Hello Guys, I have an Auto City radiator in my '57 with a 390. It's not done and the hood is still off. The gooseneck looks too high to clear the hood. I measured the height compared to the stock as best as I could and it looks about 1" higher. I know a bunch of you guys bought one too and I wanted to see how it has worked out.
Thanks, John
jdlafayette:
Just be real careful when you go to put your hood on. Put some modeling or car cleaning clay on the radiator cap and gently close the hood. This will give you an idea about your hood clearance or lack thereof. If your filler tube and cap are placed toward the firewall, it probably won't be an issue if it sits on top of the radiator in the center of the core support, you will probably have a clearance issue. Here are a couple of photos to show what I mean.
Bob
57 AGIN
Bob, the radiator John is talking about is very close to the stock oem design with the neck/cap on top on the driver's side. The car in the last pic may have one of those...looks a little "squattier" than mine.
John..mine's in, but my hood/fenders are not yet..it's going to be very close. The only one I know that I've talked to about it fitting is Pat/Suede'57. He's installed several I believe.
LOL..I know for sure I'm not going to be able to use that vintage billet Moon radiator cap I've got.
I also moved mine forward about 1 1/4", so I've got less hood clearance than in it's stock location. Take a look at slotting the radiator flange to move it down a bit....see how much room you've got at the bottom using the holes as they came, I think you can gain some there.
Also, when I lowered mine, I cut off the upward facing flange off the botton/inside of the core support where the inner and outer pieces are spot welded, then rewelded the seam. I don't know if this is necessary if the radiator isn't moved forward, but it allowed me to drop it another 1/2 or so. My lower radiator tank is touching the main core support bolt.
I wish they made those radiators an inch shorter.
I know James and his dad have bought some, but I don't think James has ever posted anything about the fit.
Hello Guys,
Thanks for the input. I am going to have a friend help me place the hood on this weekend. I have a lever type cap on it which I bet might hit. I can lower the radiator about an inch but will have to remove and drill new holes.
Thanks , John
Cool...no pun intended. If you have a dollar tree store near you...I got some kid's play-doh for a buck there a year or two ago...works great for making impressions..you could put a big ball of it on top of the radiator cap, close the hood and know exactly how much clearance you have. smells good too!
I will try that this weekend when I can get a friend to help me. There was a lot of talk about these radiators but then it all died down. Maybe nobody has gotten that far like me! I end up doing everything 3 times. The picture doesn't show radiator height very well. I will get a better one. Thanks , John
I posted some pics of mine in the "4.6dohc being installed now" thread a while back, including the Markviii fan and shroud, and overflow tank....but no hood yet!
This pic shows how I moved it forward. Note the slot (both sides) that let me mount the flange insinde the core support with 1" sq. tube as spacers.
Rich:
You probably solved your clearance problem by lowering your radiator, but I'd get out your Play Dough just in case. The hood on the 57's drops down closer to the radiator the further forward you get. My clearance issue didn't happen because the neck of the filler tube goes straight toward the rear then angles up, I have good clearance at the point where my radiator cap is. I was real concerned about the fit of the Paxton carb enclosure box, but found I have good clearance there, too. Jus plain luck, not good engineering.
Bob
57 AGIN
Bob being lucky is sometimes better then being good!
I don't think it will be an unresolvable problem by any means, if it is a problem. I've got several routes I can take if I need to, from moving the radiator back forwards..as it turns out I could have kept it in the original location..just would have been harder to adapt radiator hoses. Another solution would be to alter the tank so it's got a filler like yours (not on top). I do like being able to look into the radiator tank to watch coolant flow..something you can't do if the filler is side mounted.
I just had a friend help me set the hood on my car and the radiator is at least an inch too high. Have to take some measurements and redrill the radiator mounting holes and lower it as much as possible. If no one else had this problem maybe mine was drilled wrong.
