[dataway]

I'm going to start a different thread to get some help on the position of the top plate on the re-pop core support.

So far the only reference point I can come up with is the center of the hump as shown in the photo below. The whole plate is asymmetrical, so kind of hard to come up with a good point to start from. The center of the hump is pretty much exactly 14" from the edge at the lower left corner (not where the arrow is ... the lower left corner sticks out about 1/8" farther).

Anyone got any ideas how to accurately locate this plate for drilling the holes? Only reference point that seems feasible for the support is the rectangular hole for the hood latch.

[Scott Thelander]

I will get u pictures later today with measurements

Scott

just thinkin..... being a 69 support is there tab holes for the lower radiator cradles ?

do you have your 68 lower cradles ?

do you have your radiator .... for a dry fit for position ?

maybe you want to wait to drill the upper plate holes till you mount the radiator and shroud ?

do you want me to take measurements from the hood latch mount holes ?

that may be the only common landmark on my original and yours

2o6 465 9165

[dataway]

Yep, I have the radiator, the top plate and the shroud. No cradles.

Can you tell from the photo below if it has the appropriate holes for the lower cradles?

Also shown is a pic of the hood latch mounting holes. I think that would work for a common reference point nicely. Thank you.

[Scott Thelander]

do these help ?

the lower brackets on this car are not in the proper position because the tabs
dont tuck in and under the radiator support like they should

it did have a 4 row radiator in it but I pulled it so it didnt walk away

I have other 4 row brackets and maybe the cushions ...
brackets for sure,,,, our host, sells/or sold , 68-72 ... well the 69-72's are tapered front to rear ... our 68's have parallel sides ...

are you running an original radiator ? and the size of tanks ?
it sounds like your an ac car so your probably running the
PB code 4 row with XK IF tanks with the 3 1/2" seam ?

Scott

[dataway]

The tanks are Harrison from a 68 four core V8 with AC lemans ... had it recored with a new four core OEM style core.

Pictures are very helpful.

Do you have set of the brackets available?

[Scott Thelander]

I have a pair I can help with ........
this picture is from 10 days ago and I already put em away

here is my take on brackets and insulators/rubbers for the 68
so.. non of my 68 cars are ac cars with factory 4 row 3.5" tanks both sides....
I am putting replacement MODINE 4 row in the radiator support in my pictures, 3.5 each side.
Alot of 68's came with the 3.5" tank on the filler side but not the drivers side,it was smaller.
so..
the under tabs and the bolt hole tabs dont flip to the other side,and line up correctly..
the lower insulator rubbers are the same left and right ,,,
but
they are not offset like the top ones ,nor do they have nippleslike the tops do. The groove or pocket on the lower insulators are centered front to back
I only have 1 pair of nice ones left,,,no picture right now ... but I can later.

so
short story long.
I have a 3.5 pair You can modify at your will . at least it will get you another starting point . it would be a pair from the center 7, the 3 lower L are chev truck , the 2 with Bobby V on the bag are big car , 2 on lower right are 3" 68 drivers side.

Scott

[dataway]

Thank you, let me measure up my tanks and make sure I know what I have.

[dataway]

Scott ... I think your approach is the right way. I need to first get the right cradles ... that locates the radiator .. then the radiator will locate the top plate side to side in a positive manner ... then with the shroud attached I should be able to come up with right space to the latch hole looking at pictures of other cars.

My radiator has 3.5 (actually more like 3 3/4" tanks (Harrison)), actual core is 2 3/4" thick. Both tanks the same. And I do have in my possession a radiator tag I think came off this unit before I sent it for recore that is a PB XK IF tag. (also says "74" on it)

Right now I have the shroud temporarily attached to the core support, and attached to the top plate, all that fits ... but I'll need some mounts and isolators to get the radiator in there and get it right. Unfortunately the radiator is still in the test stand hooked up to the engine ... which I still need to do some final testing on before I pull it off.

So you are saying I could use two of the 3.5" same side by modifying one side to flip around ... by moving the tab and bolt hole?

[dataway]

Here is what I have so far.

I'm thinking for the top plate I might drill the holes in the support and use rivet nuts instead of the tapping screws. The metal used in these core supports doesn't feel like the same quality used in OEM sheet metal, I thinking the screws might not hold so well after they are removed and reinstalled a few times. I can get black oxide, flange head 5/16" bolts that on the surface would look extremely similar and they would thread into the rivet nuts very nicely. Might also try it with the upper holes in the shroud ... like most of the used ones the threads in the plastic are pretty beat ... aluminum rivet nuts might be soft enough to use in the plastic.

[Scott Thelander]

I had a pair of 3.5" uppers that have 1 nipple torn off ..
the uppers are a different depth/length... height is the same ... groove is the same
but
youlle need to trim em ....on the ends to fit ,,,,

Im sure you can handle it with rvrything else you have done !

they should work fine.... most lowers are oil impregnated and soft n gooey
from fluids getting on em...

they shipped today ,,, priority for saturday delivery

Scott

notice the brackets tip a bit also looking at em from the side....

good luck on the slice n dice... I should have sent you another pair
to build ... HAHA

[dataway]

Thanks bro, I'll post pics of the results, I think I just have to make them mirror images of each other.

