All,

Another part I bought, another question about installation…

For all the heating/cooling/engine/cabin info I’ve read [and asked about], I understand the importance of:

• Radiator seals
• Hood to core support seals
• Air dam functioning to get air across the radiator
• Shroud & fan [I learned this on my squarebody motor swap]
  

But I can’t find a resource of where the radiator seals go - as in how they’re applied & where. …I know there are 3 across the top [against the hood], but what about the sides & bottom?

I have the A.I.M., but can’t find the page for a 1969 L46 Non-A/C, M/T, with the ‘large’ radiator. Online diagrams aren’t much help.

Any of you have a diagram?
Or a page in the A.I.M. For me to consult?

For reference [image courtesy of DeWitts]:


This is definitely the radiator: cap with overflow fitting, lower hose fitting ‘dent’ designed into it.

I know it’s not these pages (because some are the 427 option):





Thanks in advance!

John

 

1969 had early and late.
Are your seals just attached with adhesive or do they also use pins?
What is the production date?

 

Hello J,
As MW points out knowing early/late for you car's build helps with accuracy.
As is often the case the drawings that Dr.Rebuild did for his catalogue and site of the radiator, shroud, and support seals are very good.
He has broken the applications apart so they're easier to understand.
I also think his seals are usually accurate for various applications.
Perhaps you might want to check his site if you haven't.
Regards...

 

Alan & MW,

I got caught up in the description of the radiator and forgot to add:

• Late ‘69 production [near the end of the run]
• Pins and adhesive

When I ordered the seals, I ordered extra pins in case they break.

I'll check out DocRebuild’s site for diagrams and/or descriptions.

Thanks guys!

 

You were right!
I didn’t look for long enough.

Found on DocRebuild’s site - credit where credit is due. Based on a short email exchange (about radiators and seals - oddly enough), I’m not going to post his images without permission.

A search of several terms will yield results if you include:

• Doc Rebuild
• Radiator
• Seals

I wish I had the chance to do business with him; our first encounter left me frustrated. He’s a particular individual, and I respect his dedication to preserving Corvettes. In our conversation, he mentioned that he’s frank with customers, and it’s clear (inferred) to me that I should have my ducks-in-a-row before contacting him, so perhaps I should try again, now that I know better. [Maybe he and I are the same type of stubborn, maybe I caught him on a bad day.]

In large part, this forum has taught me so many quirks of these cars, and has helped me immensely.

John

P.S. Doc, if you’re reading this, no insult was intended; I think we got off on the wrong foot.

 

Hello,
There is no doubt that the D. can be difficult
BUT
There is no doubt that the Dr. knows about Corvettes
AND
There is no doubt the Dr. can draw.
Regards....

 

Completely agree!
My impression of him was along the lines of: “please respect time, effort, and knowledge,” and it’s understandable and respectable.

That's why I’m not posting any of what I’ve seen on his site without his permission. If any of us want to see what he’s got, the work he’s done, his site should get the traffic; not some guy on a forum copying images and posting them. I do respect the guy even if he & I butted-heads through email.

I’d rather guide y’all towards what I found (with your help, Alan), than ‘get into it with Doc’ because I posted without permission.

I never doubted his expertise - was just flustered by our first correspondence.

 

Ok all,

Gotta get the radiator in next weekend, hoping the answer is as easy as I think…

4 seals in one kit from <vendor> and 3 seals have holes for the pins [late ‘69]…

• 2-pin across the top
• 2-pin on the left side
• 3-pin on the right side

Plan to follow the obvious, plus Doc’s instructions & pics for install [clean, align, install]

The 4th seal, lower core support / under the rad is too wide, between support cushions, so…

Cut to length?
Squeeze to fit?

I'm assuming cut to length

#4 in this pic, yep A.I.M. page for a 427, but that’s close to my L46/350 setup [hood dam #1 is different]


Thanks in advance!

 

It's just a rectangular foam piece so cut to length

 

Easy enough!
That's what I thought; wanted to check!

 

Clearly didn’t get the radiator in as planned

Getting ready to install the seals and have [hopefully] one last question.

Again, 90% sure I know the answer, but heeding DocR’s warnings about the adhesive on the foam, so…

I know where they all go, but checking on the lower seal install direction, see below, mock-up on replacement core support:

Which direction does the adhesive-side go?
As in, where to stick the sticky-side?


Post-It on adhesive side, down

Post-It on adhesive side, down, closer view

Post-It on adhesive side, front, as in sticks to surface facing front of car

Maybe clearer … press adhesive-side down? (Direction of arrows)

Maybe clearer … press adhesive-side forward? (Direction of arrows)

Feel free to tell me I’m going overboard again; I have a habit of doing that - 60% of the time it works all the time for me.

 

Look at post 8, the seal goes towards the back edge so the adhesive is attached to the back edge to seal the gap.

 

MelWff

Took me a minute…

Thanks to you, had an ‘A-Ha!’ moment (and an ‘oh yeah, I get it!’ moment, too)

Looks like, and what you’re saying is…

Foam seal flush to ‘engine-side’ edge … not in the corner-edge as I had in post #12, pics 1,2,3.

Seal is too far forward in the pics.

Thank you!
I wouldn’t have seen that detail if you hadn’t pointed it out!

I guess some good came from putting the phone down, removing as much old adhesive (and paint ) as I could, cleaning & prepping for seals.

Had to paint over where I scuffed (scoured) down to bare metal.

I'll post updates as I go.

 

For anyone reading this in the future, I’m hoping it’s a good guide to seal install for:

Late ‘69
L46 350/350
Non-A/C
M/T
26” radiator
Seals with pins

And how to locate them on the core support.

I'll do my best to update on the location and install process, along with fan shroud seals, and the lower baffle seals [still working on where those two go]

I've already referenced these posts for “how to install lower radiator seal”:

• https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-position.html
• https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...als-427-a.html

The info & advice is good, and guided me toward asking the questions in this post. The A.I.M. was helpful, MelWff’s explanation finalized the ‘where’ and ‘does it need cut-to-length?’ details I was missing.

More on the way!

John

 

That don't look like the right radiator support , There should be 2 brackets coming out that the 2 studs on the bottom of the radiator slid into to support the radiator . Then on the top there is a clamp in the center. That's how it is on mine anyway. My car is a 69

 

Yep, this year of Vette can be a basketcase trying to find parts. I guarantee it’s the correct support …for my car.

Sounds like you’ve got the 18” (?) with the posts on the bottom, yeah? Those posts slip into the cushions/mounts/isolators in the 2 tabs (with holes). And the bracket [top middle] is for the upper cushion (and fan shroud?).

The top/middle bracket on mine is solely for the fan shroud - the upper brackets in the corners brace the tanks. Like I said … they can be basketcases.

When I was looking for radiator and core support replacement parts I went a lil crazy …copper? aluminum? expansion tank? A/T? M/T? With or without A/C? Until I narrowed it down by eliminating what the car didn’t have. It was a process. Including calls to vendors to verify sizing and options.

I’ll have to go back and edit a bit of what I said bc maybe the 26” copper was used in A/T A/C applications as well. Or that’s how it’s defined, but also fits L46 M/T radiators. …or at least it fits mine.

Either way, thanks for looking out!

FWIW… Dad’s Vette was ordered in Mar 69, and arrived in Dec 69, without 3 options he ordered: black interior, P/S, P/B. It’s got a blue interior*, manual steering, manual brakes. [*it’s a beautiful color, seats & carpet need renewal, tho]

So if that was wrong coming out of St. Louis, they may have mismatched a few other parts (?), because he also ordered a close ratio Muncie, and got a wide(?) ratio. I still have to dig into the actual specs. [I’ve got the order sheet, but not the build sheet.]

 

Ok,

So 2 sets of seals to try to get the upper seal (and pin spacing correct), and both are 14-1/2” apart.

The core support pin locations are 15” apart.

Am I crazy?… shouldn’t the upper seal have holes at 15”?

The seal holes are in-line, and the core support (seems to be) offset?

What is the seal supposed to follow?

• Core support
• Upper portion of rad core

99% sure I ordered the correct seals. But the 1”x1-3/4” seal doesn’t line up (regardless of how I align or think about trimming it).

There's either

• great fit to core, but gaps to rad
• iffy fit to both

I've got 1”x2” I can fit and seal, but I’d like to check with you guys first.


​​​​​…I have a Knipex hole punch that’ll put the pin-holes where they need to go … if/when I have to modify that upper seal.

 

All,

I think there’s a “Foam Seal Resolution” coming my way.

As far as pin/push-clip spacing goes:

• The original core (hole spacing) is 15”
• The first two sets were 14-1/2”
• DocRebuild (3rd set) is 14-3/8”

After receiving his, and knowing the pride he takes in his work, I messaged him about what detail I could have missed. It seems both of us were confused why a

• Late ‘69
• L46
• M/T
• Non-A/C
• 26”
• Copper / brass radiator

has a core with 15” pin hole spacing. Repeatedly measured to guarantee I’m not going bananas.

The closest answer I can figure is a bit of a stretch…

Knowing the late ‘69s were around the time of the strike, and Dad’s Vette came with the wrong options compared to the order sheet, there’s a 427, 26” radiator core support in the car. But how?

The 427s had 27” radiators - from everything I’ve read and researched.

Does that mean some of the 427 core supports for copper radiators got the lower brackets installed at 26”?

My thought about returning to work (labor and management wanting to fulfill car build orders) seems like:
“strike’s over; get back to work. What? Yeah, there’s plenty of core supports that need lower brackets welded on… 27” for 427s, 26” for 350s. Just weld ‘em up and label ‘em.” So they got lower brackets welded… with 15” pin hole spacing.

Essentially a 427 support that wasn’t finished.

Or the 15” template was on-hand, and regardless of lower bracket width, they got the holes drilled at 15”.

Those are my best guesses.

 

I’d like to find the stamping on the core support.
…if it exists.

Anyone have insight about where it is?

Another post here had a tag (sticker? paper?) and I wouldn’t be surprised if mine’s long gone.

Thanks!