Happy Easter, John
That's what I didn't want to hear. I'm getting the feeling all or most of these Classic City Auto radiators are too tall
Rich,
Don't I remember a member on here saying that he used a 2x4 and a hammer to set the fill lower? Maybe it wasn't a classic city radiator, but he said that he hit it down until it cleared the hood and with no damage to the radiator!
tim :unitedstates:
Yep...that was Pat Fleishman. Not a bad idea really given the size of the weld around the top tank..just gotta be careful what size hammer to use. I actually gave mine a few taps, but not hard enough to move anything..never gave it a second try, but I probably will sometime. That alum sheet they used to form the top tank you would think should move pretty easy, but it's sturdier than you'd think.
I hope I can move it down enough. I spent a lot of time finding the right lower hose so I hope that will still fit. I don't know about the hammer trick! Sounds extreme. Thanks, John
Mine was a just a little to high. I put a glob of shaving cream on it and there was a small bit that had touched the hood. I just redrilled the Radiator and lowered it.
That's what I am planning, but it looks like I will have to go about 1 1/2" lower. I am heading to Carlisle so I won't work on it for awhile. I think Auto City will be at Carlisle so I will mention it to them. I love the radiator and would recommend it with some obvious modifications. I am going to start using wingnuts on my car so I can take it apart and put it together faster!!!!!!
Take care, John
I drilled 4 new holes 1 1/2 inches up on the radiator mounting brackets. I then had to notch the bottom corners of the radiator support. I didn't want to because it is mint and powder coated. I then had to shim the bottom mounting out with 2 thick and one thin flat washer to allow clearance for bottom tank. The top bolts aren't shimmed. The radiator hoses went back on OK. I now have good clearance with my hood and I bought a regular radiator cap instead of the lever vent one I had.
I just got back from Carlisle and spoke with Auto City. They told me there are two radiators for my car. A tall and short. First I ever heard. Why would you have a tall one that doesn't fit? I didn't get very far with them.
I couldn't believe how much repro Chevy stuff at Carlisle. Got sick of looking at it!
Thanks, John
A tall and a short? wth? I know there are two radiators..a 6 and an 8, but tall and short?. I have a guess the guy at Carlisle didn't know what he was talking about. When I've talked direct to Auto City Classic, I've had a feeling they don't have a whole lot of connection between the swap meet vendors and the home base.
Anyway..glad you got yours to fit...I'm along ways from seeing if mine will.
Carlisle?? that's a long way from your stomping grounds!
I wasn't thrilled with his response but the radiator is nice and priced right plus the modification wasn't too bad.
Carlisle Pa. is about 5 1/2 hours away. It's an easy trip that is all good highway. We go 87,287,78 and 81 through NY,NJ and then Pa. I doubt I am going back though. I have most parts for my 3 cars I need plus as I said it is primarily Chevy. If you want Chinese Nova, Camaro and Chevelle parts you are all set. I have bought lot's of stuff for '57s but they are slim pickens. There are a lot of Tri five Chevy stuff too. I love those cars though! Don't be too hard on me for that!!! What's funny is when you ask for 57 Ford stuff guys say they are popular and the stuff goes quick. So it's stiff competition for parts.
Take Care, John
So, how much clearance to the radiator cap did you end up with?...got any silly putty to check it with?
Sorry I didn't answer sooner. I missed the question. I have about 1/2" clearance now. I didn't use any putty. The hood isn't bolted on and we just set it down and eyeballed it after I lowered the radiator. I did some careful measuring before and lowered it as much as possible without causing problems with the radiator support. I calibrated my eyeball too!!
Thanks John
thanks for the info...I'm thinking if you have a half inch, mine may just clear the hood where I moved it forward 1 1/4 inches. Another question...just to give me a better idea how much your's is lowered compared to mine...the lower tank on mine is actually touching the core support bolt head. I realize yours isn't forward enough to do that, but is your down that low?
Anyone have vertical measurements on a stock radiator? I will get mine out of the box and check it out. I've only had it out to make sure the brackets and inlet/outlet were in the right places.
Hello Guys, Went to the garage. The measurement from the bottom of bottom tank to lower edge of radiator support is 1 1/4 ". I think the issue with the radiator is the top tank and top gooseneck is taller than stock. The core, bottom tank and mounting area are ok. I think it is worth the modifications. Lowering the radiator makes up for this. Hope this helps.
take care, John