If you followed that entire thread (where he installed the same four-row radiator in his Cutlass), the 1/2" spacer was to raise the top plate because he used new radiator saddles that were taller than originals. The spacer is completely unrelated to width.

The reality of hot rodding is that you can pay a lot of money for exact bolt-in parts, or a little money for something that requires work to fit. It's your call. Many of us are cheap and also have the experience and tools to make these mods.

 

Right, I referred to the sentence that is written in red on the picture in order to direct the reader's eyes to that spot on the picture, my mention of the sentence has nothing to do with the information conveyed by the sentence itself. I understand that the 1/2" spacer at the top has nothing to do with width.

I copied and edited his picture to show where he also struggled with the width, however. Did you see that?

I also understand the different approaches, wants, needs, and economic feasibility of other people's approaches, but I don't have a garage and it takes me a while to get all my tools from the shed down to the driveway and back, and I can't leave then out there, so I need to get this done. As I mentioned earlier, I'm having a lot of back problems these days,and I just can't spend a weekend under the hood like I used to.

 

I believe the width of` the new radiator is exactly the same as the original? I don't think you would have to beat anything ( damn that sounds tawdry) to get it to fit side to side wise, depth yes, as was mention new saddles etc , are these radiators wider?

 

John,

Have you compared old and new radiators for width?

 

I'll double check when I get home, but I think they are a little wider (just so we're clear on this, I mean passenger to driver's when I refer to width).

But in any case, it would have fit left-right but the depth is too great, so it won't drop down into the slot where the old one fit.

So, going back to my edited picture, along the blue line, you'll need to pry open the little turn on the brackets. When I say little turn, if you look closely you can see where the bracket goes along the front to rear plane, but it also has a hook along the trailing edge the turns towards the center of the car and creates small left-right plane.

I thought Joe meant I'd have to bend that hooked part of the bracket 90 degrees from left-right to front-rear, thus creating a bracket that is only a single plane front-to-rear and does not hold the radiator in place front-to-rear due to the lack of the little bend.

Picture yourself looking straight down and seeing a set of brackets on each side of the radiator that mostly go front-to-back, but also have a short leg that goes left-right on either end, those legs keep the radiator from moving freely back and forth. Matter of fact they look just like the brackets on the keyboard [ ].

Because the new radiator is fatter than the old one, (more rows), it won't drop down in the brackets because the short legs leave a space that is too narrow. While trying to shove it in there, I scratched mine pretty badly much like the scratches in the photo that I outlined in yellow.

Really wishing I had taken a picture, won't forget to next time.

 

Like this, but being the same width left to right

[o l d r a d i a t o r]

[new radiator]

where the "o" and the "r" still fit under the legs of the brackets, there's enough left-right room, but when they don't, you lose a little left right room

 

You would need to use a die grinder with a cutoff disc and cut the 1/2 " flange off, or make several cuts along the flange and bend it out. Plus extending ( hammering) the rad cradle to suit the longer rad.

 

The radiators seem to be exactly the same width, so if I get what is being said correctly the channel is narrower ( the radiator is too thick or the depth is too great) ? I do not believe this radiator As pictured is sitting properly, I also have never heard that a 4 core radiator required a different core support? ( so you would not have to modify the core support? If that is required I would think then there will be issues with the shroud? etc etc if you look at the pictures it seems the tanks are similar in depth ( I will say the newer one looks a little thicker ) but I believe all this arises out of not having the correct saddles.

 

Flange! That's the word I was looking for, not a leg or a hook, etc

 

Yes, the depth is the issue, and yes it was a very small difference in width but I still couldn't get it in the brackets, when I tried, I made some gouges in the tanks that may be an issue. I was concerned about the fan shroud too, but probably could have made that work

 

did you use the 4 core saddles or only flattened the old ones?

 

Not to me - the tanks of the 4-row looks to be just the slightest bit wider.

That makes me wonder whether the original tanks were that wide, or whether these radiator tanks are slightly wider than the originals.
It may be that Chebby had a less strenuous width specification, because they had nothing to the sides to interfere with the tanks, but the Olds spec. was tighter, and the manufacturer only consulted the Chebby spec.

- Eric

 

OP says it fits side to side but is tight front to back, there is rubber on the sides of the core support no? there should be no metal to metal contact or so I would think, worse scenario as my core is out I will modify the channel by adding in a strip, but I don't believe this will be required or should be required? I could also just return the radiator if the measurements are that screwy.

 

Fellas i need some help with radiator install on my 69 350 cutlass .....I took the old radiator out and tried to install new one from AutoZone but seems to sit high and my top plate doesnt go on easily....anyone have any suggestions. Thanks

 

It would be helpful if you give us the dimensions of your original rad and the aftermarket one you are trying to install, the cradle position dimensions as well.

 

Pictures would help as well, is it sitting down in the mount?

 

He's probably trying to fit a new 4-row radiator into a pair of old 2/3-row saddles.

- Eric

 

It is a 4 row radiator .....bought it from advance auto ....sit s alittle high and the top plate seem to not fit down

 

... And the old one was a 2- or a 3-row radiator... Right?

- Eric

 

Think I have the same radiator part #433165 carquest heavy duty.....

