GTfastbacker

Thanks for the tip about Andy Beerbaum. He has the hose I needed but shipping it to Germany would have taken too long.
 
Luckily I found a company that offers custom-made products online in Germany.
The hose arrived today and fits perfectly but looked terribly modern.
 
So I pulled out a few tricks and made an "old" hose out of it. It’s not perfect but I think I can live with that.
 
Cheers
Joe
 
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So here is the solution to the mystery:
 
I think my car has the wrong starter. Unfortunately I can't check because I don't have an original D19 starter to compare it to and my starter no longer has any numbers. When everything is set correctly, i.e. the pinion is fully extended and the switch is operated, the pedal travel is 2 1/2" too short. So there is a huge gap between the pedal and the lever on the starter. My predecessor obviously simply turned the switch out too far, which led to the pinion being completely misaligned.
 
I completely overhauled the starter, adjusted it correctly and attached an adapter for the missing 2 1/2" to the bottom of the pedal. If I ever get a correct starter, I can remove it without leaving any traces.
 
Joe