When I installed a metal coolant header bottle on my car I also thought it would be neat to have a sight gauge to see the fluid level. I couldn't find any clear tubing that would take the heat and pressure. What I ended up doing was running a tube from the overflow fitting under the pressure cap to an overflow bottle. Now the coolant system is always presureized so it cannot foam and I can always see the level and even add some without opening the coolant system. This is exactly how it is now done on all modern cars. My advice would be to plug the fittings that go to the sight glass hose and install an overflow bottle. Be careful with the fitting under the pressure cap. On my bottle it was only a press fit so it can come loose. I reinstalled it with some silicone for a leakproof seal since it is under slight pressure and vacuum. David Teitelbaum vin 10757 --- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Mark Noeltner <mark@xxxx> wrote: > I just got a metal coolant bottle in with some other parts that I bought. > It's aluminum, with welded connections. It also has a piece of tubing > installed that lets you check the level of coolant in the bottle without > opening it. Picture: > http://www.buffalochips.org/delorean/water-bottle.jpg > > 1. Who sold this originally? Just curious, as it doesn't really matter. > > 2. The tubing for the level check is getting pretty yellowed. Does anyone > know where I can get some 3/8" ID clear tubing that will handle the > temperatures and pressures of a cooling system? This is a fairly heavy > walled tubing. Much heavier than what I'm finding at the local hardware > stores. Plus, what I've located so far has a max temp of 165 deg (plus or > minus a few degrees depending on who made it). I was figuring 250 to 300 > deg with at least 25 lbs of pressure to be on the safe side. > > It is only a 4" piece of tubing, so it may be that they used the 165 deg > stuff figuring that a short piece like that would hold up fine. > > Anybody know anything about this bottle? My original plastic bottle has > been holding up great, but I figured I would install this alum bottle this > winter to play it safe. > > Thanks! > > Mark N > VIN 6820