Bad "New" parts frustration.

Bad "New" parts frustration.

So last month when I got my Barracuda back on the road, I immediately started having cooling problems.

System would not hold pressure, lower hose would visibly start collapsing at idle and so on.

This is what I found.... My brand new radiator cap and thermostat were not working correctly. Both NAPA, stock replacements.

I had my radiator flowed and pressure tested, replaced both the upper and lower hoses (because they were AT LEAST, 25 years old), ordered a lower hose spring http://www.cjponyparts.com/lower-radiator-hose-spring-stainless-steel-small-block-1965-1973/p/HW769/, (perfect replacement), and replaced the cap and thermostat with high quality replacements.

The above solved the problem.

Back in the day, you could walk into a parts store and get something simple like a cap and thermostat and be reasonably assured that they would work.

Looks like those days are gone. I'm just glad I didn't cook the fresh rebuild. People that pay less attention to vitals could be hit with a big bill from this crap being sold.