Radiator R&R ?

[firefox]

Is it necessary or desirable to remove the fan, clutch assm., and shroud, if you
are only going to remove and replace the radiator.

Any tips or suggestions are very welcome.
Thanks,
Bruce

 

[WillWagner]

IIRC, the shroud clips to the radiator at the bottom. You can take the shroud bolts out at the top, pull the shroud up a 1/2 inch then slide the radiator up and out. It's been a bit since I worked on a GM truck of that era, I think that's how it went.

 

[JGBallew]

Is it necessary or desirable to remove the fan, clutch assm., and shroud, if you
are only going to remove and replace the radiator.

Any tips or suggestions are very welcome.
Thanks,
Bruce

It's a very very very good idea to pull those. If you see a radiator with a bunch of dents and dings on the engine side, that's usually from not pulling em.

 

[llong66]

Hes right bout dings and dents, mines fine but I ireciently had to replace my PS pump. I went ahead and took those items out and it gives you so much more room for the small amount, less then 30 min, of time to make it very worthwhile as well as safer for the rad. you are pulling/installing.

 

[Warthog]

If you do leave the fan on, put a piece of cardboard between them.

 

[misupratwin]

I just did one on a customers truck, All i took off was the 4 bolts for the top hold downs, i think 4 at the top of the shourd, trans lines, oil cooler lines,low coolant sensor wire, upper lower hoses and the heater hose, coolant overflow hose. Be careful and watch for the o-rings on the oil cooler lines. Tim

 

[4x4 Forever]

You also might want to consider replacing the clutch assy, if it is original it most likely will need to be replaced...

Taking all out of the way really does give you room to play and be safe.

 

[Hasdrubal]

I've done this way too many times now.. Remove shroud from rad, push it back towards the engine, leave the fan, clutch on as the rad goes straight up. Tape or wire the lines and hoses back to the engine so they are out of the way. Nice to have another person to help with lifting it in/out so you have one hand free to deal with any snags with the lines.

 

[firefox]

Well I am almost done. Oil lines are hooked up and aluminum radiator is in place.
The rubber insulation parts do not line up perfectly with the radiator. I think it will be ok
but it is a little disconcerting.
The passenger side oil lines are a bit puzzling. The top line had an o ring, but the bottom line
seems to have a slightly different interface. Is this normal?
I'll have to get another water level sensor. I tried to remove the old one and it disintegrated.

All in all it wasn't to bad even for an old man with leg problems.
Thanks to everyone who offered advice.
I pulled the cowl back and tied the hoses back and that did the trick as well as putting
cardboard in place.

Bruce

 

[firefox]

A couple of updates for future workers on this project.
1-There is a little steel bracket that holds the aluminum oil tubes
to the cowl on the driver side. If you are not aware of it it will fall
down on the deck. When reinstalling this little clip which has a nut in the middle
and two wings that capture the tubes, stick a piece of thick cardboard
between the radiator and the clip to keep it from falling down while you insert
the bolt that holds it to the cowl.

2-I had to order a new water level switch, so I tried to get it from gmpartsdirect.com.
They accepted the order and then sent me a cancel saying that they no longer
manufacture the part. I then tried to order it from gmpartsgiant.com. They took the order
and have not canceled it yet. We shall see. Same scenario happened when I tried to order a dimmer switch. I'll update this when I get the parts in.

3-It is always a good idea to double check that you have tightened up all the oil line fittings
into the radiator. Don't ask why I know this.
Bruce

 

[firefox]

Update: Both the dimmer switch and the level switch were not available from gmpartsgiant.com.
They just sent cancelation notices for the order.
Bruce

 

[SouthernSteel]

Fire fox,You should be able to get those items at Napa,advance auto,auto zone,oreillys.The napa part number for the dimmer switch is below. The water level the gm part number is 358375 auto zone did carry it also good luck.Most anything you need for the cucvs Just look up the civiy counter part 84 chevy k5 fullsize blazer for the m1009 and 1984 chevy k30 for the m1008.


Napa Part Number: ECH DS140 dimmer switch $26
Product Line: Echlin Ignition parts


auto zone part number su1440 water level sensor $6.99 special order

 

[firefox]

Thanks a bunch! I thought I had it covered and then got the cancelled notices. Found the switch on NAPA and the sensor on Auto Zone.
Bruce