WWYD Radiator Mounting ?

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2013: WWYD Radiator Mounting ?
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By George_Cherry Hill NJ on Tuesday, July 09, 2013 - 05:16 pm:

OK, so the '19 bitsey had a weeping honeycomb radiator and I got a new low radiator from Bergs. Just spent 2 hours weeping off about 5 # myself getting the old one off (temp and humidity about the same and well over 80)

Anyway...The old radiator was pad mounted to the frame rails. It's bitsey...

Now...magic question.

If you were me, and keeping in mind that it will always be a fun and go bitsey...and is a brand new radiator...

Would you...

Mount it back with pads...

Or...

Go the double spring floating mount?

The frame is tight and square...no evidence of any cracking on the old radiator ears or shroud flange. I have parts for both so it's not like I have to wait for UPS man....

I kind of like the solid feel the old one gave the shroud was solid and tight...but now is the time for me to make up my mind if I'm going to do it double spring.

Comments?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Steve Jelf, Parkerfield KS on Tuesday, July 09, 2013 - 05:23 pm:

The radiator on my 1915 is like yours – no apparent damage from pads – so that's the way I'm going.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John F. Regan on Tuesday, July 09, 2013 - 07:43 pm:

I make the early leather pads per Ford print. They were very thick and cover the entire end of the frame with the rivet clearance holes NOT on centerline of the pad. The main problem with radiator mounting using typical repo pads was that the pads available used to be very thin. I had a couple of brass radiators that got "dimpled" myself until I researched what the problem was. The leather to be used is tough belting leather. If your hood seems to fit lower on the front than at the rear, chances are you have thin leather pads or they were made with soft leather and got packed down with use. The right pads work OK and roads are a bit more forgiving now than during the T era so I would think you could go either way and be fine. Check the width of the radiator mounting stud holes and verify they are exactly 21-1/2" apart center to center since most radiator fit problems turn out to be a sagging front cross member which is easy to fix before you install a new radiator and start to stretch it when the 21-1/2" dimension is too wide.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Erik Johnson on Tuesday, July 09, 2013 - 08:02 pm:

Do you have two different radiator shells?

The earlier style shell (1917 through approx. 1919) does not accept the thimble and spring arrangement - the mounting holes are smaller and are the same diameter as the stud. (Likewise, the ears on an earlier style radiator have smaller mounting holes.)

I posted pictures of the earlier style shell in this thread:

http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/179374/232369.html

It's my understanding that the reproduction radiators have the larger holes on the mounting ears. If that is the case and you are using the earlier style shell, I believe you will need to put a washer in the mounting ear hole to take up space so it is snug around the stud (hope this makes sense).


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Allan Richard Bennett on Tuesday, July 09, 2013 - 09:01 pm:

Eric makes a good point which many are not aware of. If the holes in the shell are only 3/8" then pads are the correct way to go. But the new radiator will have the larger holes for the thimble mount and they will require bushing back to 3/8" to keep everything in place when using pads to mount the radiator.

Hope this helps.

allan from down under.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bud Holzschuh - Panama City, FL on Tuesday, July 09, 2013 - 10:50 pm:

George

I don't really know what I'm talking about here, but here goes anyways.

I remounted the radiator in my 15 touring using the stock spring mounts bought from a vendor. It didn't sit right, it didn't look right and it didn't feel right. Plus it took forever to remove/install the radiator using that system.

I then remounted it using the leather pads. Much easier to remove and install, BUT I didn't check the clearance between the radiator bottom and the crank bushing and wore a hole in the bottom tank (fortunately - easily fixed). I then added some additional rubber pads cut from an old inner tube. It now feels more "springy" mounted and is still easy to remove/install.

Just something to think about, but do check the bottom tank clearance!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By George_Cherry Hill NJ on Wednesday, July 10, 2013 - 06:22 am:

Thanks for the comments and suggestions.

It never dawned on me to take a look at the radiator shell mounting holes first. I went and looked and they are the small holes. It's then an original shell that is in great shape so that settles that. Pads it is...


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