Well it finally happened,, popped the upper hose bib on the radiator. Luckily I was headed up an on ramp heard a noise like a champagne cork and saw steam in the rear view.. Killed the motor and coasted off the side, triple A towed me home...
188,000 miles on the radiator.. Not a bad run..
Checked it this morning the bib broke off right at the edge of the clamp closest to the radiator. Pulled the piece out of the hose and ther was just enough left to clamp the hose back on and fill the system. and
runs fine no sign of engine damage. The gage wasnt even up to temp when it popped.
Let it idel for 30 minutes and no signs of vapour or leakage.. Compression test good so off to order a radiator..
Looking at what I learned is you want one of the WIDE band clamps, and the hose need to be pushed hard all the way on to the bib and the clamp needs to be as close to the radiator as possible so the boss that supports the hose bib can control the flex as much as possible. (Maximize its strength. ) the bib is thicker closer to the body of the radiator and thinner as you get farther away.
At least mine is a 95 and doesn't have the stupid pipe on the back of the head..