New radiators & SPAL fan?

[JeepSnake]

Hey y'all,

Well, the SPAL fans and AlumRad brackets are here for our cars, and I'm getting started on seeing how they fit. I don't think Dad's 427 car is going to be a problem, as he still has the older Griffin radiator. However, I'm running into problems with the new radiator in our 289 car.

The new radiator core is only marginally thicker than the older Griffins. However, the aluminum C-channel that runs between the tanks on top and bottom to hold the whole radiator together is MUCH wider. On the engine side of the assembly, the C-channel sticks out a full 5/8" beyond the face of the radiator core itself.

So, has anyone installed the 16" SPAL on a 289 with one of the post-Griffin radiators? (These are the units that do NOT have epoxy bedding sealing the core to the tanks.) I'm dying for a look at some photos of how someone did this.

Here are the big things I can see while somewhat mocking the fan up:

1) I'm probably going to have to have a new upper bracket made without the cutouts found in the AlumRad piece. I thought that the upper bracket would be a slam dunk - bend it to match what Rick used on Juan's car. But, if I bend it at that point, it looks like the fan will hang down a long way below the radiator. So, it looks like I need a bracket with the bend immediately on top of the fan - and will need the extra material to provide mounting holes to bolt to the fiberglass. I can't figure this issue out, as the old & new radiators are identical in height???

2) On the bottom, the fan will overhang the bottom C-channel to some degree no matter what. So, it looks like I'm going to need to cut a section of the C-channel out to let the fan snuggle back in close to the radiator core. Anybody done this? Anybody have alternative ideas???

Alan, have y'all installed a SPAL on any of the cars with the new radiators?

Sorry for sounding desperate with this, but I've been through the archives a dozen times, printing out photos and writeups of various SPAL fan installs. I made cardboard templates up, and was ready to go on this when the fans finally arrived today. Then I got in from work, put the fan in the car for a trial fit, and suddenly NOTHING fit or worked.

Any help you can provide will be greatly, greatly appreciated!

Thanks!!!

One more question I thought of: How is everyone attaching the top bracket to the fiberglass radiator/hood hinge support block? Are you drilling, then using some sort of self-tapping screws???

[Justin Upchurch]

Zach,

Call me when you get a chance, I have the new radiator in my car with the 16 inch spal fan.

Justin
713-881-7143

[twanita]

jeepsnake, i just did the spal 16" last month on my radiator which is about a year old so shoud be same as yours. i included some pictures on the post right below this one called "thermosta FE 406". jim o

[JeepSnake]

Justin & Jim - thanks for the replies, and especially for directing me to the photos. They helped, but they also exposed the problem I'm confronting: my radiator is not like either of yours or the earlier ones. This is a replacement that I got in January or February of this year from Unique, after my original Griffin started leaking from underneath the epoxy on one end of the core.

In the attached photos, you can see the extra "lip" that I'm having to deal with. On the older radiators, the core was the same thickness as the tanks, and the strap or C-channel holding the assembly together at the top and bottom was the same as well. On my radiator, the C-channel is much wider than the core - Maurice even gave me revised lower radiator brackets to account for the extra width.

It looks like what I'm going to do is trim a recess into the C-channel on the bottom of the radiator to allow the fan to pull up to the core like it should.

Here's the dimensions I have to contend with:

face of radiator core to sway bar - 2 1/2"
SPAL fan thickness - 2.05"
how far the little lip sticks out from the core - 1/2"

So, you can see that the fan thickness, plus the width of that lip, puts me into the swaybar. Ugh.

I got my brother to consult on the situation for a second opinion, and we're in agreement that we can trim the lip without any problems. So, I guess that's what we'll do Saturday morning. (Can't do it in the afternoons because it's so blazing hot right now!)

Again, thanks for your help!

[RJacobsen]

Zack, I know my radiator is now a lot different than original but my upper mounting method may work for you. I drilled into the mounting block from the front side and installed what I call T-nuts ( a short threaded tube with a flange on one end). I think I picked these up at Lowes but any hardware store would probably have them. I was going to attach the t-nuts to the engine side of the block but drilling all the way though the block accurately was to difficult given the tight area to work in. I just used pop rivets to attach them to the front side and then bolted the radiator to them. I also found that there are wooden blocks in the ends of the fiberglass mounting block that gave me some trouble when I was putting in the T-nuts. You might be able to simply screw into the area that has the wood backing. Hope this helps. check out the pictures in my thread http://www.uniquecobra.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7241

[spd4me]

Zach
I put a spal fan on my 289 with the alumrad brackets. Had to change alot of things but it worked. Do a search on spall fans. Should find on from spd4me this summer.
Bob

[nolastyankee]

Zach,
You may want to consider cutting off the stock radiator mount and welding up something custom. We did that and were able to improve the front clearance a bit while giving more room to the sway bar. RJacobsen did the same thing (his pics are on the site here) and I like his design better than ours. I'll be happy to post shots if you'd like!