How to mount a Radiator in a Hot Rod?

[Richard Bartrop]

A question for the folks in the group who build real hot rods.

I've been building this hot rod model, and I want to mount the radiator low and in front of the front crossmember like in this photo.

Now obviously, I could just glue it to the front crossmember, but it has been bugging me how you would actually attach the radiator to the frame on something like this.  I've been looking through Google and the H.A.M.B.But maybe I just haven't been asking the right questions.

[tbill]

I’m thinking in 1:1 the grille shell would have mounting brackets on it to mount to the frame , and I would think the radiator would have some sort of brackets to hold it to the shell.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Typically, the radiator will have brackets welded or soldered to it that allow mounting to the vehicle frame. These can be located virtually anywhere on the radiator frame that's sufficiently strong. And as tbill says, additional brackets mount the shell to the radiator. The photo below shows a common arrangement.

You have a chopped radiator mounted ahead of the crossmember, so a custom rad will be required. 

One easy no-show way to mount it would be to have the radiator builder install pins on the bottom of the thing, like some late-model cars use. Then you use brackets with holes extending forward from the crossmember. The pins go in the holes, with a rubber donut between. See below.

On the top of the radiator, you would have brackets to accept stiffining rods that run to the firewall, instead of mounting pins.

[Richard Bartrop]

3 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Typically, the radiator will have brackets welded or soldered to it that allow mounting to the vehicle frame. These can be located virtually anywhere on the radiator frame that's sufficiently strong. And as tbill says, additional brackets mount the shell to the radiator. The photo below shows a common arrangement.

You have a chopped radiator mounted ahead of the crossmember, so a custom rad will be required. 

One easy no-show way to mount it would be to have the radiator builder install pins on the bottom of the thing, like some late-model cars use. Then you use brackets with holes extending forward from the crossmember. The pins go in the holes, with a rubber donut between. See below.

On the top of the radiator, you would have brackets to accept stiffining rods that run to the firewall, instead of mounting pins.

Thank you, this is exactly the sort of information I was looking for, real world examples of how it was done, and it got me looking for some real world examples of how to run those upper braces around a blower.

I found a radiator in the parts box that will fit in the sectioned shell, since this is supposed to replicate a late '50s build, I am curious about they did back in the day before specialty radiator builders were a thing.

[Ace-Garageguy]

1 hour ago, Richard Bartrop said:

...since this is supposed to replicate a late '50s build, I am curious about they did back in the day before specialty radiator builders were a thing.

Any competent radiator shop back in the '50s could have added brackets or even pins to a cut-down brass radiator, while cutting one down to size.

Cut-down cores and custom tanks and radiator frames  were not uncommon.

Standard replacement cores, tanks, necks, and other parts were also available in a wide range of sizes, for collision work and maintenance.

Again, it was not difficult for someone who was competent to build a custom or semi-custom brass/radiator using old-school materials and techniques.

  Replacement tanks and necks.

Old brass radiator after being de-soldered, without core. Modifications at this point are simple and straightforward.

  Side and bottom frames are steel. Fabrication of mods is just like doing anything else.

 

 

Edited February 12, 2020 by Ace-Garageguy

[Richard Bartrop]

Thanks for the info!