My new Griffin radiator questions

[Dne']

HI ya'll! I couldn't figure out how to put another thread to continue the radiator thing I'm working on, so I just started another one.
Thanks to Rick's help, I bought a Griffin radiator, dual electric fans, overflow tank, and brackets to install my aluminum radiator. (Rick you may jump right in here anytime!)lol

This is my first question:  The radiator doesn't fit into the little bracket here, so do I just widen it and make it fit? and bolt it in?(there's such a large hole in the little bracket for attaching, why did they make the mounting hole so large.


Here the radiator is just resting on the strut channels. I'm so excited about this radiator~ it's beautiful!  The lower brakets will raise it enough right to fit in the upper bracket? and it's just held by the top braket and nothing else right? got to go, I'll be back!
dne'

[Fast68back]

The '67 lower bracket mounts different than the '68, let me see if I can round up a picture...

your upper bracket needs to go UNDER the lip of the radiator support.

Like this

[Dne']

Thank you so much for the photo ! That is the easy part regarding the upper bracket, retainer. I'm surprised that the lower pieces are kind of thin, or undermade for holding up such a large radiator.  I need to figure out tomorrow how to install my condensor and how to run my ac hoses. Looks like I need to do that before installing my radiator.

[Fast68back]

Your car isnt an AC car is it?

There should be a cutout on this side of the radiator that the hoses come thru


You should be able to see the outline of the punch out piece that needs to be removed.

[Dne']

Yes Rick, this stang had factory AC, but I went with the aftermarket ac from Classic air.  So I'm just able to punch that spot out?  I was worried that I installed the incorrect radiator support! However, nothing that my Dremel wouldn't take care of!

[Dne']

[lethal289]

Looks very nice.  Be very careful not to let anything touch those fins.  You wont believe how easy they can become distorted.  Ask me how i know.

[Dne']

Yes lethal~ I'm very careful with it! Your motor is so darned Fine! (or sick in todays terminology?) I was thinking about cutting some cardboard to cover the fins, come to think of it, I'll do that tomorrow! Thanks for pointing that out!
dne'

[lethal289]

Thanks Dne' You have a nice one there yourself. 

After i installed my griffin rad, i  was screwing with a power steering hose, when the  end slipped off the pump and bumped the rad...  It took hours of playing around with the smallest screwdriver to straighten it back out again so it looked presentable.  You can notice with the griffin, how the fins are of a triangle shape, im not sure if its like that with all aluminum rads, but a fin tool cant straighten them because of the bend pattern.  Hope that makes sense.

[Dne']

Thank you for the compliment! BTW, where did you get the neat adjuster for your alternator? That looks much better than trying to adjust the belt tension with a large scewdriver!

Looks very nice.  Be very careful not to let anything touch those fins.  You wont believe how easy they can become distorted.  Ask me how i know.

[garner67]

To keep the top of the radiator clean, I fabricated my own plate mounts using the radiator flange mounting holes.  The plate bolt to the radiator flange, and the plate bolts to the radiator support, which had to be drilled to accommodate the mount holes.

Here's a picture from the top...

[Dne']

garner67, thank you for posting the photo~ could you explain this installation a little more in detail?  I like the way that looks~ I was looking at how I could use the holes in the new radiator eventhough they didn't match up to the radiator support.
dne'

To keep the top of the radiator clean, I fabricated my own plate mounts using the radiator flange mounting holes.  The plate bolt to the radiator flange, and the plate bolts to the radiator support, which had to be drilled to accommodate the mount holes.

Here's a picture from the top...

[RustyRed]

Yes lethal~ I'm very careful with it! Your motor is so darned Fine! (or sick in todays terminology?) I was thinking about cutting some cardboard to cover the fins, come to think of it, I'll do that tomorrow! Thanks for pointing that out!
dne'

Cardboard is what I used when I took mine out in May to replace the radiator support.  I just put mine in the trunk to store it with cardboard taped on both sides till it was time to put it back in.

If you can't figure out how to install the radiator you can always send it my way since I have recently found myself in need of a new radiator  :rofl

Just kidding, it look great!

[daveSanborn]

This is my first question:  The radiator doesn't fit into the little bracket here, so do I just widen it and make it fit? and bolt it in?(there's such a large hole in the little bracket for attaching, why did they make the mounting hole so large.

Dne',

On top of those lower brackets should be rubber isolators.  The holes on the bracket are to retain the rubber isolators.  There are nipples on the rear side of the rubber that will be inserted into those holes.  NO bolts are used on the bottom of the radiator, nor on the top.  The bottom tank of the radiator should rest on the lower mounts/isolators and be "sandwiched" into the lower mounts by the top mount.  Due to the larger size/thickness of the Griffin upper and lower tanks, you may have to modify the mounts slightly by bending them outward to fit the increased thickness of the tanks.

