3.0L engine swap

[Farrar]

You get even more access if you lift the body off the frame

You jinxed me.

OK, not really, but now I'm stuck and it sucks.

Some, uh, "genius" decided to *WELD* the upper radiator supports to the frame -- the supports that have been bent into an "S" shape from a front-end collision (I found more evidence of a collision, BTW). The supports aren't flimsy enough to where I can straighten them by hand, besides they're rusty and I want to replace them with the new stainless ones from DPI.

Here's what I would do if I had access from above:
- cut through the welds
- drill out the rusted screw (I'm guessing that's what happened: the original fastener snapped and the P.O./shop decided to weld the brace on instead)
- grind the area flat
- paint the area
- insert a rivnut
- proceed with radiator installation

But how in the heck am I supposed to do all of this with just the little access from the front and side?

I'm going to have to stop for the day and think about my options now.

GAH. Old cars. :P

[Lwanmtr]

Old cars keep ya outta trouble....lol.

The radiator is welded to the frame? What?

[Farrar]

The radiator is welded to the frame? What?

No, not the radiator -- the upper radiator supports are welded to the frame.

These are the long S-shaped brackets that attach at the top of the radiator on one end and the frame on the other end. At the radiator end, there are studs which "hook" into the radiator's upper flange and attach with a nut. At the frame end, they have a hole and attach with a bolt and spring washer (except on my car, apparently).

I'm going to have to make a phone call or two and beg for some advice.

[Lwanmtr]

Ohh..misread it...lol

seems someone mighta lost the bolts and rather than find proper ones had a welding kit laying around

[Farrar]

Found out why there are no bolt holes there.

The entire crumple extension (sorry I keep saying "frame" but it's hard for me to tell where the frame ends and the crumple extension begins) has had an extra layer of metal welded on to it. And whoever did so did a good job, too. But in doing so they covered up where the original weld nuts (or rivet nuts) are (or were) for the upper radiator brackets to attach. So, since they had their welder out, they just welded the brackets on. Nice idea in theory, but it makes me wonder whether the brackets were bent and twisted by a front-end collision, or by someone saying "Ah, crap, we didn't weld these on in the right spot -- just bend them until we can get the radiator on." Whatever the reason, I now have to deal with it.

Here's what I'd like to do.

(1) Remove the radiator, leaving the upper brackets in place.
(2) Remove the wheels for convenience.
(3) Cut/grind off the upper brackets.
(4) Test fit the new radiator, including the air duct, making sure that everything at the bottom lines up properly. (Leave the condenser alone for now.)
(5) Fit the new upper radiator brackets to the radiator.
(6) Mark where the new upper brackets meet the frame.
(7) Remove the new radiator, duct, brackets, etc.
( Use my marks to drill a new hole and install a rivet nut (or rivet stud if I am feeling fancy, although they aren't available in metric so I'll probably go with stainless rivet nuts).
(9) Proceed with new radiator/condenser/duct install as previously planned.

I think this might work.

[Lwanmtr]

Good luck. More than I'd be able to do...my solution would be 'add it to the list of things I need done up at DMCNW'..hehe

[Farrar]

Work continues.

old radiator removed.jpg

In this photo can be seen the damaged fan shroud. It appears to have been damaged by impacting the front frame extension.

Also, those don't appear to be stock fans, but next to the engine they were probably the loudest thing on the car. I look forward to replacing them with the new DPI-provided Spal fans, which have the added benefit of being lower profile as well as quieter and more efficient.

[Lwanmtr]

Yeah, my fans sound like jet engines too...on my list of things to do after I get the important stuff done.

[Farrar]

For whatever reason, this car's crumple extension has been modified: more metal has been welded to the outside of the crumple extension, doubling or slightly more than doubling the effective thickness of the material there.

As a result, stock radiator brackets simply will not sit flush with the front of the crumple extension.

The previous owner (or his mechanic) may have, uh, "solved" the problem by twisting the brackets until the holes for the fasteners lined up, then torqued down the fasteners and allowed them to bend the brackets even more. As a result, things don't line up the way they should.

I am taking a subtler approach: modifying the brackets by cutting away material that interferes with the crumple extension.

This means that the tab at the side which sits atop the crumple extension recall brackets has to be removed, as do the lips on both sides of the forward-facing vertical portion of the lower radiator brackets. I have swapped out shorter fasteners for the sides and attached the recall brackets with them. This means that the recall brackets no longer share a fastener with the radiator brackets.

Here's the LH lower radiator bracket, modified to fit the beefed-up crumple extension.

modified LH bracket 1.jpg

modified LH bracket 2.jpg

As you can see, I have to remove more material on the outer edge (almost all the way down to the bend) than the inner edge.

I'm sure this weakens the brackets slightly, but only on the face that already has a center reinforcement, and sits flush with the crumple extension. I tried to flex the modified bracket with my hands and it wouldn't move. I think it will be good enough.

All of this is just so that I can *test fit* the radiator and figure out where to drill my holes for the upper brackets! LOL

[Lwanmtr]

Hooray for PO modifications, eh?