[goats2quick]

im in need of a new radiator support for my wifes 69 lemans conv, as ours has a good bit of rust thru in the lower bolt areas.
i was looking at the one in perfomance years catalog,
radiator core support #p119x and it states (some mods required).
would anyone like to share what these mods would be??

also, ive noticed that there are different brands of core supports out on the market, and would like to know if one is better than the others?.

thanks, ken

[Verdoro 68]

Looks like it's just about removing a few small tabs for '69.

[dataway]

I've got a repop about 15 years old in a box in my shed. I've heard they are garbage, no where close to straight and tend to screw up fender placement badly, radiator fit problems etc.. I hope that's not the case with mine.

And ... were the original OEM core support insulators all round? I've heard one of them was square and fit in a pocket in the core support ... I know some of the 68-72 Buick/Olds have a square piece.

[gto4evr]

I've never seen a square core support bushing on these 68-72. The nut retainer was square. A J-nut snaps on to a square bracket with a tab on it that slides in and holds it from spinning.

[dataway]

gto4evr ... where did you get those insulators? They look better than some I have seen.

So ... does the frame go in that center gap, or does the core support?

[gto4evr]

Originally Posted by dataway

gto4evr ... where did you get those insulators? They look better than some I have seen.

So ... does the frame go in that center gap, or does the core support?

Bought these from Ames about 30 years ago, no idea on quality of the current repops though. The square brackets don't (or didn't) come with the bushing kit, those are originals.

Sequence for installation from the bottom:

Bolt, Washer, rubber ring, core support, upper rubber (with the molded neck and the metal spacer inside), washer, bolt retainer spring clip (see incorrect attached pic of a mopar version, I couldn't find any real ones for a picture), frame, square nut retainer. Then, you would insert any spacers required below the frame to pull the core support down if needed. No real adjustment bringing it up other than skipping the upper washer I suppose.

[dataway]

Thank you!

[goats2quick]

after looking into all the suppliers, maybe 5 different brands, it seems some get really bad reviews.
the one brand that had good reviews is AMD.
so, im going to give this one a try, as mine is in bad condition, being wrecked and repaired before i bought it, and just plain crappy work done.

thanks for the pics guys, they helped a lot.

thanks, ken.

[dataway]

Here is a pic of the Oldsmobile style 66-72 core support bushing with a square base. I have no idea if it's true or not, but I read a couple of places that this is actually the correct design for 68-72 GM A-bodies and only the Olds repop guys bothered to make them.

Looked like in one of the photos there was a square pocket on the bottom of the Pontiac core supports that would accept either this square type, or the round. But, off hand I don't recall ever seeing a photo of a factory installed Pontiac insulator of this design.

[gto4evr]

Ken, I remember a thread from awhile back (probably years) about how to make the repops fit better by having to drill out some spot welds at the bottom and re weld it. possibly concerning the issue of the angle of the base compared to the upright part of the core support. They tip forward towards the front of the car and maybe the repop wasn't oriented as far due to the bottom being welded on at more of a 90 degree angle. sorry, the memory is dim but I remember it being a bigger thread and the search function isn't turning up anything for me on it. I'll be curious what that AMD does for you, mine is less than desirable as far as how much I'll need to reconstruct at the bottom. I'm so far away from that point on the current car resto it's not even an issue right now.

keep us posted on the fitment once you get it with lots of pictures!

Thanks,
Dennis

[dataway]

Just had to reference this thread recently so I thought I'd add a couple of things.

I needed some core support mount parts, but not all of them, and didn't want to spend the $40 for somewhat crappy and redundant repop parts.

So, in the photo below.

Rusty core support bolt (7/16 - 14 x 2.75") ... appears to be repop, next to it a new stainless bolt from McMaster, PN 92198A680 five for $5.42 or same in Zinc plated steel PN 91247A680 Ten for $6.53

Washer (same as used in most of the body mounts)
Mil-Spec, 2" OD, .515" ID PN 95229A960 Ten for $9.69

Blasted and re-zinced my square thingies, dispensed with the nut clip and welded a high quality nut right to the thingie

Getting tired of buying crappy foreign made "correct" hardware that can often be bought for a fraction of the price from industrial suppliers and made in the USA. Often these re-pop kits require you to buy the whole kit just to get the one piece of hardware you need.

Someone should start a database of part numbers for exact replacements of re-pop or original hardware from Grainger, McMaster etc. WAY better hardware. Usually way cheaper, faster delivery, multiple finishes etc. The really odd stuff we'll always have to get re-pop ... but tons of the stuff is standard hardware. You probably won't be able to get concourse correct ... but you can often find better than driver correct.

[Greg Reid]

I know that the original post is several months old by now and probably the poster has already received and mounted is support... but wasn't there an issue with the forward 'lean' of the repop core supports not matching the original?
If you have a welder, you might be better repairing your original if it's only the support bushing holes that are rotted out. I know some have welded a big washer there to repair that area.

[OG68]

I bought these from OPG and had the one under the battery tray repaired.

https://www.opgi.com/sheet-metal-bod...r-g241608.html

[dataway]

I just mounted up my re-pop core support ... and of course it stands straight up. So I was thinking of that same thread. Brought my assembly manual upstairs, going to see if I can find out exactly how much lean it's supposed to have. After eyeballing it, I think I can drill out a few welds and pivot it forward ... but I need to know how much ... might drill it and leave it that way until I'm ready to assemble the front.

Another problem with this repop support ... my original fan guard (68) has not one hole that lines up with any hole on this support ... haven't cut off the dreaded flange yet ... but I can tell already there are no holes to bolt it on. Do they have to be drilled for 68's?

On the upside ... this thing has been in it's box in a shed outside for 20 years .... still looks brand new.