Radiator FUBAR
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 119
Likes: 3
From: Boise ID
Radiator FUBAR
My 73 coup I purchased 4 months ago has 18k documented miles on it. Ergo It has sit for long periods. In looking over my jewel when I bought it I noticed the fan shroud was butchered by the PO. looking further I saw, from the underside the radiator didn't sit in the mounts correctly and someone put some cut up radiator hose in to shim it. I measured everything out and surmised that the radiator was wrong. It was a radiator from a 69-72. They are an 1 1/2" shorter. So I purchased a new radiator and shroud.
Shroud and radiator came right out. The shroud was all cut up with a sawsall. Big holes in the right and left sides. Low and behold I was about to find out why some butcher cut up the shroud. Put the shroud on and tried to put the radiator in......nope! Put the radiator in and tried to put the shroud in.....nope! *#!@*##@^##.
Ok go to my trusty Corvette forum and searched for help. WHAT? I have to pull the upper control arms??? Back on it....Pulled the frickin Control arms from the cross bar bolts and voila!!! They fell in. Ok so it took only another 45 minutes but, I wasted that much time trying to get the radiator and shroud in before checking the forum.
Lesson learned. Check with the forum guys before tackling ANYTHING on a Vette.
Proper radiator fits great and no monster holes in my shroud. PO wasn't mechanically inclined and paid for all the work on the car. I have a receipt for the radiator installation back in 1999. The business is no longer in business....go figure. They only put 700 miles on it since then and the radiator is clean with no deposits in it at all Fluid was clean and green. SO I have a nice 69-72 radiator if anyone is interested. Probably put it on Boise Craigs list as they weigh a ton and shipping might be costly.
Shroud and radiator came right out. The shroud was all cut up with a sawsall. Big holes in the right and left sides. Low and behold I was about to find out why some butcher cut up the shroud. Put the shroud on and tried to put the radiator in......nope! Put the radiator in and tried to put the shroud in.....nope! *#!@*##@^##.
Ok go to my trusty Corvette forum and searched for help. WHAT? I have to pull the upper control arms??? Back on it....Pulled the frickin Control arms from the cross bar bolts and voila!!! They fell in. Ok so it took only another 45 minutes but, I wasted that much time trying to get the radiator and shroud in before checking the forum.
Lesson learned. Check with the forum guys before tackling ANYTHING on a Vette.
Proper radiator fits great and no monster holes in my shroud. PO wasn't mechanically inclined and paid for all the work on the car. I have a receipt for the radiator installation back in 1999. The business is no longer in business....go figure. They only put 700 miles on it since then and the radiator is clean with no deposits in it at all Fluid was clean and green. SO I have a nice 69-72 radiator if anyone is interested. Probably put it on Boise Craigs list as they weigh a ton and shipping might be costly.
Racer
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 366
Likes: 7
From: Mobile Al
Pull the upper control arms? I've just taken the hood off, remove the hoses -don't forget the trans lines if an auto- take out the rad frame and shroud bolts off and with alittle bit of moving stuff around out both come. This applies to my doing it on mine, yours may be different but still remove the control arms?
