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Some radiators are made with copper, so your solution should work fine. I used a steel sleeve from a stock C900 and with an adapter fixed the sender to it. To insure a good seal I had the adapter brazed to the sleeve.
The problem with this arrangement, though minor, is that the hose for a C900 is slightly smaller than a 9K--which is something I discovered after cutting my upper hose. But using some Permatex Hylomar, a non-curing gasket sealer, and two hose clamps on each end, I have no leakage after two years of service.
However, I'm not sure how straight tubing from the plumbing section at Home Depot will seal, as having no hose seal on the end (slight protuberance in the metal around the circumference) might be problematic. If I were you I'd glob some Hylomar on the tubing and double-clamp it like I did. Maybe there's a way to flare it on the end, then bend the edges down.
The sender will measure water temp down-stream of the thermostat, and thus will be behind the stock gauge showing normal temp until it opens. This is a good sign the 'stat is opening properly, but if it is stuck closed your best measure of overheating is from the stock gauge, so both are essential in my mind. At least now I have a gauge that tells me the real water temp. The stock gauge on late-model 9K's are routed through the EDU circuitry and don't give a reliable indication of temperature. Mine is at about 8:30 or 9 o'clock at 180° and doesn't move when it is at 235° when the fans activate. That's a great water temp gauge that tells you what *they* (the engineers) want to you *think* the coolant temp is, not what it really is.
Here's a picture of my rig....
posted by 68.11.185...
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