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Author Topic: 1973 radiator upgrade  (Read 712 times)

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Offline LongTimeFordMan

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1973 radiator upgrade
« on: March 29, 2021, 02:41:56 PM »
i just installed a new aluminum radiator from speedway motors. Its 22" wide by 19" tall. and it fits well with no major body or sheetmetal mods needed.. and it cost $132 plus tax free delivery total $141

here is a link to the radiator
https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Speedway-Chevy-SBC-BBC-Universal-Aluminum-Radiators,3557.html

here is a link to the radiator. unfortunately there isnt clearance for a puller fan so i used an electric one i had been using for my olde factory radiator.  i configured it as a pusher and mounted it in frone of the radiator. here is a link to the fan, $32 pplus tax from Amazon


NOTE.....

ALL DIMENSIONS LISTED HERE ARE SPECIFIC TO THIS FAN...

IF YOU USE ANOTHER FAN  YOU WILL NEED TO ADJUST THE DIMENSIONS TO FIT YOUR SPECIFIC UNIT.

https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Performance-Electric-Radiator-Mounting/dp/B00T3U1QRY

here is a list of materials i used..
a 27" length of 1" square aluminum tubing for a lower support however most any sort of tubin g such as 3/4 or 1" duameter thinwall electrical conduit would also work..

one Dayco 72242 lower radiator hose

about 12" of 1- 1/4" metal tubing..  thinwall electrical conduit or this chrome one from home depot
https://www.google.com/search?q=1.25%22+brass+drain+12%22&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwj-5KDdi8rvAhUQB6wKHYX0ADIQ2-cCegQIABAC&oq=1.25%22+brass+drain+12%22&gs_lcp=ChJtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1pbWcQAzoCCCk6BQghEKsCUIVJWPZpYKBvaABwAHgAgAF9iAHBBJIBAzAuNZgBAKABAcABAQ&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-img&ei=ZsxbYP6ZI5COsAWF6YOQAw&bih=280&biw=683&prmd=sivn


a  36 " length of .125 x 1 inch aluminum flat stock

a 48" length of 3/4" x 1/16" aluminum angle stock

one length of 1/2" foam pipe insulation

5 each 2" hose clamps Available in plumbing dept of Home Depot

1 each 2-1/2" hose clamp

1 gallon Zerex G05 coolant concentrated

5 gallons distilled water.

about 20 nylon cable ties

2 each 5" 1/4-20 all thread bolts with nuts

6 each 2" 1/4-20 all thread bolts with nuts


about 20 2" long 10-32 machine screws with nuts

4 each 5/16" nuts.

1 roll of adhesive backed foam insulation tape.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Armacell-2-in-x-30-ft-R-1-Foam-Insulation-Tape-TAP18230/100539553


Red 1973 pinto wagon DD, SoCal desert car, Factory 4 speed, 3.40 gears, Stock engine, 14" rims and tires, 60 K original miles

Offline LongTimeFordMan

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Re: 1973 radiator upgrade section 1
« Reply #1 on: March 29, 2021, 02:47:27 PM »
About this radiator

the upper inlet and lower outlet tubes of this radiator are too long to allow hoses to be fitted properly.  it is therefore necessary to shorten the tubes as shown in Fig A5 and A6.

also unfortunately the radiator does not come equipped for a drain plug or petcock.  i am attempting to design an add on one that can be added and will report on thei when i have fitted it.
Red 1973 pinto wagon DD, SoCal desert car, Factory 4 speed, 3.40 gears, Stock engine, 14" rims and tires, 60 K original miles

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Re: 1973 radiator upgrade section 1
« Reply #2 on: March 29, 2021, 02:50:44 PM »
The new radiator has an upper inlet tube with an outside diameter of 1-1/2" and a lower outlet tube with an outside diameter of 2".

the pinto hoses are: Top 1-1/4"  lower 1-1/2".

the Dayco hose is 1-1/2" with a flare to 2" and sections of it can be used for both the lower hose and a short adapter to fit the upper hose to the radiator.

see figure  A2 shows dimensions for cutting the Dayco hose. for the first cuttings the sections should be cut a bit longer and then cut to exact fit once the radiator is instslled  to insure best fit.

the flared section of the Dayco hose used for the lower hose will.fit the 2" outlet tube of the new radiator and the 1-1/2" main section will fit the connection to the water pump.

the factory upper inlet hose can be utized if it is cut midway at the straight horizontal section and a 1-1/4" metal tube sed between the ends as an extension. However the upper inlet tube of the new radiator is 1-1/2" OD which is also the OD of the factory hose and the ID of the new Dayco hose.

