I can't believe I have to ask this but, I have never been certain of the correct order of installing the radiator parts. The service manual does not explain it that I could find.There is the rad, the rad shell and the pictured item I call the apron. This is a 1919 car with the thimble and spring setup. I seem to have the small parts right. It's the big ones that are the problem. Any way I assemble them seems both right and wrong. Thanks.
The apron goes on before the shell. The ears are under the shell ears. With the stud and spring in place in the frame rail, on top goes the spring, larger of the two thimbles, the apron, the shell, smaller of the two thimbles then the nut and cotter pin.
That's what I thought and that's how I had it but ran into trouble with my choke rod sticking. Thanks.
My 21 has the same setup, you might have a kink in the wire or it's not threading straight through to the carb.
The apron should be riveted to the shell. (Or did Ford quit doing that sometime down the line?)
I have two early version shells (small mounting holes, no thimbles) and an NOS thimble style low shell and all have riveted aprons.
Here are a couple of links
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/118802/166149.html
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/29/23634.html?1169220348
The order is drawn out in one of the MTFCA manuals and has been scanned and put in a prior thread. I know because I asjed the same question in 2009/2010. You might search back and see if it is there.
On our Canadian sourced cars, not only are the aprons riveted to the shell, two little ears on the apron go behind the curved front edge of the shell, and these ears are spot welded to the shell. Many of the welds/ears are broken and the apron is free of the shell. But they were attached at first.
Just for interest.
Allan from down under.
I guess there still might be a few old pre-mid '19 radiators around with the hole for the 3/8" mounting stud? I wonder if Brassworks makes that one?