I was unable to remove the radiator from my xk140 without first detaching the fan cowl, could not get it to clear the fan. The lower two bolts that attach the cowl to the radiator were easily accessible through the wheel wells but the upper two bolts are difficult to access and seem to be extremely difficult to line up when installing. Is there a method of reinstalling the radiator with the cowl attached? No mention of this in the service manual and couldn’t find any reference in the forums.
Thanks,
Alan
well no one answered yet…some bolts are just difficult to get to, and to line up, and you have to be creative or have a chinese finger tool, or make a tool, or contort your arm bones into impossible positions, and have a helper hold and move the parts and to pick up the nut when you drop it. How did it go?
Nick
I sympathize. I built up a rolling chassis where everything was easily accessible and visible on my 140. The body is now back on the chassis and everything seems exponentially more difficult to work on. It was easy to put the radiator into, and pull it out of, the chassis. After paint, I will be putting the radiator back in and may look to you for tips.
Hi Alan,
I seem to remember installing the radiator first, then installing the radiator cowl. I think also the fan was not in place while installing the cowl.
Perhaps I am misunderstanding what you are doing, but the upper two bolts on my ‘56 are accessible from above, with the cowl and radiator in place.
Here is the left side upper cowl bolt…
Here is the right side upper cowl bolt.
Gary/Bob/Nick
I did manage to get it installed. Fan first, then set in cowl (unattached) and then the radiator. My issue was with the securing the top bolts through the cowl into the radiator. brackets The arrow in your top photo points to a nut welded to the bracket, so that can’t be removed. The arrow in your bottom photo is the bolt that was for me almost impossible to line up because there is absolutely no space for fingers or a tool to align and start to thread. At some point in the frustration I noticed that there were small access holes way up in the wheel well to install the upper bolts. The bottoms are easily accessible through the wheel well.
Just a result of not being familiar with the car. They all have their nuances.
Alan
ahhh…kinda like the torsion bar adjuster, release bolt, up thru a hole in the frame…but that one is a little more obvious. I’ve often thought about modifying a right inner wheel well valence in some way to make it easier to have access to the distributor. Nick
Update:
Attached is a photo of the wheel well bolt access hole for the upper fan cowl/radiator bracket. The nut on the engine side is welded to the bracket. Access on the right side is hidden under the distributor shield, which is removed in the photo. The distributor can be seen in the lower left
Alan
I put this information to use today installing my radiator. This kept me from hunting for a way to insert and tighten this bolt. Now my problem is the aftermarket radiator shroud rubs on the steering rack . This was an expensive piece and quite poorly made. Hopefully, it can be fixed by just extending the lower bolt holes.