408 Build Thread
****, there wasn't a full days worth of work today, so I came home around noon determined to get this radiator/shroud problem straightened (no pun intended) out. I knew that I had some speed nuts left over from a car speaker installation so I grabbed those off of the shelf. Next, I needed a way to pull the fan shroud mounting bracket in towards the radiator so that the shroud holes will line up. I talked to a buddy at work and he has a pipe clamp that I can borrow, but I'm working now and need another idea. That's when an idea came to me.
I grabbed two blocks of scrap wood and my ratcheting motorcycle tie down. I wrapped the tie down around the radiator and put the blocks of wood against the bracket to take the brunt of the pull. I also laid a large piece of cardboard on the radiator itself to prevent damage to the core. I tightened the ratcheting strap one click at a time and kept checking the mounting holes on the shroud, it was moving!!! When I released the strap, the bracket moved back a little as I knew that aluminum would do, so I tightened the strap again and gave it a few more clicks. Within ten minutes, all four holes (I had to finish drilling the factory hole) lined up great. Sorry I didn't take a picture of this, but I was on a roll and working on the kitchen table! I used the speed nuts and some short screws to to mount the shroud to the radiator.
I used stainless steel hardware to mount the fans to the shroud, and that was pretty uneventful. When I went to test fit the whole assembly to the car, one of the mounting holes didn't line up, so I took some quick measurements and drilled into the mounting bracket. I bought four new reproduction mounting bolts off of eBay earlier in the week and used them to secure the radiator to the core support. I still need to figure out the wiring, but I definitely made some headway today!
****, there wasn't a full days worth of work today, so I came home around noon determined to get this radiator/shroud problem straightened (no pun intended) out. I knew that I had some speed nuts left over from a car speaker installation so I grabbed those off of the shelf. Next, I needed a way to pull the fan shroud mounting bracket in towards the radiator so that the shroud holes will line up. I talked to a buddy at work and he has a pipe clamp that I can borrow, but I'm working now and need another idea. That's when an idea came to me.
I grabbed two blocks of scrap wood and my ratcheting motorcycle tie down. I wrapped the tie down around the radiator and put the blocks of wood against the bracket to take the brunt of the pull. I also laid a large piece of cardboard on the radiator itself to prevent damage to the core. I tightened the ratcheting strap one click at a time and kept checking the mounting holes on the shroud, it was moving!!! When I released the strap, the bracket moved back a little as I knew that aluminum would do, so I tightened the strap again and gave it a few more clicks. Within ten minutes, all four holes (I had to finish drilling the factory hole) lined up great. Sorry I didn't take a picture of this, but I was on a roll and working on the kitchen table! I used the speed nuts and some short screws to to mount the shroud to the radiator.
I used stainless steel hardware to mount the fans to the shroud, and that was pretty uneventful. When I went to test fit the whole assembly to the car, one of the mounting holes didn't line up, so I took some quick measurements and drilled into the mounting bracket. I bought four new reproduction mounting bolts off of eBay earlier in the week and used them to secure the radiator to the core support. I still need to figure out the wiring, but I definitely made some headway today!