WOLF ECHO

Trying to replace the lower radiator hose on my '76 L-48. Had trouble with space (lack of, actually) so decided to remove the fan shroud. Removed the two braces on the top and the two nuts on the bottom. Now what? It appears to be getting stuck on the upper A-arms. Do I have to remove those also?

Sorry, beginner Vette repair person here ...

TIA

blu73

You need to remove the radiator before the shroud. It's a pain, but remember, these are somewhat small cars we are dealing with. While the radiator is out, you should take the time and have it checked out. If any repairs are needed, the whole job is done just one time.

redfisher

Maybe I did it the hard way, but I removed the shroud before the radiator. Had to take the fan and pulley off the water pump first. Then I took the round part of the shroud that forms around the fan off. After that I was able to pull the main body of the shroud back towards the motor and up and out.

The packaging on these cars sure makes them a pain in the butt to work on. But it's also the packaging that makes them such fun to drive and beautiful to look at!

WOLF ECHO

Hmmmm ... my shroud is in one piece. Guess I'll be pulling the radiator ... :(

tsw71

You will first need to remove the side bolts for the core support that are inside of the fender wells(I believe there are three on each side). Then loosen the ones on the bottom of the core support. These are loosened from under the front of the car. This will allow you to move the core support towards the hood. It will make removing the radiator much easier. After Rad is out, then remove shroud.

Have fun. Tom

Ganey

You should not need to remove the rad. or shroud. If the lower rad. hose clamp screw is not pointing down & you can not get it off w/ shroud loose, cut the hose off & the hose will not be in the way of clamp screw.

Install lower rad. hose clamp w/ screw pointing down, water pump hose clamp screw pointing up & next time is fast.

. :cool:

KenSny

Ganey has exactly answered the question! What's the point of removing the shroud and radiator to replace a radiator hose?

R. Bruno

You are going to have to get underneath- is the car or ramps or stands? I know it is tight but others are right, should be able to get it without removing the shroud but must get some room from underside.

vettedan

You should'nt need to remove the fan shroud or radiator. If you must, removing the hood really make it easy, other wise you might damage your radiator.
Dan

WOLF ECHO

Well, then this poses another question. Should I replace the radiator while I've got the system apart? The car has 39,000 original miles on it but the radiator is original (and somewhat corroded - I drained the system and glanced inside).

I went to two different parts places to get prices on a replacement unit. Pep Boys couldn't even get one, although I saw a $475 number on their screen. AutoZone can get one - IN THREE DAYS - and their price is about $275.

I'd be willing to bet some will suggest removing the unit and having it flow-tested. Either way, it sounds like the thing is coming out of the car. I just wondered, based on the age, if I shouldn't just replace it anyway.

Suggestions?

72greg

if that's an original radiator and your car is fairly original, I'd pull it and get it rebuilt (keep all the correct tags/etc!!!), FWIW.

JohnS_77

I just had my radiator re-cored. I checked Corvette Central: They wanted $295. Local radiator shop in town wanted $200. The $200 radiator looked great, but the hose connections were different from the original. So I ended up having my orginal re-cored. (Re-coring the orginal was actually $10 more than the new radiator cost, but the owner waved it bacause of all the trouble I went through!) I would suggest calling different radiator shops in your town, staying away from Auto-zone and Pep Boys. (Thats what I did, and had good luck with it!)

flynhi

Obviously replacing the lower hose is a real pain. Use the best you can buy so you won't have to do it again soon. Goodyear makes one called a HI-Miler that is supposed to be the best on the market.