Coolant / Heater hose question

[deadhead]

This is probably a ridiculous question so please bear with me! I have taken possession of my grandfather's 1966 1200 PU. Over the years it has had many mods and that is where my question comes in.

In the attached photos you can see a hose that exits and returns to the firewall. Not sure what Grandpa had going on here but if anyone has any ideas and suggestions I would love to hear from you! Any other suggestions you might have would be appreciated for the engine in general. It is very difficult to start but once you get fuel moving she runs pretty good.

Thanks for any help anyone can offer!

 

[Scoutboy74]

Pretty clean ol' rig. Looks like the heater has been bypassed at both ends. The loop end is running between the core inlet and outlet fittings and the other hose is running between the engine side outlet and return fittings. Strong possibility that the heater core developed a leak at some point and instead of fixing, the system was simply bypassed. The hard starting is likely some issue at the carb. The first and simplest thing to check is if the cable actuated manual choke is intact and functional. If you're not familiar with vintage vehicles, they often tend to be a bit cold blooded at first start, so pulling the choke plate closed will aid with the cold start performance. As the engine begins to warm, you gradully reopen the choke.