I just purchased a Griffin Radiator to fit in my Brookville shell on my 29 roadster, but I am unclear as to how high in the shell the radiator fits. There are two small tabs at the top of the radiator that look as though they set against the shell at the top? The radiator top tank seems to hit the shell in the front before the radiator moves up enough to cover the top tank in the front. Anyone got pictures of the radiator in the shell from the engine side so I may see what is proper as far as height and how deep it sets in the shell. Thanks. oh yeah, also, the shell seems much wider than the rad side attachment points. Does the bottom of the shell hide the bottom mounting bolts/springs or are they outside of the shell? where does that small rubber pad go, under the radiator or under the spring against the frame. Hmmm should of stayed with the 29 shell....
I'm no help but have the same questions but for a 32 frame. I think the rubber pads go between the radiator and the frame. I also have a Brookville shell and it needs a little tweaking for the grill insert and radiator. I'm holding my shell as low as possible to make the line from the cowl to the shell not run up hill. Any help is greatly appreciated thank you Ed
The radiator should have side mounts to hold the shell that will tell you exactly how far back it needs to go, and they should bolt directly to the sides. No spacers needed. If you have gaps, either the radiator or the shell is wrong (or both). That's hard to tell where the problem is unless you have an original in hand to compare to. The frame mount tabs are supposed to stick out a little. On a stock car the fender will cover the little bit that sticks out.
I mounted my Vintique shell on a Walker rad. Irregardless of whether you have a steel or gl*** shell, The tabs on the rad don't always align perfectly with the reliefs in the shell. ....Like you, the biggest problem I had was that the shell would not sit far enough (back) over the rad because the inside of the shell rubbed on the radiator where the top tank was soldered to the sides. I figured this would surely scrub all paint/primers off and create an area where rust would set in, this is besides the fact that metal on metal makes a squeaking noise as the motors running and/or when you are cruising down the road. In order to get the shell to sit all the way over the rad, I had to grind (using a roll lock and 3" die/air grinder) the forward most part of the (soldered) top mounting brackets to remove the sharp corners were it was hitting on the inside of the shell. Rounding out the soldered/brackets allowed the shell to sit further back over the rad and brought the tabs/mounts for the shell into better alignment. The tabs themselves needed further tweaking to get them to align to the rad shells reliefs. Notice the sharp corner protruding from the forward part of the rad. I tried tapping it down with a hammer first but it still rubbed on the inside of the rad keeping the shell from sitting all the way onto the rad. A few minutes with the die grinder and a roll lock took the sharp edge off. Once I had the rad shell sitting far enough back I could align the tabs and mark the reliefs in the shell for drilling. The tabs themselves needed further tweaking to get them to align to the rad shells reliefs. This involved some re-positioning of the tabs as well as additional oblonging of the tabs holes to get them close enough to the reliefs on the shell. I was not and am still not impressed with the poor workmanship of Walker Radiators. All the tabs were more or less 'clocked' 3/4 of an inch to the right which meant the tab on the d/s was high and the tabs on the p/s were low. The mounting ears at the bottom of the radiator are also set at different heights so a trip to the local rad shop will be necessary in order to have the rad/shell ***embly sit straight up/square with the frame. Right now the rad sits high on the p/s. I will never purchase another walker rad ever again. (I ordered a Br***works rad but the local rod shop supplied me with a pos walker, I should have refused it in the first place) Anyway, this is all just a part of hot rodding as some companies sell decent products and some sell you radiators with mounts that are 3/4 high on one side..... Hope this was of some help.... moe . .
I had a Brookville Roadster steel shell on my Walker 4-row with AC condenser. I didn't have to grind anything to fit it, and placement height was dictated by the hood fitment. I changed to a Griffin Aluminum radiator and didn't do any magic. The fit was just fine. Mine was a 31 radiator and I would think the 28/29 would be a shorter radiator with even more room.
Well, I don't own stock in Walker Radiator, but I have to tell you my experience. I installed a Walker into a completely virgin, all original sheetmetal, unharmed '32 tudor. I did have to file the small 1/4" mounting holes in the side tabs a touch (no bending), but the original grille fit onto the Walker radiator just fine. The mounting feet were not crooked, and the radiator sits on the car just fine. The original hood fits well too. This has got to be the best test as to how accurate to original the Walker mounts are. If you are using a repro grille (no matter who manufactured it) how do you know the grille isn't at fault for any misalignment? A Br***works radiator is a beautiful piece also. But there is no way I'd like to see an aluminum radiator on a "traditional" car.
I've used Brookville and Vintique shells on a Walker and both of them are a bit of a struggle to get to fit right. I've done quite a few gennie shells on a Walker and had no fit issues at all.
They make tape measures for things like that. And as stated, the tale of the tape showed that the rads mounting feet were soldered on a different heights. 3/4" difference from side to side.
Similar question using a Brookville with a Griffin. there is quite a gap between the tabs and the shell.
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