Help moving my radiator drain valve

[GTP]

I want to move my radiator drain valve rearward, for convenience in draining.

I made progress by clamping a short piece of 3/8" hose to the short pipe below the drain valve. (Photo focus was on foreground and is fuzzy at the valve in the background.) I still need to remove the RF wheel and fender liner and then (with great difficulty) reach in to operate the OEM valve below the washer fluid tank.

I need the OEM valve to be always open so as to hand over the duty to the new remote valve. But the problem is that coolant leaks out of both the pipe and the valve when it is backed out. I can plug the new hose before installing a new "remote" valve. But I'm not sure how to handle the leaking coolant at the valve itself, short of stuffing a rubber plug in there temporarily. I hope this description makes sense.

Another approach is to cap the short pipe and then replace the white valve petcock with a threaded-to-barbed adapter. Has anyone done something like this, or does anyone happen to know the thread spec of the OEM valve?

Valve I want to locate at the subframe around the fender liner area:

OEM valve requiring removal of washer fluid tank and fender liner. Hose attached to short pipe:

Hose clamped to short pipe and tie-wrapped to belly pan:

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[ray=out]

Cap the petcock with a threaded plug and use a valve inline with the short drain pipe? I'd be afraid of a hose blowing off under pressure, though, since the drain pipe isn't barbed.

As an alternative, maybe add a remote mount linkage to unthread the petcock.

 

[GTP]

A
Cap the petcock with a threaded plug and use a valve inline with the short drain pipe? I'd be afraid of a hose blowing off under pressure, though, since the drain pipe isn't barbed.

B
As an alternative, maybe add a remote mount linkage to unthread the petcock.

A
I think I would need a dual threaded nipple to replace the petcock and then cap the nipple. Otherwise a plug will just stop the flow out the pipe, too.

B
I don't understand. Elaborate for me.

 

[sk47]

Hello; I have a very similar type radiator drain on my car. I do not think you can get to what you want with that radiator. I will follow the thread to find out.

 

[ray=out]

A
The petcock stops flow by threading in all the way to through the bore. If you get a short threaded cap, you can have drain open while capping off the radiator. IE, see how many threads are left on the petcock when you have free flow from the radiator.

B
Kinda like carb adjustment screws, you could build a petcock with an extension linkage. It would need to be more rigid (maybe solid with universal joints), but the same concept.

 

[GTP]

A
The petcock stops flow by threading in all the way to through the bore. If you get a short threaded cap, you can have drain open while capping off the radiator. IE, see how many threads are left on the petcock when you have free flow from the radiator.

Right. I counted 4 half turns for maximum flow, so that's just 2 threads. That's why I suggested a capped nipple.

 

[galaxy]

Here’s mine I posted a while back. Fairly elaborate and expensive, but turned out great…and I’m addicted to AN.

https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/radiator-drain-solved.206513/

 

[GTP]

Here’s mine I posted a while back. Fairly elaborate and expensive, but turned out great…and I’m addicted to AN.

https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/radiator-drain-solved.206513/

Yes, I'm aware. It doesn't help me with the OEM radiator. Thanks.
I'll go after this again next time my car is up and wheels off before my next track day.

 

[wingnutt]

Just curious…but how often are you draining your radiator?

 

[GTP]

Yeah, good point. Almost never, haha.
But I'm currently going through a non-50/50 water/coolant experiment so it would be nice to have better convenience.

 

[galaxy]

Yes, I'm aware. It doesn't help me with the OEM radiator. Thanks.

Aahhhh shit. My bad. I still hoped my project would give peeps ideas.

 

[galaxy]

Just curious…but how often are you draining your radiator?

Probably (certainly) not often enough to warrant/justify a project like this, especially with the expense of my component list…but often enough that I hate the drain process on our car bad enough to do this project before I actually need to again. If I ever drain my radiator one more time, it’ll be worth it, lol.

 

[GTP]

Aahhhh shit. My bad. I still hoped my project would give peeps ideas.

It was masterful implementation.

Probably (certainly) not often enough to warrant/justify a project like this, especially with the expense of my component list…but often enough that I hate the drain process on our car bad enough to do this project before I actually need to again. If I ever drain my radiator one more time, it’ll be worth it, lol.

My thoughts exactly. And my build cost will be ~$25.
What is needed is a hinged access flap ala oil filter door in the belly pan.

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