Removing the radiator:1975 Indian Dodge 360

[MSN Member]

From: busboy 
Sent: 9/19/2002 7:56 PM

I have a 75 Indian with a 360 cu in with 2 brl carb. No AC except for roof mount. I developed a leak in the original radiator and I decided  rather than recore it I would replace new. Today I finally was able to remove the old one but it is so bulky and heavy that I had  a terrible time getting it out. I had to keep turning and wiggle it out through the grille opening  it did not seem to be able to come out through  the bottom of the vehicle because of the wide mounting fins. I would appreciate any help on how should I go about putting the new one in, I don't want to damage it trying to put it back the way I took the old one out and it was to expensive to damage then have to eat it.
Any help would be welcome.....busboy

[MSN Member]

From: Dave1210
Sent: 9/19/2002 8:56 PM

I had to bend one of the upper mounting tabs to get mine out. Then I left it bent and then straightened it back after I got the radiator back in position. Kinda scary to do on a new one though. With all the trouble I had getting the old radiator out I decided to install a new water pump as I did not know the history of the old one. Good luck.

[Jupp318]

Sent: 3/3/2007 10:08 AM

Guys,

This afternoon having removed my Radiator again I thought I would take a whizzer to the lower mounting brackets as ther seem far bigger than really necessary. I ground the tabs down so they are still about 1/4 inch larger than the mounting rubbers and associated large washers.  This made replacing the radiator much easier.

Cheers Ian...

[Oz]

Sent: 3/3/2007 11:38 AM

Super tip, Ian!  But, tell me... how does "whizzing" on the mounts help the process? 

[bluebird]

Sent: 3/3/2007 3:20 PM

I don't think wizzing means the same thing over there.

[Jupp318]

Sent: 3/3/2007 5:19 PM

Okay Guys,

I feel as if some interpretations have got mixed up, over here (UK) a whizzer is an Off-Hand Grinder.  On a similar track a friend of mine went on a DUCK trip in Miami, whilst on the trip they were asked to make a sound like a DUCK so my friend came out with Wank.  That not meaning much in the US all the Americans followed suit.  If you wish to find out what Wank means in the UK please email me personally as I dont want to get barred from this wonderful group.

Cheers Ian....

[Lefty]

Sent: 3/3/2007 10:04 PM

lol, I was thinking the same thing... I wondered how peeing on the mounts would help, but figured it must be a "British" thing...

Oh, and I already knew what "wanking" is, I hear it is a leading cause of teenage blindness and hairy palms. lol

[Slantsixness]

Sent: 3/4/2007 12:43 PM

But a Duck indeed makes a Wank, not a Quack. And "Grinding" has a whole different meaning to the non-mechanic types, too....

It's really comical when people who buy old 70's Winnies want to remove the "shag" too. LOL!

As far as I've heard, we call an open faced pneumatic grinder or whizzer (with the safety shields removed) here in the U.S. a "Death Wheel", which you can't live without if you're "adjusting" or cutting metal parts while in place, but they will indeed hurt you if you let them.

Quack, Wank, Whizz, Grind, whichever you please, just clean up after yourself, those metal fragments can hurt!   

(I am, of course, kidding for the most part here, but be sure you wear either eye or full face protection when grinding metal).

[MSN Member]

From: denandgigi
Sent: 7/26/2007 10:10 PM

Yes, I just removed my radiator from my 71 D20RD and I had to bend both ears to get it out...But once I got it pout, I cut the ears from the rest of the mounting bracketry (one horizontal cut, each side), then drilled out the (4)spot welds holding them on. Upon reinstalling it, I simply used some 5/16ths X 3/4 carriage bolts (4 per side) to reattach the brackets to the sides of the radiator bracket, and the unique pattern of the spot weld holes made it idiot-proof when re-bolting them to their respective sides. The next radiator removal will be cake! The radiator shop in Austin, TX. (DNT enterprises) rebuilt the header panels, re-attaching them to the individual rows (pin leaks there) and rodded the whole thing out for under $100.00. The new 4-row would have cost about $400.00!
My question: Did the Dodge factory fold time/space to get that thing in there in the first place, and did they think that we would all be driving hover-cars by the time the things needed replacing?
Den-

[denisondc]

Sent: 7/27/2007 4:14 AM

I firgured the radiator mounts were shared with the designs used on the Dodge trucks of the era. They could open the hood and lift the radiator straight up?

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

Sent: 7/27/2007 8:02 AM

Dodge just built and delivered a chassis.  Winnebago designed/made the sheet metal/box body around it.  It would be Winnebago that was remiss in the design dept.

Dave

[Slantsixness]

Sent: 7/27/2007 9:10 AM

On a 69-73 Winnie.. For sure.... The radiator can be removed without cutting anything, but it is a difficult task and it does not come straight out. remove the mounting support arms, and the lower frame mount cushions and bolts. remove all hoses and trans lines. Remove the fan shroud bolts and lay the fan shroud against the engine. Remove the grille, door and lower grille. remove the upper crossbar in front of the radiator. remove the washer fluid tank (probably not much left of it...). Remove the heater hoses and the oil fill tube and oil dipstick. Remove the strap hoding the filler neck extension to the engine shroud. Tilt the radiator completely down almost flat with the frame. now rotate the radiator counterclockwise (hose bibs toward passenger side) and pull the radiator right out the front without cutting anything. And this is only true if you have the original radiator.

Re-installation is the reverse of above. It's a pain in the butt, but it can be done.

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

Sent: 7/27/2007 10:39 AM

I have also removed one from a 78 Chieftain.  Basically the same deal.  Be very carful though because it's very easy to scrape the delicate fins over a bolt or something and put a hole in them.
Been there, done that - Dave