I’m looking for ideas on how to move the radiator forward an inch or so to get clearance between a 250 six cylinder and a Taurus fan.
the easiest way i can think of would be putting the radiator on the other side of the support .... but that would mess up the mounts for the hood latch and grille ...... do you already have the fan ??
ive heard of people using a hammer on the radiator support to pound the mounting points forward. i would only expect 1/4" gain from that. you would have to cut up the core support to get an inch. the opening is smaller than the radiator so it would have to be really cut up. you may be able to cut a notch in the sides of the supportpening that allows the radiator to go in at an angle so the bottom tank is infront of the support and the rear is behind the the support.
I don't do things the easy way...I try and do it the correct way. It this particular situation I'm doing it the hard way. I'm thinking of cutting the mounting flange (red line) and welding it back toward the center (green line). Now the question is, can I mig weld the flange back on the radiator cradle or will the core get too hot and cause a leak? Of course I will stitch weld to try to keep the heat minimum. Will I be better off having the radiator shop remove the cradle before I do any welding then have them put it back on the radiator?
To install my Taurus fan I cut the core support so that it was flat. Had to weld in some metal on the sides to get the right opening size again.
oh ok yea that would work better than my idea and look a whole lot better too id think that mig could work as long as you keep the metal from getting to hot and warping it a tig would be better if you can get your hands on one
with the flange moved back, will the rad. fit into the support opening? How about a late model rad? they are thinner...:Handshake we could take some measurements and go to Pull A Part and see what we can find to fit... ...JFF...
The radiator will fit into the support after the support is trimmed 3/8"-1/2" at the bottom. How about a trip to Harold's instead of Pull-a-Part and I will know it will fit and we won't have to do nothing but watch...
you said... "I don't do things the easy way...I try and do it the correct way. In this particular situation I'm doing it the hard way." sounds like you want it done...fast/correct and easy...
I just remembered that my electricity is different than Harold's electricity... I'm not doing this the easy way out...I'm doing it fast/correct and the lazy way out...