Did you get the lower hose straightened out? I frequently bend exhaust pipe for lower hoses on stationary engines used for irrigation, then use short pirces of stick hose of appropriate size on each end. Guys switch from a cooling coil that runs well water through a coil inside a pipe filled with antifreeze that has pipes hooked to the motor. The reason for the pipe lower hose is that 70's truck radiatorsare cheap, but the lower hose is on the wrong side for a chevy. The pipe would handle the heat from the downpipe.