Rad fitting blues

[Jasonking]

hi all, anyone know the best way to fit the radiator? Specifically having angst trying to tighten the bottom mounting from the lower shroud to the lower engine mount, tried the bracket fitted to radiator shroud but unable to reach bolts, reversed this and bolted bracket into place but can’t get the shouldered bolts into the holes in shroud, aaaaaahhhhh!

[Andrew1967]

I fit the bracket to the shroud/radiator and although awkward, you can get the two bolts into the engine mounting bracket.

I should think trying to get the shouldered bolts into the rad shroud would be a right pig.

[Spider]

http://mk1-forum.net/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=34794

[floormanager]

I've suffered before removing the rad with a 2 piece shroud. I followed the instructions above, which are great however, I've now done the mod to the bottom rad cowl so I can get the hose off and lift out the rad without removing the fan, leaving the shroud and engine mounts alone. So much easier.

[Peter Laidler]

The best thing that I ever did when restoring my S was to deliberately leave off the inner wing radiator cowling. Just as BL did a couple of years later too. Just that omission has transformed the ability to get to and work on the rad and the left side of the engine generally.

(The second best thing was to fit the remote clutch bleeder)

[panda911]

Hello flormanager.
You mention a mod to the bottom half of the split cowling.
Would you please directme to an explanation of this mod as anything to alleviate the pain of the job will
be so helpful.
Thank you
P

[floormanager]

Hello flormanager.
You mention a mod to the bottom half of the split cowling.
Would you please directme to an explanation of this mod as anything to alleviate the pain of the job will
be so helpful.
Thank you
P

Yes, basically, you cut off the corner of the cowl, above the bottom hose, so that you can undo the fromt cowl bolts, remove the top bracket and lift the rad out without having to undo mounting brackets and fans. You can leave on the bottom hose, just undo it from the water pump.

Screenshot 2024-05-26 175952.png

[panda911]

Thankyou Floormanager

[Peter Laidler]

Quick question. The S (and Cooper ?) lower shroud mountings, as partially shown above, are different to the standard cars.

Does this modification work for all of us? Standard, Cooper and S> Thanks

[floormanager]

Quick question. The S (and Cooper ?) lower shroud mountings, as partially shown above, are different to the standard cars.

Does this modification work for all of us? Standard, Cooper and S> Thanks

I modded my S bottom cowl Peter. Just made it so much easier getting the rad out without the pain of trying to undo the fan with the rad pushed over to the inner wing. I can't take the credit, it was a post on here that convinced me never to repeat the misery again.

[1071 S]

Quick question. The S (and Cooper ?) lower shroud mountings, as partially shown above, are different to the standard cars.

Does this modification work for all of us? Standard, Cooper and S> Thanks

Pretty sure that's my picture lifted from another thread....

And yes it works with both. The picture is of a non S shroud that I modded before finding that it wouldn't fit my S..... at the time I didn't realise they were different......

I then had to go and redo the job on the S shroud that's now fitted to my car...

Cheers, Ian

[floormanager]

Pretty sure that's my picture lifted from another thread....

Guilty as charged!

[Peter Laidler]

Thanks both.........

Incidentally, I'm sure that 1071Bob won't mind me saying that he has re-manufactured a few of the 'reversed - S type' mounting parts to convert a standard bottom shroud to S spec. Works a treat.

[floormanager]

He has indeed, he kindly "altered" one of mine. It was cool as I had to post it to Williams F1 team!

[Rolandino]

The problem Ive always had was to manage to put the two bolts on the bottom of the rad to the mounting bracket (12A293)

What Ive now done is to put two manifold studs in the 12A361 bracket .

Then all I had to do was put the rad in and put two nylock nuts in.

Done.

[Jasonking]

Aaaaaaarrrgghhh! Still can’t get the rad to go on! Or rather can get radiator to fit but then no way to get fan into the gap btwixt top pulley and rad, or install fan but then unable to get radiator passed it to fit to bottom bracket. Surely some mysterious incantations and Issigonis alchemy is involved? Also do all 3 pulleys line up together with belt fitted? Water pump pulley seems to go in to far?

[floormanager]

Sorry to hear that Jason, we've all been there. Have you jacked up the engine to get a little more clearance? There's a lot of posts on this site with advice. Yes, all three pulleys should be in a line.

http://mk1-forum.net/viewtopic.php?f=31 ... ng#p304014

[Jasonking]

Hi, yes have jacked engine up to remove near side wheel to access lower bracket to engine mount bolts.

[Peter Laidler]

You could just do what BL did following complaints from the trade. Once the rad is out, just get in there and carefully remove the bloody inner wing radiator shroud. Done carefully, you won't even see where it was. End of....... as they say!

[Jasonking]

Had thought of that, but don’t think it would alter the clearance between rad and fan/pulley as the bottom mounting wouldn’t be affected? Not sure if it could be done neatly and none destructively with engine in situ?