Help! How to remove radiator top half of housing, 1987 Corvette coupe, Radiator removal

[rikkilee2000]

We are using a Chilton manual to remove the radiator top housing (as it says) and trying to see a leak in the radiator and probably taking the radiator out to be repaired on a 1987 Corvette coupe with 86,000 miles. The housing looks like one piece and is very hard to figure out. Does anyone have suggestions on how this procedure goes?
Thanks,
Rick

 

[boomdriver]

We are using a Chilton manual to remove the radiator top housing (as it says) and trying to see a leak in the radiator and probably taking the radiator out to be repaired on a 1987 Corvette coupe with 86,000 miles. The housing looks like one piece and is very hard to figure out. Does anyone have suggestions on how this procedure goes?
Thanks,
Rick

Remove air filter housing and duct up to the throttle body. Remove return hose (top hose) to radiator on driver side. Remove the series of 10mm bolts around the side and rear of top shroud edges. Remove smaller (6mm?) screws around forward edge of top shroud (about 6 of those). Remove upper trans cooler line on passenger side and CAP it with a small piece of heater hose and a screw or a vac cap of that size, but DO cap it.
Remove the 2 upper main fan mounting screws(10mm). The top half of the shroud should now be free to lift off. It will take a little manuvering to get it off/on.
To pull the radiator, remove lower coolant hose, lower trans cooler steel line, and lift the radiator straight up and out of the lower shroud.
The lower shroud does not come out.

You can do some housekeeping in there when the top shroud is removed. After 23 yrs...trust me, it needs it. Use gloves...there is often a bio-hazard in there...(road kill)
Be careful around the a/c condensor. DO NOT disconnect the a/c lines by accident. Its under high pressure.

Hope this helps.

 

[G Winter]

Half way down on each side the top and bottom half are screwed together.
they are nasty little SOBs to get out . Worse yet to get back in.

Glenn

 

[vetteoz]

While you have top off ,slot the holes so you don't have to remove any hoses/ lines if you want to access radiator in future

 

[rikkilee2000]

Radiator removal

Thanks Boomdriver and for everyone’s input. We have gotten the top off, hoses and the top trans line off. However the bottom trans line is recessed and got rounded off trying to remove it. We didn’t have the proper tool for such a recessed area.
Are there any ideas how to get this line off?
Thanks.
Rick

 

[boomdriver]

Thanks Boomdriver and for everyone’s input. We have gotten the top off, hoses and the top trans line off. However the bottom trans line is recessed and got rounded off trying to remove it. We didn’t have the proper tool for such a recessed area.
Are there any ideas how to get this line off?
Thanks.
Rick

they make wrenches for this purpose...they have the teeth inside that bite against the flat part of the nut instead of the corners. If that don't work, try vise grips. Either way,. that retainer nut has been trashed so it'll need to be replaced. Pretty easy on this place. Saw off the end, leaving as much as possible. Slip a new nut on the tubing, then get a tubing flare kit and re-flare the tubing end. Your steel line should have enough slack that it can be bent and straightened out enough to make a couple inches. If Not, cut the end further back where its easy to work on, and splice in a new end section. The parts store has section of tubing already flared and with nuts all ready to fit in place. This trans cooler steel line is fairly easy to repair/replace. It can even have a section of hose added somewhere. Its not real high pressure, so good clean hose and clamps can get you back on the road until a real repair can be done.

Worst case scenario....simply connect the ends of the trans cooler line with a section of trans/oil hose and a couple good clamps. If the nuts or ends are too damaged to go back in the radiator, you can loop the lines and just bypass the radiator cooler until you can get the lines fixed right.

 

[rikkilee2000]

Thanks Boomdriver,
We will use this information as we get started today.

Rick

 

[boomdriver]

Thanks Boomdriver,
We will use this information as we get started today.

Rick

oh yeah,

get the right size "flare nut wrench" from the parts store to prevent damage to the fitting on the steel lines in the assembly process.
Good Luck.