X-Message-Number: 8
X-lyris-Id: 711005
Date: Sat, 04 Jan 2003 13:10:19 -0600
From: Mark Drenzek <m.drenzek@ns.nsai.com>
Subject: Radiator re-tanking help please

I am replacing the passenger side of my radiator...got the new
tank and seal.  The old seal was flat and fit in the channel in
the radiator.  The new seal is round and looks like it fits in
the channel on the new left tank.  How do I make this new round
seal stay in the channel as I try to clamp down both sides?
Anybody been there and done that?~M


From: Jerry McMurry [mailto:jmcmurry3@cox.net]
Sent: Sunday, January 05, 2003 2:58 AM
To: 928
Subject: [928] Re: Radiator retanking


Mark,
I BTDT&GTTS*.
I will take you through it.  But first, why did you not get two seals  
and take the other tank off?  The seal on the other side is just as  
old.  Think how loud you will say <<D'OH!!!>> when the other side  
starts leaking in a couple of months.  Well, that is up to you.

First of all, the round seal is OK.  Do not use any sealant.  Just make  
sure all the surfaces are clean.  To bend the tabs out (and please,  
only bend them ONLY ONCE), I ground the end of an old pair of pliers so  
the end on one side had kind of a hook so I could get a grip on the end  
of a tab.

OK. all mating surfaces are clean.  Now the most important thing is to  
COMPRESS THE GASKET FIRST BEFORE YOU START BENDING ANY TABS BACK DOWN.   
To do this go to Handyman or Home Depot and get three of those wood  
workers pipe clamps (cheap!).  These are devices made for one part to  
screw onto a standard 3/4 iron pipe.  The other side of the clamp  
slides on the pipe to anywhere you need it and then locks in place.   
You buy pipe as long as you need.  I think in the case of the radiator  
you need probably 4-foot (or maybe 5?) long pipes.  Use three of these  
clamps across both tanks with some pieces of wood to spread the load  
out across the ends of the tanks (they are plastic, you know) and  
carefully tighten down to compress the gasket.  I placed a clamp on one  
side of the radiator in the center of the tanks and the other two at  
the ends on the other side of the radiator.  An alternate means of  
clamping is to use some of those nylon straps that are used in Marine  
Corps helicopters to hold stuff down.  They have a ratcheting jack  
built into them so you can tighten them up tremendously.  They are kind  
of wide tho, and get in the way of a lot of the tabs you will be  
bending back down.  I also bought some ones only 1" wide at Harbour  
Freight and carry them in the back of my shark to hold stuff down in  
the luggage compartment.

I suppose if you were in a hurry and cheap, you could use the Spanish  
windlass.  This would be to put a good nylon rope around the tanks and  
then hook a stick into a loop and twist it to tighten up on the rope.   
When the rope is tight, tie the stick to keep it from unwinding.  I  
would only do this if I were forced to make this repair while out  
somewhere in the wilderness with no Home Depots handy (or Handymans  
homey).

At this point, notice how with this setup, it would be so easy to be  
doing the seals on both sides of the radiator.  And also, when you have  
both tanks off, you can blow out or rod out the tubes and make sure  
they are all clear of crud.

I only broke off a couple of tabs, and the radiator has been leak free  
(knock wood) for about a year now and the car is driven almost everyday  
to work.


--jer
83S A/T
*got the tee shirt