Radiator, Part I
To secure the two fans, a bracket was fabricated from aluminum stock. Two sections of aluminum angle stock, 1” x 1”, were used for the top and bottom. The sides of the bracket were fabricated from 1 ¼” flat stock, bent so that they could be secured to the radiator brackets. A notch was cut out of the top section to make a proper fit. The top and bottom brackets were secured to the side brackets with rivets. The fans were secured to the bracket with metric bolts which had heads that fit perfectly into the mounting slots on the fan shrouds. The completed assembly was secured to the radiator through the same holes used to secure the radiator to the chassis. This permitted the fans to be securely mounted without placing any stress on the radiator itself.
The condenser was secured to the radiator using the supplied brackets, small button head screws and locking nuts. A thin piece of rubber was placed between the brackets and the radiator housing.
A cover plate was fabricated from eighth inch thick aluminum, which covers the radiator, condenser and ancillary tubing. It has a half inch lip on the leading edge. The same four bolts securing the top of the fan shrouds to the fan bracket extend up to secure the cover plate. The front of the cover plate is secured to the condenser with two screws, with a quarter inch rubber washer between the condenser and the cover plate, once again to provide for expansion. Nylon lock nuts were used, but not over tightened. This cover plate serves ties the assemblies together adding to the rigidity of the fan – radiator – condenser union. It hides the AC connections on the side from casual view. And it make the system look much ‘cleaner.’
A Painless water resistant fan relay was mounted on the right side of the fan bracket.
The wiring was completed. The fans and relay were grounded to the fan bracket, but a separate ground wire was also connected to this grounding screw to the dedicated chassis ground stud on the right lower side of the dash, referred to previously, just to make sure the ground was adequate.
We wired both fans together. We may change the wiring in the future so that one fan is activated by the engine temperature thermostat and trinary AC switch, and the other fan is manually operated by the dash switch. We have arranged the wiring so that this change can be easily made if deemed appropriate. Later the wiring will be wrapped with the Painless wire wrap.
One inch diameter, eighth inch thick, rubber washers were placed between the radiator brackets and the chassis to permit expansion. Two were used in most locations to provide a snug, but not too tight, fit without distorting the radiator mounting bracket. Nylon lock nuts were used with quarter inch bolts which were not over tightened to permit expansion. The front lower portion of the radiator was placed on thick rubber bushings as the radiator was installed to avoid direct contact with the chassis. Once the mounting brackets are snug, these washers could be removed.