Radiator replacement help

Follow up: Or, do the bushing in question rest on the tanks, and not the core itself? That would make it more stable I believe.

These core supports go under the bracket that is on top of the radiator.

It is hard to get things out of the manual on these older trucks because the manual basically says, "remove radiator."

So I tried to find different info that should help. Here is a guide that just walks through radiator replacements:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-replace-a-car-radiator

Hopefully the pictures below will give the detail that you need. This is off an 85 K10 but should be the same as your truck.

If the bushings you have are not fitting tightly in this place then I am thinking they may not be for your specific engine. I believe the radiators and brackets were different sizes for the different size engines.

So your engine being the largest available, it may not have had the same size radiator. Most likely it was a larger radiator with larger brackets so the smaller engine supports will not fit correctly.

Please see the pictures attached for the brackets that these supports go under.

They should be a form fitting item so maybe if you get a couple pictures of what your supports look like on the vehicle we can see if it is the part or something else that is the issue.

Thanks

Okay, I ordered some new rubber support bushing, and got the radiator installed. However, it's not as tall as the factory radiator; between the top of the radiator and the panel that goes across the top of the radiator (which has the other 2 support bushings), there is about an 1" gap or so. Are there any good options to fill that gap with something?

Without seeing it, it is hard to tell for sure but I would either bend the bracket or fill it with sold rubber. If there is a bolt that goes through it then drill a hole in the rubber block and that and the pressure will hold it in place.

However, if you can get a picture of this gap, I am sure we can come up with the best option. Thanks

Here ya go!

Got it. Good looking welds.

Yes. That is something that you need to most likely just make your own brackets to secure it at the top. Does the top of the radiator have any holes or are there any holes for a bolt to go through?

Also, you can just Google universal radiator mount and get a ton of options.

I attached a picture of the more common ones.

You can get these from most any parts stores. However, if you went with a different radiator, then they never fit right to use the OEM mounts so the universal are the way to go.

Thank you. I had no idea anything like that existed. I'll see what I can find.

Haha. Total understand. If you don't care what it looks like you can always just use some metal strapping from a home improvement store.

This works great but it looks really bad so I cringe when I see it but again, it works just fine.

Let us know how you make out. Thanks for using 2CarPros.

What about putting some 1/2" or so wooden blocks/spacers under the bottom of the radiator? Put those down and then screw the rubber bushings into them, to make up the inch difference? Then the top panel can hold the top of the radiator? Will that be secure enough with the weight of the coolant and gravity, plus the hoses holding it in place? I'm just worried about it moving around while driving, or putting extra pressure on the hose connections.

Absolutely. You can do that. Just keep that in mind to check it once a year or so and make sure the wood is still in good condition.

Anything that will wedge it in place so that you can bolt it in place.

Let us know what you end up doing so that others will benefit from it.

Ended up cutting some 1/2" strips, screwing the rubber bushings on them, and it fit perfectly for what I needed. Radiator is pretty secure now. Thanks for the help!

Sounds great. Thanks for updating us with how it worked out.

Please come back next time you need some info. Thanks