I noticed the angle in the lowers when I was searching around for photos ... has me worried about my core support mods.

A person would think that they would not need to be angled if the radiator is straight up and down and the lower beam of the support is also horizontal. ... Which makes me think my entire core support modification might be wrong.

I'm starting to think that the top and bottom of an OEM core support is parallel and that the only part that is angled to make it lean is the actual mounting holes for the frame mounts.

Would not be a huge disaster, everything would be mostly the same I would just have to twist the lower beam to make up for the angle on the lower radiator saddles. Very confusing and I won't know till I can finish my engine testing, and fit the radiator to the support.

[OG68]

Heres a few photos of my original just before it went into the paint shop.

[OG68]

Found these photos from someone else.

[dataway]

Excellent, thank you ... that same photo of the bottom rail is where I first noticed the angle in the lower mounts. And yep they do appear to lean the way I need .. toward the inside.

Also below a blow up of your original core support ... you can definitely see that the upright is leaning compared to the horizontal/flat bottom rail.

And in the full picture I can see that the support top plate is at an angle, and the bottom rail is not .... so, perfect, just what I was wanting to see on both counts.

Wonder if it was straight up and down on ANY year? Just way wrong to sell this part as a 68 part.

[PurelyGTO68]

Originally Posted by dataway

Excellent, thank you ... that same photo of the bottom rail is where I first noticed the angle in the lower mounts. And yep they do appear to lean the way I need .. toward the inside.

Also below a blow up of your original core support ... you can definitely see that the upright is leaning compared to the horizontal/flat bottom rail.

And in the full picture I can see that the support top plate is at an angle, and the bottom rail is not .... so, perfect, just what I was wanting to see on both counts.

Wonder if it was straight up and down on ANY year? Just way wrong to sell this part as a 68 part.

The photos that Ed posted are from my car. Let me know if you need any photos or measurements.

I think you are correct with the top and bottom plates being parallel. The radiator leans towards the windshield at the top. This makes it perpendicular to the centerline of the crank so the fan is evenly spaced. At least I think that is the way it goes.

I can measure stuff if you like. Just let me know what you need

Greg

[kk68]

Originally Posted by PurelyGTO68

I think you are correct with the top and bottom plates being parallel. The radiator leans towards the windshield at the top. This makes it perpendicular to the centerline of the crank so the fan is evenly spaced. At least I think that is the way it goes.

^^^^^
I agree, and believe this is key. Radiator and shroud are parallel to fan and tilts slightly towards windshield to match centerline of engine/crank. I can get any measurements needed as well since I haven’t installed my front clip yet.

[Half-Inch Stud]

Ahem, I have to exactly this for my 68 with the 72 Core Support. Got all i need to do it except;

Problem: i need a pristine 68 Shroud to replace my very nice, clean GM-original 1970 Shroud.

Dont want to hack such a fine Shroud...who needs it!

[dataway]

I've got a spare 68 shroud ... but it's not pristine ... I've plastic welded two cracks.

And, I never thought about it, but you guys are right, the centerline of the crank is not parallel to the ground, it tilts up slightly in the front, which would mean the radiator needs to tilt slightly back at the top.

Within a week I should have all the parts in hand to mock it up and bolt it to the frame and see what it looks like .... then I'll probably ask for some measurements from the firewall to the top of the radiator.
Thanks guys.

[PurelyGTO68]

I went out and looked and I was wrong. The top and bottom plate on the core support are not parallel. The top plate leans down at the forward edge to match the angle of the fender mount points.

The radiator is basically plumb when installed (depending on how your car sits). I bet of I checked....the radiator might be perpendicular to the centerline of the frame. Will try and see if there is a way to verify that....

I measured the fan to radiator spacing and it was closer at the bottom of the fan and had more space at the top of the fan. So the radiator is not perpendicular to the centerline of the crankshaft....although it seems like it should be. ??

Measured from the firewall inner fender mount point to the core support right at 39". Is the same both sides. Firewall to center of radiator cap was 38". (Straight back to firewall at that point. ..)
Hope this helps.

[dataway]

I knew what you were thinking anyway

What I was basically trying to determine is the angle of the bottom rail (which accepts the frame mounts) compared to the top surface of the core support. In your photos, and in the assembly manual ... it appears the bottom rail is parallel to the ground front to back, and the top surface leans toward the front 9 degrees (to match the fender mounts).

So all good, the photos of your original core support match the assembly manual drawings perfectly.

I saved your two measurement photos for reference. As it looks on the bench .. my radiator my have a slight lean towards the rear at the top. I think our engines are tilted a bit down in the back. I bet if you put a level on the top of a valve cover and then on the top of the air cleaner you'd find a difference ... if I'm not mistaken the carb flange on the intake has a slight angle to compensate for this ... I'll check mine on the stand today.

Thanks again for your help.