A short section, about 3" of the dayco hose can be used as an adapter to fit the curved end section of the factory hose to the new upper inlet tube.

when fitting the short adapter to the factory hose use a short, about 1-1/2" section of the metal tube inside the factory hose as a stiffener to prevent the factory hose from collapsing when  the adapter is clamped onto the factory hose

Red 1973 pinto wagon DD, SoCal desert car, Factory 4 speed, 3.40 gears, Stock engine, 14" rims and tires, 60 K original miles

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Re: 1973 radiator upgrade section 1
« Reply #3 on: March 29, 2021, 02:53:33 PM »
prepare the car..

this is optional but i decided to.flush the system prior to the install..

i first added about 1/2 cup tide liquid detergent to.remove oil deposits and drove the car a few days then drained it and removed the thermostat and replaced the outlet. 

removed the top radiator hose and flushed into the hose to reverse flush the with hose into inlet hose till water was clear.

replaced the hose, filled with tap water and added about 4 oz of LIME AWAY to remove rust and scale. Ran engine for about 20 min to clean out scale.

shut off engine, drained and flushed with hose till water was clear. added about 1/2 cup baking soda to neutralize any acid. ran engine for 10 min.

reverse flushed with hose.. i forgot to flush heater.. but you should do that as well.



Red 1973 pinto wagon DD, SoCal desert car, Factory 4 speed, 3.40 gears, Stock engine, 14" rims and tires, 60 K original miles

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Re: 1973 radiator upgrade section 1
« Reply #4 on: March 29, 2021, 03:01:08 PM »
start by removing the existing radiator, fan and and hoses.

remove the passenger side bumper support bolt and either shorten it about 1/2" or reverse it so that the head is inside and the nut is on the outside.  this is necessary to allow clearance for the new radiator.

if your car has a vapor cannister, remove this and locate toward the rear about 2" so that it just clears the oil pan, drill another mounting hole and mount the cannister. See Fig C3


Measure and cut the 27 inch lower support bar size to fit snugly between the frame rails just behind the bumper support bolts.

then drill a 5/16" hole on each end of the bar about 1/2" from each end.

drill holes for the radiator support cradle into the support bar. The holes should be at right angles to the previous holes so that when installed the attachment bolts on the   cradles can be attached.

The hole for the passenger side should be 5-1/2 inches from one end of the bar. See Fig C1

The hole for the driver side should be 8 inches from the end of the bar. See Fig C3


position the lower support bar in the engine compartment on the frame rails just behind the bumper mounting bolts. Using the holes in the mounting bar, drill 5/16" holes thru the frame to use to mount the lower support, but do not bolt in the mount. Fig C1, C3

remove the lower support bar






Red 1973 pinto wagon DD, SoCal desert car, Factory 4 speed, 3.40 gears, Stock engine, 14" rims and tires, 60 K original miles

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Re: 1973 radiator upgrade section 1
« Reply #5 on: March 29, 2021, 03:08:10 PM »
Fabricating the lower support cradles

fabricate the u shaped lower support cradles from the 1" flat aluminum stock as shown in Fig B1

the rear portion of the cradles should be about 7"  but the more important dimension is the width of the cradles.. Fig B1

the width front to back should be about 3 -1/4". Fig B1

fabricate the cradles and drill a 1/4" hole 5-1/4" from the bottom of the cradle. Fig B3

drill a 1/4" hole in the rear leg of the cradle about 1/16" from  the bend and another 3" from the bend. Fig B1

Line the front portions of the cradles with the foam pipe insulation and secure it with the cable ties to act as padding for the radiator core. Fig B4

fabricate the upper mounting brackets as shown in Fig B6 and pad with the insulating foam as shown.

Red 1973 pinto wagon DD, SoCal desert car, Factory 4 speed, 3.40 gears, Stock engine, 14" rims and tires, 60 K original miles

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Re: 1973 radiator upgrade section 1
« Reply #6 on: March 29, 2021, 03:18:28 PM »
Preparing the radiator and fan assembly.

the fan has mounting points at the top and bottom with rotate the fan 90 degrees so that the mounting points are at the sides. Fig B2 ,B5

with the protective cardboad still on the radiator, position the radiator with the inlet and outlet tubes facing downward on the workbench. so that the front side of the radiator is upright.

you might want to use a couple of 2x4s to support it.

remove about 1" of the cardboard from top and bottom of fr9nt side of radiator to allow precision positioning of fan supports.

measure off lengths of the 3/4" angle to fit the distance between the top and bottom rails of the radiator.. they should be 19-1/4" but measure about 1/4" extra.

cut the 19- 1/4" fan support rails from the angle and drill 1/4" holes about 1/4" from the ends to be used at the bottom of the radiator. Fig D1

CAREFULLY Drill a 1/4" hole in the NARROW bottom radiator frame 2-1/2" from the edge of the passenger side radiator tank. Fig D2

Drill another into the top frame 2-1/2' inches from the tank. D2

Position one of the supports onto the bottom of the passenger side of the  radiator and remporarily secure it into position with a 10-32 screw and nut using one of the 5/16" nuts as a spacer. Fig B2

Align the rail parallel to the edge of the driver side tank, there should be about a 2" distance. mark the rail where it crosses the hole in the upper radiator frame. remove the rail and drill a 1/4" hole in the rail, replace the rail and mark the upper radiator frame for a 1/4" mounting hole and drill the upper mounting hole. secure the top and the bottom of the rail with 10-32 screws, nuts and spacers.

