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basically all that'll need to come off is the hood. Then you just unbolt the fan shroud, detach the upper radiator brackets, remove the hoses, and out she comes(oh and don't forget to drain the radiator first). :jester
Its not hard if you just want to replace the radiator. If you want to replace the shroud, its a whole new experiance.
Re: How hard is it to pull radiator? (daniel77350)
I just did all that on my 73,its a PITA.I have a BeCool aluradiator and i didnt remove the hood.What i did was that i loosend the radiatorframe from the car and tilted it forward.But before i got that ideè i was screamin` like a truckdriver.. :smash: :lol:
I'm not sure how much of a difference there is between your '79 and my '77, but I didn't remove the hood and didn't think it was in the way during removal or install.
It was a pain getting the radiator back in. If I remember correctly, it seemed like I almost had to put the radiator & shroud in at the same time. A second set of hands would definitely have been helpful.
The only other real difficult part was getting my hands on the lower hose & transmission lines.
On my '78 . Loosen belts, remove fan and fan clutch. Loosen A/c compressor and alternator so they can swing out(more room for removing shroud). Shroud has to be rotated out, tight but it'll come. Don't force it, I believe I rotated mine out passenger side up first. Hoses off before shroud. An extra pair of hands helps to lift it out without scrapping anything, but I've done it alone a couple times. Hood can stay on. Hope that helps.
Scott
The easiest way I've found (after draining of course) is to:
1) remove the hood
2) remove hose clamps at the radiator
3) remove the 3 side bolts & 1 lower bolt attaching the radiator support to the frame.
4) remove the entire support with the radiator & shroud attached by moving it forward to clear the fan then lifting straight up.
Although this might sound crazy, it saves an enormous amount of time usually wasted removing the fan, shroud (which is usually stuck to the radiator by the foam weatherstrips) and brackets.
With it out as one unit and free from the confined space of the engine compartment, its much easier to disassemble/assemble.
Do what Mark (mdsmith) said it sounds like a lot of work but it is very easy I have done it twice so far, it's a one man job with the exception of removing and installing the hood that's where you need an extra pair of hands.... :smash:
Ulf
P.S. I would also remove the fan it will give you lots of extra room.
I actually had a guy tell me it took him 8 (yes, eight) hours :eek: to replace a C3 radiator. So when it came time to pull my motor, I was scared Sh--tless about doing this. Removal took me a half hour, tops. In all fairness, I removed my hood, fan, shroud, and alternator. But I had to do all this, anyway. Still, it's not that big of a deal. Just take your time and a few deep breaths. :yesnod: