[DMCForum] Re: Radiator replacement?

["ryanpwright" <yahoo1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

First: I want to thank everyone for the advice on replacing my
radiator. I have the new one in and everything is great.

Second: Bill, you replaced one of these in an IHOP parking lot?! I tip
my hat to your manly achievement. I can't imagine doing this without a
nice dry garage, plenty of light & tools, music and most of all, a
case of soap and a shower with unlimited hot water.

I'm not a bad mechanic, but this was one of the least enjoyable 5
hours of my life. Actually, it was hell. Not as bad as replacing the
engine in my Fiero, mind you, but hell all the same. I have grime in
places I never knew existed. 

Although, I can answer Walt's question now:

> Can anyone say if there is
> enough room to only need to take the sway bar loose from the
> crumple tube?

Yep, there's enough room. I loosened mine, let it drop down a few
inches and was able to get the new radiator up in there. Also, I
didn't have to modify my fan shroud. Everything fit just fine. Don't
know if my radiator is a better fit than yours or not. I bought it
from DPNW.

-Ryan


--- In DMCForum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Walter Coe" <Whalt@xxxx> wrote:
> When I replaced my radiator, I was redoing the a/c, so I
> took the condenser out with it.  I ended up taking the sway
> bar completely off to have room.  Can anyone say if there is
> enough room to only need to take the sway bar loose from the
> crumple tube?  If you remove the sway bar completely, you
> may need to replace some bushings.  The fasteners are all
> supposed to be torqued to spec with thread-locker.  Get
> ready to find that the previous bozo cross-threaded the
> fasteners holding the sway bar brackets.  It's a good idea
> to presoak all the fasteners with penetrating oil.  The
> shroud is held in a few places with Rivnuts which can strip.
> 
> The new brass radiator is a bit thicker which causes a
> clearance issue with the fan shroud.  I had to cut deeper
> notches in the shroud to fit the ends of the crumple tube.
> The thicker radiator put the fans so far back that the
> blades were hitting the ends of the crumple tubes.  I fixed
> this by mounting the fans with longer bolts & stacks of
> washers.  It's not the neatest job, but it works.  I intend
> to replace those power hungry old clunker fans with modern
> flat ones soon.  The rusty brackets that go from the top of
> the radiator to the crumple tube will need to be reshaped to
> accommodate the thicker radiator.
> 
> So did you have the privilege of experiencing the wonder
> taste of antifreeze?  Yum!  I think they should make it a
> Gator-Aid flavor.  DPNW (Toby) also sells an extra radiator
> bleeder for the top line.  I bought one at Pigeon Forge, but
> haven't used it yet.
> 
> Be sure to use the old green variety of antifreeze.  The new
> orange stuff is not compatible with lead based solder used
> in brass radiators & heater cores.
> 
> Walt

Yahoo! Groups Sponsor

ADVERTISEMENT

---

Yahoo! Groups Links

• To visit your group on the web, go to:
  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DMCForum/
   
• To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
  DMCForum-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
   
• Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.