 Position the fan on the secured rail so that the top of the fan is about 1 " from the top of the radiator.

position the driver side rail under the fan with the bottom end flush with the bottom radiator frame and note where it crosses the upper radiator frame.

mark and drill mounting holes in the driver side support rail and upper and lower radiator frames.  temporarily secure the mounting rails with 10-32 screws.

position the fan onto the support rails and note where the fan mounting holes fall on the rails and mark the rails.

Remove the rails and drill 1/4" mounting holes for the fan into the support rails

insert 2" 10-32 screws into the holes from the radiator side and add nuts to secure the screws into the rails.  file or grind the heads of the screws almost flush with the rails and secure the screw heads and nuts with super glue or Loktolite. B5

check alignment and square of fit between the fan supports and radiator.

position the fan onto the mounting bolts and secure with  washers and nuts.


************
Red 1973 pinto wagon DD, SoCal desert car, Factory 4 speed, 3.40 gears, Stock engine, 14" rims and tires, 60 K original miles

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Re: 1973 radiator upgrade section 1
« Reply #7 on: March 29, 2021, 03:20:15 PM »
remove the fan and support assembly and position the  cradles in place so that the holes in the bottom of the fan support rails and the bottom hole in the cradles align and drill holes into the fan support rails for additional screws.

bolt the fan support rails to the cradles using only the upper bolts, not the ones at the bottom. B1

cover the sides of the support rails that face the radiator core with the adhesive backed insulating tape B3

Attach the fan/ cradle assembly to the radiator.  hint.. insert the 10-32 screws thru the top radiator frame and secure them with 10-32 nuts. B5

THEN add the 5/16" spacer nuts and attach the fan / cradle assembly to the radiator. B5
Red 1973 pinto wagon DD, SoCal desert car, Factory 4 speed, 3.40 gears, Stock engine, 14" rims and tires, 60 K original miles

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Re: 1973 radiator upgrade section 1
« Reply #8 on: March 29, 2021, 03:27:37 PM »
Install the lower hose onto the water pump and loosely tighten the hose clamp.  install a hose clamp onto the lower hose where it attaches to the radiator.

With the protective cardboard still in place attach the lower support bar to the radiator and CAREFULLY maneuver the radiator into place and position the lower support bar into position and insert the 6" long 1/4-20 bolts thru the frame. C1,C2,C3,C4


Check for clearances and interferences with vapor cannister, chassis bolts, especially the pasenger side bumper support bolt, etc. C1,C2,C3,C4

if there are no clearance problems, proceed with fitting the upper brackets..

un


Red 1973 pinto wagon DD, SoCal desert car, Factory 4 speed, 3.40 gears, Stock engine, 14" rims and tires, 60 K original miles

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Re: 1973 radiator upgrade section 1
« Reply #9 on: March 29, 2021, 03:35:16 PM »
unbolt the horn mounting bolt from the driver side and insert a 2" 1/4-20 bolt from the forward side, fit the driver side upper bracket onto the bolt, make sure the foam padding is in place then add nut and tighten loosely. F1,F2,F3
Red 1973 pinto wagon DD, SoCal desert car, Factory 4 speed, 3.40 gears, Stock engine, 14" rims and tires, 60 K original miles

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Re: 1973 radiator upgrade section 1
« Reply #10 on: March 29, 2021, 03:39:50 PM »
assemble the passenger side upper bracket and from engine side insert the short retainer bar thru the opening in the bulkhead and tighten .F4,F5

check for clearance at bottom of radiator.

tighten mounting bolts..

check hood clearance with playdough at both driver and passenger corners. put playdough wad on radiator and SLOWLY lower hood until if closes and check thickness of squashed playdough

clearance should be about 1". G1,G2
Red 1973 pinto wagon DD, SoCal desert car, Factory 4 speed, 3.40 gears, Stock engine, 14" rims and tires, 60 K original miles

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Re: 1973 radiator upgrade section 1
« Reply #11 on: March 29, 2021, 03:42:01 PM »
attach hoses..

see figs of inlet hose for positioning.

. tighten lower hose.

remove the protective cardboards and straps.
Red 1973 pinto wagon DD, SoCal desert car, Factory 4 speed, 3.40 gears, Stock engine, 14" rims and tires, 60 K original miles

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Re: 1973 radiator upgrade section 1
« Reply #12 on: March 29, 2021, 03:46:24 PM »
fill radiator..  i used Zerex G05 c9ncentrate which is a HOAT (hybrid organic acid)

i used the concentrate diluted 50/50 with distilled water. it takes anout 3 gallons total.

here are some additional views of finished install showing lower support bar, et
Red 1973 pinto wagon DD, SoCal desert car, Factory 4 speed, 3.40 gears, Stock engine, 14" rims and tires, 60 K original miles