longer any stress when tightening.  I did not check that gap again, but I will.

Yeah I'm great at trying to make things happen that maybe shouldn't.  Perhaps this is why I have never seen this done by anyone else?

.
Ok, I would still do what I suggested in my last post . . this way you will know if the housing is square to the intake when the bypass is tight and you will know how much space you have for a gasket.
 
 

Kristang wrote:

Point taken, I will tighten the tube and check the gap between the housing and the intake.  My initial installation worked when I had the tube JB Welded... for 3 days it held pressure before it started leaking around the tube, this is why I had it tig welded.

xlnt . . post the info and perhaps we can think of a plan of attack from there . . if the bypass tube is thin enough, the thick billet housing will likely work because it will force the tube to bend/flex instead of the tube bending the housing like it is now, but this will keep constant tension on the tube which may cause it to eventually crack . . hard to say until it actually happens . . the o ring method would work but this also is a mfg challenge . . i may be able to offer some half a_sed, mickey moused ideas on how to make it if you decide to go that way.

Last edited by barnett468 (3/26/2015 12:53 PM)

barnett468 wrote:

Kristang wrote:

Point taken, I will tighten the tube and check the gap between the housing and the intake.  My initial installation worked when I had the tube JB Welded... for 3 days it held pressure before it started leaking around the tube, this is why I had it tig welded.

xlnt . . post the info and perhaps we can think of a plan of attack from there . . if the bypass tube is thin enough, the thick billet housing will likely work because it will force the tube to bend/flex instead of the tube bending the housing like it is now, but this will keep constant tension on the tube which may cause it to eventually crack . . hard to say until it actually happens . . the o ring method would work but this also is a mfg challenge . . i may be able to offer some half a_sed, mickey moused ideas on how to make it if you decide to go that way.

 

So, I used a 2 x 2 piece of 1" aluminum, applied some 3m trim adhesive to it and a piece of 220 grit sandpaper.  I applied permanent marker to the face of the intake.  I ran the paper across the face and there were a few minor low spots, which sanded out.  I then bolted the housing to the intake without attaching the bypass tube, and without a gasket.  I could not get any size feeler guage between them anywhere around the perimeter of the housing.  I then tightened the tube to the water pump and I was able to get a .005 guage in on the side next to the tube.  I left it in there and then loosened the nut and the gap closed.  I then determined I needed to "adjust" the tube, which I did so it was touching the fitting on the water pump.  I then tightened it and checked for movement of the housing, there was none!  Problem solved?  I then added a gasket WITHOUT the thermostat, torqued it and then pumped it up.  Yep, it leaked across the top and bottom edge of the housing but not near the mounting bolts. . In the process of my tube adjustment I broke the external weld, so I'm done with this-I've had it.  Way too much time and money invested in this project.  I have ordered a new stock aluminum housing AND a billet housing with an o-ring gasket.  I am going back to a rubber by pass hose as well.

I really appreciate all the input and help, especially from Barnett.  All will be good if one of these new housings will seal!

I like that idea but I've been thinking about a backup plan for a while and I think I'm going to downsize the bypass hose to 1/2" to get rid of some of the mass and use the gates power grip clamps like the ones I used on my radiator hoses (heat shrink).