Radiator to high

[Tom F OHIO]

We put the radiator on my brother in laws car and the piece that the hose hooks on to it is to high to where you hook onto the neck at the engine. We are not sure what to do or check at this point. Was hoping someone could direct us on this problem. Thanks.....

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by Tom F OHIO

We put the radiator on my brother in laws car and the piece that the hose hooks on to it is to high to where you hook onto the neck at the engine. We are not sure what to do or check at this point. Was hoping someone could direct us on this problem. Thanks.....

Tom - I’ve had a couple of radiators where the angle of the upper neck is a bit flat compared with the line directly down to the gooseneck. You can trim a bit of the lower portion of the hose away so that you can push the top on further, or get a corrugated (flexible) modern hose of the right size. The important thing is to make sure you clamp on the tank side of the rolled ridge on the neck, and have rubber completely underneath the clamp.

Also, as you bring the radiator back to attach to the rods, it will tend to bring the neck down towards the engine and towards the proper angle.

And use a new upper hose, someone may have shortened the old one without you knowing it.

[pkhammer]

Some people make the mistake when mounting the radiator, they put the springs between the radiator and the crossmember which puts it up too high. The hood won't fit right either. There are also some variations of water neck height at the head. I have seen at least three different height water outlet necks, some tall, some short.

[rotorwrench]

Depending on early or late, the front cross members are different. The 28/29s are extended up just a bit to make the hood fit. The 30-31s are lowered a bit for the taller radiator. Pads under the radiator mount tabs can adjust too tall as well depending on cross member.

[Ruth]

What year car are we talking about. Could you be trying to install a '30-31 readiator in a '28-29 car? I believe the '30-31 radiator is taller?

[Will N]

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You could also have the wrong gooseneck on the engine. The 30/31 gooseneck is taller than the 28/29.

[Tom F OHIO]

Thanks for the replies. Going to check the gooseneck and see if we got the wrong one on there. I'll measure my 30 radiator and see if the measurement is different than his 29 radiator. Could the cross member that the radiator sits on be bent or something. It is rivoted on and not bolted. It doesn't look like it had been repaired.

[rotorwrench]

The front cross members were pretty stout. The front frame rails usually take all the hit in a front end collisions. The cross members like to crack with fatigue after many rough road trips and the rivets come loose in some cases. I find many bolted in by shade tree DIY owners, The rails to member rivets were originally set till they were flush with the frame so that the fenders have a smooth area to bolt down to. If it is still solidly riveted and has the six flush looking rivets on the top rail connection then it is good to go. The 28 & 29 members have radiator mount pads that set higher than the rail. There isn't a lot of difference on pad height but it is noticeable.

There may have been a taller neck for the AA trucks but most cars all use the same one. Radiator height is the larger difference between the first two years and the later two.

PS: Talier radiator taller outlet neck.

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by Tom F OHIO

Thanks for the replies. Going to check the gooseneck and see if we got the wrong one on there. I'll measure my 30 radiator and see if the measurement is different than his 29 radiator. Could the cross member that the radiator sits on be bent or something. It is rivoted on and not bolted. It doesn't look like it had been repaired.

The front crossmember is indeed riveted on. What Rotorwrench was referring to is the configuration of the front crossmember right where it attaches to the frame rails. The 30/31 frames have a depression of about 1/4” that the radiator frame sits in. The 28/29 frames do not have that depression. If you try to mount a 30/31 radiator on a 28/29 frame the radiator will sit too high. Sorry I don’t have photos, if someone else does please feel free to chime in.

There are other differences between frames, but the front crossmember is the one that would most affect your radiator mounting.

Photos of what you are dealing with would be helpful.

[Bob C]

Here are some water outlet pictures from Snyder's. The shorter is the 1928-29.

[Tom F OHIO]

Maybe we should try putting a 30-31 water outlet on and see what that does but gosh I just can't see why this thing sits to high. Its a 28-29 radiator as I measured mine and its tall because I have a 30. Now I can see why it takes so long for a person to get a car on the road with all the problems that come up.

[rotorwrench]

The fit of the radiator and shell affect the fit of the hood on both radiator and cowl. At this point, we would need a photo or two to be able to visualize what you have going on on the subject vehicle. Fit to the engine components are affected more by the way the engine is mounted in the frame. A frame that has bend in the front rails will also affect the hood fit.

The Ford model B engine has a different head and water pump that has three bolts and neck of the pump is farther forward and shorter than the model A.

[Tom F OHIO]

He's on vacation this week so as soon as they get back I will get some pictures as we definitely need help on this. Thanks everyone...

[ronn]

having a similar problem- cant insert the crank............

[Gene F]

Before you try to start the car put the hand crank in, and ensure that the fan is not hitting any parts. You would be surprised....

If you have a 30-31 radiator, and are trying to install it in a 28-29 my instincts tell me it will never work. People all the time say "fits Model-A" and that is not correct a lot of the time. Some time the part(s) is not even for a Ford.

Tom, get some of the guys from your local club to come over and take a look.

[Tom F OHIO]

Thanks Gene, My brother in law has shingles so were at a stand still at the moment. I did talk to a Model A friend that is going to come over and look at it with us. Going to get some pictures of what we have this week and get them on here.

[Fullraceflathead]

Yes shingles can be a very serious situation I had it about 15 years ago but luckily I had it in between my shoulder blades so I couldn't touch the infected area it's highly contagious and it can be very serious if you touch the infected area and then accidentally rub your eyes!

[Tom F OHIO]

Thanks for the replies. We found that someone put a 30-31 upper outlet pipe on this car. Its a 29 Roadster. We put an orginal 28-29 outlet on and that did
the trick. Thats one problem solved. Thanks again......

[Fullraceflathead]

It's always a good day when an easy fix fixes what appears to be a major problem!!!

[Bob Bidonde]

This should help see the differences in water outlets. Also be careful when installing one so you don't break it.