taking radiator shroud out without taking rad out

[Belgian1979vette]

I'm going to have to loosen the bolts on my A-arms to have them fit the new ride height after I mount the original gymkhana springs. I just cannot get to them because of the shroud. The shroud seems impossible to take out when the rad is still in place.

Any tricks ?

 

[Red77]

Mine came right out, however I had stripped all the accessories off the front of the motor already in preparation for pulling the motor. I'm sure that made the job much easier. For what it's worth, though mine is a 77 model, I have the 80 model shroud with the integral electric fan in addition to the mechanical fan on the nose of the water pump. At the very least, I see you needing to pull the mechanical fan, and likely the alternator and A/C compressor and at least set them off to the side to gain some clearance. The upper bracket of the alternator will likely be in the way and the R4 compressor, though the bracket for that may be okay. I hope that helps.

 

[mrvette]

Remove hood, 3 bolts in each side of the support, reached inside the wheel wells, maybe have two bolts up/under that boomerang shaped cross support it sets on.....push the assy forward on top, out she comes....now to save effort in doing that next time, cut the shroud on each side, top and bottom half....to hold the plastic together you take 4 pieces of metal about 1/2" wide and ~3" long, drill two holes down on one end about an inch apart, locate them on each side of the lower section with the undrilled ends up to hold the top 1/2 when it's installed....

sorta like this......|i| so two sandwiches on each side, :smash:

 

[Belgian1979vette]

Mine seems to always want to hang up on the waterpump and I do not seem to be able to get it past it.

Maybe the stewart pump is longer than normal or something.

 

[mrvette]

Mine seems to always want to hang up on the waterpump and I do not seem to be able to get it past it.

Maybe the stewart pump is longer than normal or something.

Yeh, I had problems with my stock at a stove L48 engine years ago, when the first thing to go was the radiator, and so upon that removal, I said never again.....and took a tip from other vehicles that have a split shroud....the bottom 1/2 is easy to get out once the top is outta the way....just unbolt and sweep it around the fan in a rotational motion....

GOD I"m lazy.....:twitch::smash:

 

[Belgian1979vette]

Mine seems to always want to hang up on the waterpump and I do not seem to be able to get it past it.

Maybe the stewart pump is longer than normal or something.

Yeh, I had problems with my stock at a stove L48 engine years ago, when the first thing to go was the radiator, and so upon that removal, I said never again.....and took a tip from other vehicles that have a split shroud....the bottom 1/2 is easy to get out once the top is outta the way....just unbolt and sweep it around the fan in a rotational motion....

GOD I"m lazy.....:twitch::smash:

I must admit you are original in your solutions.

Damn all that work for just loosening the A-arm bolts and torqueing them back up.

 

[mrvette]

Mine seems to always want to hang up on the waterpump and I do not seem to be able to get it past it.

Maybe the stewart pump is longer than normal or something.

Yeh, I had problems with my stock at a stove L48 engine years ago, when the first thing to go was the radiator, and so upon that removal, I said never again.....and took a tip from other vehicles that have a split shroud....the bottom 1/2 is easy to get out once the top is outta the way....just unbolt and sweep it around the fan in a rotational motion....

GOD I"m lazy.....:twitch::smash:

I must admit you are original in your solutions.

Damn all that work for just loosening the A-arm bolts and torqueing them back up.

Like I said, I borrowed the concept from other, newer vehicles.....course a few years later, I tossed the whole damn thing, electric ~16" fan and all, and went with Dual Spals....

:surrender::smash:

 

[7t9l82]

i took a dremel tool and ground a hole in the shroud that allows a deep well socket to get on the control arm bolt. don't need to remove the shroud just for that.

 

[68/70Vette]

For my 69 BB, it had a shroud made from a plastic like material. At the bottom portion, the part that runs sort of along the first crossmember, I cut that section out. Thus allowed the shroud to flex enough to remove. Then I took the cut out section and used small aluminum plates at each end of the cut out crossmember ..rivets...dzus fasteners...so that the cut out section could be re-installed. When the shroud was back in place you had to look hard to see the shroud at been cut. I was pretty proud of this. Maybe the person who stole the car can send some photos. (Stolen from a Public Storage unit)