 

I think so Eric but not sure ...its the original for 69 350 olds

 

All in all ...what do I have t do is there a different raditor anyone suggests

 

Well that is the question, if it is a four core radiator you will need to change the bottom saddles yes they are available and either modify the top plate with new saddles or get a new top plate, we could tell you to stretch the saddles but that **** is mickey mouse and you don't need to come to an olds forum to ask how to half *** something IMHO, you can also look at aluminum radiators that fit in the smaller saddles . There was plenty of ideas being tossed around in this thread and the other thread it pointed too

 

Btw welcome to the forums my name is Eddie

 

X2 with Eddy, Eric nailed it as well, if you want to fit a 4 row in where a 2 or 3 row was get your air chisel out and a cutoff wheel, rivet gun etc and have at er' . Nothings impossible.
I don't see any benefits in having a 4 row in any car unless your towing something or putting it in your motorhome. JMO

 

When it's all said and done, I was out yesterday in the high 90 degree heat with my Cutlass set up with a Be Cool with twin Spals. The car ran at 185 on the highway at 80 to 85 mph. Around town it was dead nuts on 180. I prefer to go the high tech route to trouble free cruising. The last thing anybody needs is an overheating car on a cruise. Not to knock anyone out here, just my two cents, and that's about all it's worth. I'm old enough now to know patching up pieces to try to make it run cool is a lot of times an exercise in futility. I should know, I've done it myself. Good luck.

 

I hear what your saying, and I know what you mean, my Cutlass was my daily driver, and I remember only too well sitting in bumper to bumper traffic going through the Lincoln tunnel on a hot day with the heat on and the blower on high just praying that she would make it without overheating ( it never did but sometimes it was borderline... I was prepared to go the aluminum rad route, but this deal popped up and it is inexpensive enough to give it a try, I remember cleaning sparkplugs and regapping them and filing points too to save a few bucks, cause frankly I didn't have them, everybody walks in different shoes I respect that, I am glad I can afford what I can now, but still like a deal LOL. I want to drive my car!! this don't work, I will be going the aluminum route. But I personally think with correct saddles installed correctly the rad will be fine!.


Thinking about it, even if you stretched the 3 core mounts to physically get it to fit, if you used the 3 core rubber isolators it will push the four core further forward, if that makes sense, causing the interference just thinking out loud, I will check when Im ready to do the install, and I won't do any irreversible changes.
but if you look at the difference below, it makes sense to what I am thinking.

 

So you have one of these radiators? do you want to sell it? I'm happy to jerry rig one of them to work on my car. It's not a show car, and it's not perfect, like a lot of you guys' cars. I couldn't care less if I have to bend some saddles, and it'll fit.

 

where you located JpC?

 

The problem as I see it is both the thickness of the flanges and the location. They need to be moved out board and need to be wider to accept the thicker flange in the new locations.

 

yes your saying move the flanges to the tank position on the new rad, this would be done at the time you install the new upper and lower saddles, but wouldn't work if just bending the saddles... good stinkin!! um er thinkin lol

 

Yup, thats the only time you'll need to open up the rubbers when saddling up in new positions.

 

Hey fellas thanks for all the suggestions from yesterday about radiator ...I decided to go with an aluminum radiator same core rows as original and it fit into the saddles the part #433348 -Murray .....Thanks again and what a great site for us Olds lovas...be well

 

sounds the cleanest and least amount of work, but probably not the cheapest.

 

Looks like I missed a lot of posts the last day two. I went to AutoZone and bought their $194 "exact fit" replacement radiator....looks a helluva lot like the $59 one we all have..... Stay tuned, I'll be jacking with it tomorrow night and the rest of the weekend if need be, hoping to drive her up to the Adirondacks to meet some friends for the 4th weekend, we'll see if I can get it ready by then. I'll get pics this time, have this feeling of dread that I'm going to hit the same wall. If so, going to just get the original rad recored, damn the extra cost, I'm losing time at the wheel!

 

Well does it have the extra heater nipple that the 59.00 one has , do you need to modify the saddles? If so easy fix is return the Auto zone one , cap the 59.00 extra heater nipple and show the car. If you have to modify the saddles anyway, might as well use the cheap one.

 

EXACTLY what I what I was thinking Gary. I'll compare the two and if the AZ is the same darn thing it's goin straight back and I'm bending some dern flanges!

 

/boamridge may have innocently high jacked your thread I think but let's say you need to bend your saddles to accommodate the universal radiator be sure the mod will not cause you problems down the road. You will know by looking at it before you install the radiator. Any radiator shop can seal off the extra nipple on the radiator. Good luck with your project.

 

John,
If you have the patience put the 4 row copper core rad in. JMO.
You can run a longer heater hose to the rad and block off the passenger side port on the water pump the same way all the 73-77 olds with A/C.
The other option would be to plug it at the rad as others suggested. You likely wont need to move the saddles just cut the rubber to accommodate the longer tanks.
I would keep the 4 row if it were me.

Eric

 

I would get the new 4 row saddles and put them in the correct spots I believe this is the issue there should be no flange bending at all I believe the 3 core saddles are positioned to have the rad as close to the fan as possible . I also believe for you the option of an aluminum radiator with the same dimensions as the 2/3 core might be best as you seem a little leery of doing a few mods? Just thinking out loud no offense meant