Re-Install Radiator, Shroud and Fan

[Grahame M.]

Hi Everyone,

I hope you are all well and staying safe.

I have a quick question now that i'm ready to install these parts to finish the work to hopefully stop my overheating problem.

My question is what order should i install the parts? Support is still in car and not loose due to cover plate on passengers side hiding the top bolt. Should i install in this order:

1. Lay shroud over front of engine
2. Place radiator in brackets and leave a little loose, with protective cover over front and rear of fins. Attach lower radiator hose.
3. Fit fan/clutch between (in or around) radiator and shroud
4. Secure radiator, remove protective covers and secure shroud

I had removed both upper control arms to give me some room to remove the shroud which should help with installation.

Any thoughts would be very welcome as i have some trepidation with this final piece of the puzzle.

Cheers
Grahame

[Owen L.]

Re: Re-Install Radiator, Shroud and Fan

With the upper A-arms removed it sounds like a grand plan. The shroud is a beast to get the radiator past with the suspension in place but without should be a breeze.

[Mark E.]

Re: Re-Install Radiator, Shroud and Fan

And of course, the hood is off.

An alternative to removing the control arms is to loosen the lower core support bolts, remove its remaining bolts and tilt the core support forward to gain clearance for installing the shroud.

[Grahame M.]

Re: Re-Install Radiator, Shroud and Fan

Thank Owen and Mark,

I appreciate the responses. Yes Mark the hood is off but i forgot to mention i have the Alternator, PS and AC installed. I had a bit of a battle today test fitting the old radiator with the new bracket rubber pads and seals. Ultimately i got the radiator installed with the brackets tight but it was fun fighting against the new bits. I'll leave it in for this week to help shape these parts for the new radiator next weekend.

A couple of things I found out in the test fit is that the shroud (not in place at the moment) doesn't leave a lot of room when all the above are installed with belts. Whilst the A arms being removed gives me some additional wiggle room, its still a tight fit. I think i'll remove the alternator at least to give me extra room to lay the shroud further back over the engine.

Mark, i can't remove the upper passengers side support bolt because of the cover plate and the AC condensor thats installed but are you saying to remove the 2 lower bolts each side at the bottom of the support and move the lower section toward the engine?

One other thing i noticed was the angle i had to place the radiator in to get the lower neck past the chassis parts, it a very tight fit even with the shroud not in place. Is this normal when re-installing in car this way or am i missing something?

Thanks again, the finish line isn't far away.

Cheers
Grahame

[Owen L.]

Re: Re-Install Radiator, Shroud and Fan

Yes, it's a normal struggle. This job is a major test of patience. The parts fit together so snugly and interconnected that you'll swear a blue streak and curse the engineers at Chevrolet. After installing the major components, you've then got to get the hoses and clamps attached!

This doesn't help your situation much, but when I reinstalled my restored components ('72 big block), I used an engine crane to lower the complete 3-part assembly into the bay. There was nothing attached to the front of the engine and it was still a major struggle. I consider this job on par with replacing the power brake booster.

[Patrick H.]

Re: Re-Install Radiator, Shroud and Fan

I usually reinstall the shroud right after the radiator. It's going to be in the way if you try and do fan + clutch.
Radiator (with shroud in place), shroud, fan + clutch, hoses.
That's how I have done it.

[Mark E.]

Re: Re-Install Radiator, Shroud and Fan

Thank Owen and Mark,

Mark, i can't remove the upper passengers side support bolt because of the cover plate and the AC condensor thats installed but are you saying to remove the 2 lower bolts each side at the bottom of the support and move the lower section toward the engine?

No, I'm saying tilt the core support forward at its top by removing all but the bottom bolts. This gives more room to drop the radiator with the shroud in place. I believe this method (rather than removing the A-arms) is what's described in the chassis manual. Your wrinkle is the AC is in the way. My core support was rotted and the AC system needed restoration, so I had the core support, condenser, dryer, compressor and related lines removed when the radiator was replaced. This made tilting forward the new core support simple.

Does this make you wonder how mechanics replaced the radiator back in the day when these were just used cars? I've seen several big block cars with shrouds cut somewhere along their circumference. My theory is this allowed R&R of the shroud and radiator with the core support and A-arms in place.

On another note, how has your battery box project progressed?

[Grahame M.]

Re: Re-Install Radiator, Shroud and Fan

Thanks Owen,

It was indeed a test of my patience over the weekend but one thing helped after I got the radiator in place. I used longer bolts to pull the brackets in and then used the correct ones to tighten to the support, this was much easier as the new rubber pads and seals are a bugger to compress.

[Grahame M.]

Re: Re-Install Radiator, Shroud and Fan

H Patrick, thanks for the response. I did try this but with the radiator in place, along with Alternator, PS and AC in place with belts there was no room. I'm going to remove the Alternator and Belt again which should give me more room. Wish me luck and thanks again.

