rich_e777 Posted November 14, 2012 Report Share Posted November 14, 2012 Hows it going guys, had to get a new radiator due to a leak, wont use any kind of stop-leak unless the manufacturer agrees to buy me a new car. So i of course order the bigger radiator from AZ, got it and installed it all the while distracted enough to forget to space the damn cooling fans and the drivers side fan ate a hole into the radiator. No problem, under warranty got another coming. What im wondering is if anyone has had this situation before and what was used to space the fans out slightly enough to clear the radiator and on any of the w-body 3100`s out there are any known to have fan shrouds? Figured some washers would be good enough, dont know. Kind of drunk and just wanting to talk cars i guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertISaar Posted November 14, 2012 Report Share Posted November 14, 2012 no shrouds that i know of beyond the mounts themselves. Ken has mentioned this to me quite a few times that he's done for a "factory" upgrade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19Cutlass94 Posted November 14, 2012 Report Share Posted November 14, 2012 haha Just take out the old and bolt in the new. Theres really nothing to it at all. Atleast thats all I had to do on mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich_e777 Posted November 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2012 Thats exactly what i did, and it doesnt leave enough spacing for the fans, thats why they agreed to replace the radiator, because i pointed out that there was no mention of spacing when going from a 5/8 to a 1 1/4 radiator. Wish i could have laughed about it at the time, Dick. My sub-conscious is laughing at me to for not forseeing this fuck-up as i work on heatsinks on a regular basis, so have a good cheap laugh while i can afford it. P.S. i like your taste in cars. Why is the hood off? cooling purposes or lazy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich_e777 Posted November 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2012 Curious, What kind of upgrades? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron350 Posted November 14, 2012 Report Share Posted November 14, 2012 On my 96 I had to make ½â€thisk spacers out of bakelite to space the fan housings far enough away from the thicker radiator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19Cutlass94 Posted November 14, 2012 Report Share Posted November 14, 2012 How do you guys need spacers and such? They fans bolt right to the radiator, so the thickness of the radiator has nothing to do with how far away the fans are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted November 14, 2012 Report Share Posted November 14, 2012 ELABORATION: There is a different fan used on cars with the thicker vs thinner radiator on the passenger side. yes, you can just space it, but i did this upgrade on two of my cars and just used a fan from an LQ1. coincidentally, a third car of mine had this done as well by the prior owner. driver's side fan is the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich_e777 Posted November 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2012 I started thinking that after last night after everything but you`d think between 3 different sources of info including AZ`s very own database it would mention that the 1 1/4 inch is for an LQ1 and has different fans and will require the 5/8in or spacing. Im going to use a few washers on the top bolt and get some larger bolts for the sides, should be ok. Just the drivers side needes the spacing. Im just glad AZ is getting me a replacement, makes doing the job all over again less stressful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich_e777 Posted November 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2012 just realized the mounting brackets are different that clip on to the top and bottom of radiator and my old one had the spacing bent into the bracket, the new one is completly flat. Solution, use old brackets problem solved and off to the next one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich_e777 Posted November 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2012 Side note, when reinstalling radiator mind the top bolts/screws for the fans. the top bracket its easy to puncture the radiator when tightening the supports because of the length of the fan mounting screws at the very top. $170 sure fix is better than a $17 bottle gamble, surly there is something you can do with a spare bottle of Barr`s but i dont think its flammable:lol: Makes changing the thermostat and the o-ring on the distributor seal alot easier. Hopefully future questions will find answers here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted November 16, 2012 Report Share Posted November 16, 2012 the SIDE bolts, which are the ones that screw into the plastic tanks can pierce the radiator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich_e777 Posted November 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2012 (edited) damn, ment to say AC condenser, how`d that happen:think: With spacing they ended up to short so I left the side ones off til i get to Home Depot. My top screws are about 4 1/2" long, way too long for what they need to be. But i was planning on getting longer side bolts and appreciate the correction/heads up so I or nobody else coming across this thread has another F`ed up radiator. Edited November 16, 2012 by rich_e777 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreaded Mechanic Posted April 27, 2017 Report Share Posted April 27, 2017 Sorry if i am adding to an old thread, but which cars come stock with the 1 1/4" radiator. Changing out my 5/8's for the second time and want to upgrade. Will be removing ac condenser as it is no longer needed, so if a bigger one can be used i would like that info too. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galaxie500XL Posted April 28, 2017 Report Share Posted April 28, 2017 LQ1 cars for sure...the car lot crushed mine before I bought the car, and the parts store got me the skinny radiator by mistake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l67ss Posted April 28, 2017 Report Share Posted April 28, 2017 95 Monte z34 is the best donor. That year specifically Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
55trucker Posted April 28, 2017 Report Share Posted April 28, 2017 Sorry if i am adding to an old thread, but which cars come stock with the 1 1/4" radiator. Changing out my 5/8's for the second time and want to upgrade. Will be removing ac condenser as it is no longer needed, so if a bigger one can be used i would like that info too. Thanks in advance. What year of vehicle do you plan on doing this to? As stated the LQ1 rad will get you the best core size but take a close look at the different rad tank designs, the earlier rad's (91-93) right side tank has a 90 degree inlet spout for the coolant hose whereas the later (94-97) rad's same tank has a 60 degree angled inlet spout. The later rad's core has a slightly larger area for the sake of cooling due to the larger core 134a A/C condenser (94+) but it is also has a slightly thinner (1") core than the earlier rad's (1 5/16") core . The earlier rad is a *saddle mount* (rubber supports at the bottom) whereas the later rad has pins on the bottom of the tanks that locate it into the header assembly. Galaxie500XL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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