[Dne']

I really liked the way Griffin did his, but I just went ahead with perches or the Big block radiator mounts like Rick told me to do in the first place.  It actually was a very easy installation! I don't know why I made it more difficult than it seemed!  the upper radiator mount~ does it require some special type of clip nuts to affix it, or do most just use nuts/washers?
Thanks again!
dne'

[Dne']

Thanks Dave, I figuered it out.  Actually not much to hold a big radiator it seems! Thanks again!
dn'e

[daveSanborn]

Clip nuts attached to the upper radiator mounting bracket are a LOT easier than snaking a wrench in/under there to install regular nuts.

[Fast68back]

Wow, I'm shocked the lower brackets do not get mounted to anything, the '68 mounts do. IIRC, you use C clips (like you use on the fender aprons) on the upper bracket and the 2nd and 4th bolt in the picture below hold the bracket on

[daveSanborn]

Wow, I'm shocked the lower brackets do not get mounted to anything

The lower brackets get mounted/installed onto the strut rod supports.  The lower tank of the radiator "rests" within these saddle type mounts.

[Dne']

This is something that has always make me a little aggravated since the beginning of buying parts from a Mustang store.  Like these clips, surely the seller knows a person will need these clips, and that goes for so many things and it has cost a great deal of frustation and time to get the little nut that goes with it(whatever) and the seller should know this, or at least ask! ("hey, by the way, you may want to buy the nuts that go with this upper radiator bracket!") lol  I'm almost done now, but I still haven't learned to ask! lol so it's my fault! :cry

[lethal289]

Thank you for the compliment! BTW, where did you get the neat adjuster for your alternator? That looks much better than trying to adjust the belt tension with a large scewdriver!

Its the March Performance Bracket and pulley Kit. Heres some other pics since you mentioned it, it really does make it easy to adjust but fitting hoses on the power steering can be a real deal breaker.

[daveSanborn]

Dne',

It's easier just to order everything the aftermarket has to offer and then return whatever is left over.

 :rofl

[RustyRed]

This is something that has always make me a little aggravated since the beginning of buying parts from a Mustang store.  Like these clips, surely the seller knows a person will need these clips, and that goes for so many things and it has cost a great deal of frustation and time to get the little nut that goes with it(whatever) and the seller should know this, or at least ask! ("hey, by the way, you may want to buy the nuts that go with this upper radiator bracket!") lol  I'm almost done now, but I still haven't learned to ask! lol so it's my fault! :cry

The problem is that sometimes you have hourly people who are answering the phone instead of working at Walmart with a lot of parts vendors but they don't have the first clue about these cars.

That is why I really like to call places like Mustang Mania and a few other that I have come across where the people really know their stuff.  At Mania when you call you get one of the two guys that own the place and they have been messing around with old Mustangs for years.  There is a guy like that at my local O'Reilly as well...I walked up to the counter one day with a head light that needed changing.  As I started to talk to the guy at the counter and tell him what I need the other guy was already putting what I needed on the counter and gave me the right part without even asking any questions.

[Dne']

Well first off, I love Lethal289's motor! The Edlebrock showing on your heads looks really neat too!  I think I'll give them a call, maybe I can get the alternator setup, like I said, I like that!

I want ya'll to know, I think I could start my motor next week! I'm not jumping the gun here but if anything would keep me from firing it, would be the electrical! I'm not asking that right now so please don't address it at this moment.  All I need to do is install the gas tank and connect the gas line, and put the alternator, and figure out how to wire my dual electric fans(it's in the instructions, I should be able to do that)!  I'll leave the PSpump, AC without belts(they're aways off from getting going).  So next questions you'll see me on soon will be the electrical area!  I'm a little nervous! :scar

Its the March Performance Bracket and pulley Kit. Heres some other pics since you mentioned it, it really does make it easy to adjust but fitting hoses on the power steering can be a real deal breaker.

:beat

[garner67]

garner67, thank you for posting the photo~ could you explain this installation a little more in detail?  I like the way that looks~ I was looking at how I could use the holes in the new radiator eventhough they didn't match up to the radiator support.
dne'

I made 2 mounting plates about 3" x 14" that run vertically on each side of the radiator.

Each plate bolts directly to the left & right side radiator flanges.  Then the plates bolt directly to the radiator support sheet metal. 

I was able to use a couple of existing holes on the radiator support, but I did have to drill 2 new holes in the radiator support sheetmetal to line up to the mounting plate.

Lastly, even though the mounting plates bolted to the sides of the radiator firmly secure the radiator in place, I also glued a 1/4" thick rubber pad to the strut rod supports as a little extra piece of mind.  The last thing I want to do is replace that costly Griffin radiator!!!

Let me know if you don't understand what I've done, and I can try to take a few pics this weekend to help illustrate what I did.