GPW 14518 Cooling
BEFORE
AFTER
Radiator Details
Radiator Fin Repair
Before I take the radiator to the shop for a pressure check, I need to clean up the fins. I found my first GPW radiator has the lower water outlet installed at the wrong angle and the shroud will not fit. It is in great shape, but I will need to have that outlet resoldered at a 31 degree angle as the drawing shows.
My second GPW radiator has the shroud, but many of the fins are severly bent. I will clean those up using a radiator comb and some soft metal tools to return the thousands of bent fins back to a correct angle. Every square inch of surface that impedes air will reduce the radiator's capacity to cool and hence my engine may run hotter. I am going to ensure every fin is clear and near horizontal. Then I will take it along with the other to the shop for cleaning and pressure test.
The radiator carriage mounting bolts are 7/16-20 x 1 1/2" I will source new ones to ensure they match with the mounting hardware I have. Both bolts were not correct in either thread count or diameter.
Combing the radiator fins was simple but time consuming. I used a nylon fin comb. I felt it was too soft to make good headway unless you run it across the surface several time. I ended up using two soft metal small putty knives to carefully straighten the stubborn fins. One side took about an hour of work.
At right are the before and aftger images of the worst section of the back side. The front before shot is shown at the top of this page.
Water Pump and Water Elbow
I have an original GPW water pump that needs to be rebuilt. I have a bit orf research to do before I tackle that task. As a substitute I am using the RFJP water pump cast in the original manner. I am very pleased with the fitment and the look. It installed nicely with a reproduction Ford Bolt kit.
I also used my original water elbow and installed it with the thermostat and retainer. BEfore I did that I drilled a small hole in the top of the thermostat to allow trapped air back into the radiator. More on these parts is detailed in the engine section as they are installed with more images there.
Radiator Hoses and Clamps
I ordered my radiator hoses and clamps from Peter Debella. I always enjoy speaking with a person from NY. Spent a few years there and ya just gotta understand them.
This was a very simple process with not much to report.
Final Cooling Connections
When connecting the hoses to the water pump, the elbow and the radiator, I found the clamps I purchased from where I cannot remember to be too small and incapable of clamping the hose tight enough to prevent a minor seep. I ordered some different ones on-line and was able to clamp them all the way down befor ethe threaded portion of the clamps met in the middle.
Here is the finished product.
