Here are two radiator mounts.
One is the radiator mount that Langs sells.
The other is what is on my original unrestored 1912 torpedo.
Is the mounting set on the original correct or is it an old replacement?
Or is Langs a correct reproduction of the original?
If you notice the bottom "bracket" seems longer on the langs set.
The short one is earlier. They made them longer to prevent them turning in the frame.
So is that an original correct set up? Does anyone know for certain?
The original brass had a brass washer and nut with brass cotter key.
I know for certain. Check very very carefully and you will probably find some remnants of brass plating on that castle nut. There should be a rather large O.D. and somewhat thick Brass washer under that nut. The smallish square plate at the bottom is correct. I don't think the cotter pins were brass nor was the threaded stud. I can't tell if the stud is original since the picture is too blurry.
I just checked this at the archives last month. The original nuts used until mid '13 were the usual castle nut, but BRASS plated. Then, they went to the later style.
Yes, thanks guys. The castle nut, as John and Larry indicated ,appears to have been brass plated. You can almost see that in the photo.
Greg Sarky:
If you have the short nut (or what ever its called) on the bottom of your radiator, take it off and step back and throw it as far as you can and then get the longer 26 nut for the bottom. Someday you are going to want to take your radiator off and when you turn the top nut all you will be doing is spinning the bottom nut in circles.
Larry,
What do you mean by "usual castle nut" and "later style"? Is the "later style" just not brass plated?
The usual style I'm referring to is the one there are dozens of on all Model T's! The later style, is the short castle nut they used after the high one, and is like the ones used on the sidelights, and is pictured in the first photo above.
Here's the "regular" castle nut for the radiator mount. For early cars, it should have the square cut bottom, and brass plated steel.
Here is the later, low style. I suppose it should also be brass plated steel. What years was this used?
It is the same type of nut used to hold the side lamps on later cars. I know they were used on 1915-1916 cars. How much later were they used on the side lamps?
Also on the radiator mount stud, I believe the early cars had only one cotter pin hole. Later cars used cotter pins on the top and the bottom. I lost a radiator mount on my '11 because it unscrewed from the lower plate.
: ^ (
I replaced it (both sides ) with a slightly longer stud with cotter pin holes on each end.
-Keith
Keith:
The radiator studs always had 2 holes one at each end. Early 1909 cars didn't use studs but in fact used a bolt at each side to mount the radiator. Technically the later nut that you posted picture of is not a castle nut but a special shaped slotted hex nut. The nut shape remained for a long time but it was not brass for very long before changing to raven finished steel. While still brass it was also used on the windshield hinge for awhile.