8860 chassis restoration : correct hose

[Rixo]

As anyone who owned the classic 8860 chassis as a kid will know that once the set got jumbled up with the rest of your Lego, that you quickly managed to lose one of each of the hoses, piston, taps and shocks, or maybe it was just me!

Anyway, i was wondering if anyone had a fail safe way of determining if a replacement hose was the genuine article? There seems to be some pricey replacements for sale, and seems to be something that could be easily ripped off! I don't suppose this matters that much to most, but as I'm a sucker for finding incomplete sets and restoring them to their former glory, I'd like to get it right!

This is the part :

x467c12 Hose, Classic 4mm D. 12L black

Grateful for any advice, thanks in advance!

[allanp]

I guess the best way would be to ask for a photo of it next to a modern one so you could compare and see that the one you want is darker and a bit thicker I think.

[nychase]

When I started collecting this problem vexed me as well. What I can tell you is that the older hoses not only look slightly different but they feel and bend differently as well. If you have spent a decent bit of time with genuine lego pnuematic hose you will be able to tell when you pick up the old hose.

Its kinda like when you pick up a slope and automatically feel for the rough surface and if you don't feel it you know there might be a megablock in your parts.

[Lost_In_Noise]

When I ordered some old Classic hoses last year, they all came as kinda see-through thinner variants of the new ones.

This variant is listed on BrickLink as the part for the 8860.

Edited January 9, 2013 by Lost_In_Noise

[kieran]

The old ones feel very different, much smother and not like silicone at all, not sure what they were made of but its not the same. The wall is also thicker

[Rixo]

Great thanks for the advice. I let you know how it goes! Cheers

[RohanBeckett]

Yes.. they have a much softer/smoother feel than modern silicon hoses.. and also different from the pneumatic hoses of the 80's and 90's

I was lucky with my 8860 that I bought a few years ago, and it came with the original chromed taps! :)

[Blakbird]

If it helps I have a high res picture of the hoses on Technicopedia. I agree with the other posters, the old hose is smoother, stiffer, and less elastic than the later silicone hose. The difference is obvious if they are in your hand. In the high res picture you can see that one of my hoses is the newer variety (lighter black) because my 8860 was missing one. The old 858 auto chassis uses similar hose to 8860.

[Rixo]

Thanks blakbird, really clear.

Yes.. they have a much softer/smoother feel than modern silicon hoses.. and also different from the pneumatic hoses of the 80's and 90's

I was lucky with my 8860 that I bought a few years ago, and it came with the original chromed taps! :)

Rohan,

I always thought that the metal taps were from another set, and people just used them to add some bling!! We're the metal taps the original part then? Is this an indicator of an older set?

[Rixo]

Blakbird, great technicopedia by the way!!

[RohanBeckett]

Looking it up on bricklink:

http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=69c02

chromed taps only existed from 1974-1980.. and only in white and blue...

it seems that it 'appears as alternate' in the 858 / 8858, and 8860

..whereas it's a regular part in the 3 Homemaker sets..

I'm guessing they just had excess leftover from the 232 bungalow, and just used it in the much-more-popular Technic sets!

by bricklink prices.. looks like it'll cost around $10 to get 4 chrome ones from a single seller... not too many around, though!!

RB

[Rixo]

I think 1980 was the first year the chassis was produced, so I guess it's an indicator of an older set. They do look good, but as you say v expensive and not many about. I may invest though as an addition to my best set! Trouble is not many sellers have 4 for sale, so you end up paying a lot for shipping. The shipping costs on bricklink are a tad over priced! Anyway hanks for the help