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Replacement of radiator core support - 1972 base motor
I just bought a 1972 vette, base motor, manual trans. It's in great shape, nice paint, runs and drives fantastically, but the radiator core support is rotted along its lower section. I can fabricate steel and repair it, or buy a new replacement. Either way, I need to remove the core support.
I've never done this, so need to understand what's involved. I see that the hood need to be removed, no biggee. Do I need to support the fenders before removing it?
I don't think you need to support the fenders BUT you will NOT be able to bear any weight on them. The rad support is what holds the whole front end steady. I would remove the radiator , shroud, fan...as much as I need BEFORE the support is loosen and removed. I have to do than same thing soon on a 1970 I have.
No need to support the fenders however if your radiator support is rotted, chances are the lower front crossmember is as well.
Looks like this:
The radiator support bolts right on top of that piece.
Anyway, it is kind of a PITA to do and you will absolutely need to remove the hood. If your car has A/C you will also need to remove the condenser and some plumbing. Also the 72 has a fiberglass cover in the passenger front wheel well that will need to be removed in order to get to the upper mounting bolt on that side.
That is the bolt that will give you trouble
If you have A/C, this is the cover. It is held on with panel bonding adhesive so you need to heat it up and then gently pry it off, just like if you were separating any of the body panels.
Once removed you can see the bolt head that you need to get to.
Mine wasn't super rotted to the naked eye but once you get into it you may find that it is a lot worse than it first appeared.
This was the pile of rust from trying to get off the lower front crossmember. It was entirely rusted through.
The lower bolts which hold the radiator support to the crossmember can be a real PITA if it is as rusted as mine
My advice is: if it ends up looking like this you will need to replace the cross member so do not waste time trying to get the bolt out. Use a die grinder and just cut it off.
One thing you will find is that removal and installation is far easier if you do the whole unit, support, rad and shroud in one piece. It makes it a very easy job as the whole thing just slides right in and you can make sure all your new shroud seals are in place properly outside the car before dropping it in place. You have the 3 bolts in each fender well, the two underneath to the crossmember, the front support bar and a ground strap on the left side and other than the hoses, that's it.
Hi C2,
I find that working by myself it's easier to remove the shroud and radiator before lifting out the radiator core support.
This makes the core support lighter and and quite a bit less bulky.
The radiator and shroud likely will need to be removed to repair the core support so you might consider doing that before rather than after the core support is removed from the car.
I remove the fan and fan clutch first to gain a bit more room to get the shroud and radiator out.
I begin by putting a piece on cardboard on each side of the finned area of the radiator to protect the radiator's core.
Regards,
Alan
IF your car DOESN'T have A/C perhaps this is what you're seeing? You can see why it helps to get the fan and clutch out of the way.
If your car doesn't have a/c and has the steel shroud the 2 bottom 'legs' on the shroud will need to be unbolted from the front crossmember.
Fantastic help, fellas, thank you! The photos make it so clear to me, much appreciated!! I'll be attempting this repair work this Thursday with some help from friends, all of which are all thumbs, but are eager to help. Will let you know how it goes! Thanks again!
Hi C2,
I'm curious... is it a car with a/c or not?
Regards,
Alan
Hi Alan. No A/C. Manual trans, and power steering only.
The original engine (base motor) is present, numbers match and the broach marks look aoriginal. But it's has been bored .040 over and built up a little bit. The dyno sheet shows 271hp at the rear wheels, 370 ft-lbs of torque. 4:11 gears in the rear. Drag slips show a best time of 12.76 seconds and 107 mph in the 1/4-mile.
Yeah it has the steel fan shroud. Radiator looks to be an OEM type (aluminum? not sure yet). I'll find out when I remove the crusty looking core support.
Thanks! Removal of the core support went well. Pretty straight forward, no drama. Core support is way too far gone to save, so I ordered a replacement. While in there I rebuilt the headlight actuators. They work great now. The lower boomerang shaped member is in great shape. I got lucky I guess. The radiator is indeed an aluminum unit. Appears to be OEM.
It appears there were shims between the core-support and front crossmember.
Ordinarily I'd say it would be a good idea to get the same number of shims back in the same locations.
But, since the core-support is a new one you may have to begin installing it before you'll know IF and WHERE shims may be needed now.
Good Luck as you continue!
Regards,
Alan
I'd like to see a photo of the top of your radiator if you get a chance.
Thanks.
02-24-2018, 05:26 PM
Replacement of radiator core support - 1972 base motor
