[SSsssteamer]

Alex, I have never had to remove my radiator to swap out my front U bolts. The u bolt holes in the cross member have enough clearance that one can lay the U bolt on their side and slide the u bolts over and into their holes. Likewise, the hand crank guide bearing easily slips into place too at the same time. With the front spring center bolt in place, there is no need to worry about it flying apart since there is hardly any tension on it anyway. The biggest problem that I have had with the front spring is getting the spring's center bolt head to align with its locator hole in the front cross member. There is one big advantage of removing the radiator though and that is the ability to examine the front cross member for stress cracks. After 90 years, most of the Model A Ford front cross members have stress cracks and they need repair to be safe for the road. Usually welding and a bit of grinding will put them in the safe zone again. ...And the repair will also permit the front u bolts and related parts to fit properly again.