The Radiator Project: May - June 2001
May 28 - 30, 2001: The radiator needs to be re-cored! In the process of removing: the fan, fan shroud and, of course, the radiator. Other things happening while I am here: replace belts with GM date coded ones, replace and/or repaint all brackets, bolts, nuts, clamps and misc hardware with factory correct ones. Piece of cake! A special thanks to Wayne, RT & Jon from AACC who have been my tech support! More to come!
June 1, 2001: Well, the radiator came out with little trouble except for my extreme museum gentle hands (I am often too afraid to bang parts out like most normal people - I treat them like delicate museum artifacts!). It was actually fun and I learned a ton about my car and vettes in general. The radiator definitely needs to be re-cored (already at the shop). It is a Harrison radiator and seems to be the original.
Above: The Harrison radiator as it appeared after being removed. Although it was a small leak that made me remove it, I decided to repair it (leaks won't fix themselves). The radiator also suffered from flaking paint. Thanks to my buddies from AACC (Jon, RT & Wayne) for their advisement, encouragement, and willingness to come over to help me.
The original fan was cleaned and later reinstalled.
Above: This is the big hole in the engine compartment after the radiator was removed. While it is out, I will clean and repaint everything I can reach from this perspective.
Above: A detail from the lower left side of the radiator support reveals rust. Believe it: CORVETTES DO RUST. Even though the body is fiberglass, it still has metal frame, chassis and accessories - just like every other car! I will sand off rust and treat the rust with POR 15, a metal product that stops rust - period! (Thanks to Jon for the tip!)
By the time this project is done, the radiator will be re-cored, radiator support repaired, fan shroud stripped from incorrect paint, engine compartment areas will be repainted correctly (as the GM factory did), new radiator cap, new belts, and a new thermostat will be added.
The fan shroud before restoration. I spent over 10 hours over several days stripping many coats of black paint. These shrouds were never painted in the factory, rather they maintained their raw plastic & non-painted finish (black/grey in appearence).
This detail of the top of the fan shroud (installed) shows the many coats of paint that was applied several years ago.
June 4, 2001: The engine compartment gets a cleaning! Just spent about 4 hours removing paint from the hoses & wiring, degreasing and cleaning areas not accessible when the radiator is installed, cleaned the top half of the engine block, engine accessories and revived metal fittings, clamps and misc. metal. You should have seen the amount of grease I washed off! It looked like the frying vats from a dirty burger joint!
June 23, 2001: After a really bad day last week, I called one of my AACC father-figures, Jon. Jon restored a '70 shark and is very knowledgeable. Jon came over and we picked up where I left off...I was about to hit the vette with a hammer! Jon persuaded me to put the hammer down and we proceeded to work. Despite some drizzle and a couple of downpours, we actually had a lot of fun working on the car and talking. Jon's relaxed manner and excellent teaching made it rewarding.
....and you think I was kidding about hitting it with a hammer! Thankfully Jon was around to stop me!
Together we reinstalled the radiator, shroud, fan, attached the hoses and replaced the necessary nuts, washers and clamps. we made every attempt to re-use the original parts - and I am glad to report most were used again. By the end of the day, I was driving the vette around town and in-between rain drops. Thanks to my buddy, Jon, this experience was extremely rewarding. As I drove the car that evening, I was very proud of the work we had done - I felt like we conquered the world......or at least the radiator project!
Above: The original radiator re-cored. I the repainted with factory correct black semi gloss.
Sadly, we came to the conclusion the radiator support needs to be replaced. Although it will work for now, time and rust has claimed another one. Hopefully, I will be able to find a support at Carlisle this August and install it in the winter. Because of this experience, I feel very confident that I can do this when the time comes.
Jon, did you say a Philips screwdriver?
Radiator Project Highlights:
1. Stripping the paint from fan shroud from the previous owner = 10 HOURS
2. Stripping the paint of the radiator, priming it and repainting it the correct semi gloss black = 8 HOURS
3. Having a fellow Corvette buddy help you when you are down and driving the car when done correctly = PRICELESS
This project was made possible through a generous grant from the
Carlos Is Broke Foundation, with collaboration from the Jon & RT Pity Carlos Institution.
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