TIG Welding Aluminum Fabrication - Making a Custom Thermostat Housing/Water Neck

The stock water neck puts the hose clamp in an awkward position that is very difficult to access, and it’s made out of thin stamped steel. The previous person that worked on this truck over tightened it, which made it no longer flat. The new water neck has a sturdy 3/8“ thick flange for a better gasket seal, is taller and angled slightly more to the right. This allows for easy access to the hose clamp. The previous person put the hose clamp on the stock water neck at an angle that made it inaccessible without removing the air conditioning compressor. I ended up breaking the hose clamp off with a flathead screwdriver and hammer, then installed a new hose clamp on the new neck. The radiator hose also needed to be shortened a few inches. 2001 V8 Dodge Ram