Since the radiator core support is susceptible to vibration, I used Nylock nuts on all the bracket attachment
bolts to minimize the chance of a bolt loosening due to vibration. Once the brackets are attached, you can
place the radiator into the car at the approximate position of the old radiator (this, of course, assumes that
you’ve already removed your old radiator!). Center the radiator and lower it in. Note that it will probably
contact the lip around the core support opening. You may choose to bend this lip flat to move the radiator
a little farther forward for more clearance between the radiator and the water pump pulley.
To reduce vibration transmitted to the radiator, and to help clear the core support lip, use compliant rubber
spacers between the brackets and the core support. Stock 510 front sway bar end link bushings work great
for this purpose.
Once the radiator is in approximately the correct position, test fit the upper hose to make sure it lines up with the coolant fittings at each end. When the radiator was properly positioned in my ‘72 2-door, the raised screw boss shown at position D in Photo 3 just cleared the inner lip of the core support opening and projected through at the upper right corner (as viewed from the front). I conveniently used this hole as a fourth radiator attachment point by installing the bracket shown in Photo 4 D. A closeup of this bracket also appears in Photo 6 D. The oil cooler is optional!
Once you are satisfied with the position of the radiator, mark through the holes or slots of the radiator attachment brackets with a permanent marker in preparation for drilling three holes in the core support. Use a center punch to form a dimple where you want each hole. Punch the dimple from the inside out with a good whack of the hammer, then find the dimple on the outside and punch the dimple back inwards so you can drill from the outside. I drilled holes to accept ¼-20x1” bolts. Photo 4 shows where the holes (A), (B) and (C) were drilled.
Once the holes have been drilled, install the fan on the water pump pulley before installing the radiator
(unless you plan on running an electric fan.) Next, place the bolts through the brackets at (A), (B) and (C),
then place a swaybar endlink bushing over each bolt and install the radiator such that the bushings are
sandwiched between the brackets and the core support. Photo 5 shows how bracket A is attached with
bushing in place (B and C are similar). Affix the Nylock nuts to the through bolts from the front side of the
core support and tighten each until the bushing begins to bulge slightly. Your new radiator is now
installed!
As mentioned earlier, I was a bit unsure about mounting the radiator at only three points, so I added the bracket shown in Photo 6 D. A screw passing through the horizontal slot from the front side picks up the raised screw hole in the boss shown in Photo 3(D). I sandwiched a rubber washer between the bracket and the radiator attachment point for compliance and vibration reduction. Although it looks like the bracket contacts the oil cooler in the photo, it does not.
Photo 7 shows the completed installation. You can see how well the hoses fit. There is about 3/8” clearance between the alternator pulley fan and the lower hose. If the radiator was positioned more towards the left side of the car, this would be a problem. There is no fan installed because I planned to go with electric fans. Note that the battery shelf has been removed. The battery now resides in the trunk. Also, in case you were wondering about the small aluminum box at the lower left corner of the photo, it’s an oil cooler thermostat.