Doing it shroud first as a test I could then get the Fan + Clutch in through the shroud hole.

Cheers
Grahame

[Grahame M.]

Re: Re-Install Radiator, Shroud and Fan

Hi Mark,

I new you would ask me about the battery box, a job for another day unfortunately. I may need to talk that one through with you on a phone call to get my head around the measurements, cutting and fiber glassing. I've also had to pull the fuel tank out to get it cleaned inside and out so now i have it back I'll finish this one after the Radiator.

Thanks for the clarification, I thought that was the only way. It would have been much easier had I taken the package out as one as described in other posts I've seen but I was little afraid to take the plate off to get to the top passengers side bolt. If I take it out what is the method of sticking it back in place, fiberglass or just some form of adhesive?

I probably need to get the air re-gassed anyway so I might get the AC mobile guy in to remove the gas and take out he condenser to give me more room. The last thing I want to do is damage the new Dewitt Radiator which is why I've been test fitting everything using the old one. Once its done I can get the guy back to Re-Gas. Any seals / O-Rings to replace when re-fitting the condenser?

I also believe there are bolts at the bottom of the radiator which have shims, do these need to come out or just loosened or is it just the side bolts that hold the support in place?

Sorry for all the questions, appreciate the help.

Cheers
Grahame

[Mark E.]

Re: Re-Install Radiator, Shroud and Fan

See below. Remember, I've only done this once on a 1970 454 AC car (not a 1969). So yours may be a bit different.

I was little afraid to take the plate off to get to the top passengers side bolt. If I take it out what is the method of sticking it back in place, fiberglass or just some form of adhesive?
I was able to remove this bolt without removing the fiberglass cover for the AC lines (which is what I think you refer to as "the plate"). On my car the head of the bolt barely clears the top of the cover. I was able to avoid removing the cover by gently pressing the top of it down just a bit to make room for a socket. Failing this, I believe the cover is held in place with a bit of fiberglass bonding adhesive or similar.

Any seals / O-Rings to replace when re-fitting the condenser?
Yes, you'll need o-rings for both fittings on the condenser and dryer. If you're going this deep, it may make sense to replace the manifold hose assembly and liquid line too.

I also believe there are bolts at the bottom of the radiator which have shims, do these need to come out or just loosened or is it just the side bolts that hold the support in place?
No bolts or shims at the bottom. The bottom of the radiator slips into two cradles which are spot welded to the core support. To remove the radiator, remove the hold-down brackets at the top, then slide the radiator up and out of the cradles. The side bolts fasten the core support to the inner fender.

I believe Chevy shimmed the motor mounts rather than the radiator to gain proper alignment, but my car doesn't have any shims.

[Grahame M.]

Re: Re-Install Radiator, Shroud and Fan

Thanks Mark,

That all makes sense for the 69 as well. I'll have a closer look at the cover to see if i can get to that top bolt.

On the last point, sorry i wasn't as clear a s should have been. I should have added core support for the two bolts at the bottom and the shims. Do i need to remover them and wrap tape around shims for each side or can i move the support forward with condenser removed and bolts loose?

Thanks again, appreciate the help.

Cheers
Grahame

[Mark E.]

Re: Re-Install Radiator, Shroud and Fan

Thanks Mark,

That all makes sense for the 69 as well. I'll have a closer look at the cover to see if i can get to that top bolt.

On the last point, sorry i wasn't as clear a s should have been. I should have added core support for the two bolts at the bottom and the shims. Do i need to remover them and wrap tape around shims for each side or can i move the support forward with condenser removed and bolts loose?

Thanks again, appreciate the help.

Cheers
Grahame

Grahame,

Thanks for catching this. You're right, there are two bolts that fasten the bottom of the core support to the front cross member of the frame. These also need to be removed to tilt the core support forward. My car does not have shims here, but AIM shows shims so make sure they're put back in the same place during assembly. Correcting my prior post, to tilt the core support forward remove the two bolts with shims at the bottom, loosen the top four side bolts (two each side) and loosen the bottom side bolts (one each side).

Remember the core support secures the dog house in place, so avoid moving, lifting or dropping the car with the core support loose or out.

I've heard the radiator can be removed by tilting the core support OR removing the upper A-arms. I don't believe you need to do both. So with your A-arms already removed, you may be able to leave the core support alone. With that said, check for rust after removing the radiator; core supports are notorious for rotting.

[Grahame M.]

Re: Re-Install Radiator, Shroud and Fan

Thanks Mark,

All good, car is on jack stands at the moment. I've got a mobile guy coming around to evacuate the AC system so I can take out the condenser and give myself more room for the radiator to go in a lot easier by the sounds of it than not loosening the core support. Even with A-Arms out there is still very little room to install the radiator once you place the shroud over the front of the engine.

Really appreciate yours and everyone else's support with this task, last thing I want to do is move it and everything falls in heap, lol.

Cheers and stay safe
Grahame

[Chris H.]