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Narrowing front (core support and radiator?)

CyberSniper

CyberSniper

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I decided to attempt to narrow the front of the wheeling rig today. I haven't driven it in like 3 weeks and am kind of wanting to drive it without the police bothering me for not having a front clip.

At first I was trying to keep the hood springs. I abandoned that after realizing that I needed to keep 32" of the fender virgin measuring from the back of the fender (frontmost white line in the pictures).

So, I decided to start the narrowing at the end of the hood hinge... which is roughly at the 22" mark. The goal was to "bend" the fender over a 5" span.

Well, it looks alright. But, I have master cylinder reservoir and core support clearance problems. I can make a custom core support and continue to run a little 17" radiator without too much issue. I'm really tired of doing everything custom at this point but oh well. Shoulda tubed it... But, someday I want to put a heat monger motor in it (TPI350 or LS1).

For the master cylinder reservoir I can always graft in some kind of dent... maybe kind of like one from a Ford Probe GT or something.

Anyone got any ideas? Do they make an affordable 17" radiator that'll cool a healthy motor? I'm trying to leave enough room in front of and below the core support to fit a winch.

In the pictures, the core support is being held up by the steering gear and the fender is held up using the three bolts that bolt it to the cab only so it droops about an inch at the front.


leftfront_S.jpg

across_S.jpg

left_S.jpg
 
i also toyed with the factory core support. frame rails are 34" to outside iirc. i wanted to run a stock 4 core radiator. i narrowed the front end width 30 inches still retaining the big 4-core radiator. i was planning on tubing the front but you could do the chop without the tubes :D i opted to go with a shorty front clip that has the headlights and side markers. i will probably skin the tubes to keep a semi-stock profile! the front clip is a bolt on as well as the tubes:D

front end pix3.jpg

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no idea what to tell ya... we do have the same radiator catch can and grill though. lol! :grin:

j
 
I see you got the tires I was going to buy... haha.

I've been trying to avoid tube. Number one reason is the cost... I could either pay for the steel or the tooling but not both. I started out telling myself either I was going to build a tube buggy or use no bent tube. It'd been faster to build a tube buggy. Which brings me to a quote... "Perhaps, Mmmm. But, you know, this is the one. Yes, yes yes... I saw three of these parked outside the local Starbucks this morning, which tells me only one thing. There's too many self-Indulgent wieners in this city with too much bloody money! Now, if I was driving a..."

But anyway. I'm trying to keep it semi-stock looking and not like a trainwreck. If I don't use any lift blocks, keep my rear bumper legal, have a full set of working lights, and it doesn't look like it's going to fall apart I can get away with driving it.

Right now, it looks like I'm going to have to practically set the radiator on the frame... and offset it so it doesn't hit the steering gear if need be... and then it'll barely be below the fenders. Definitely not enough room for a 19" radiator. Visibility is going to be incredible... it'll be even better than the last two and a half months I've been driving it around with just a core support.
 
jekbrown said:
no idea what to tell ya... we do have the same radiator catch can and grill though. lol! :grin:

j
Click to expand...

haha. I've got one of those newfangled invisible grills that sticks seem to go right through. I have a chrome square tube grill I'm going to use. You can't beat $12 for that catch can.

Have you see any "flat" master cylinder reservoirs in your travels? I swear I've seen one somewhere... maybe a Fiero?

But... I bet you don't have blingin' blue "paint"... haha. It's not pastel enough for a smurf so I think I'm safe. The color is growing on me as time goes by.
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actually, I am goin' bling'in blue. My aftermarket steering parts, cage and bumpers are gonna be Krylon True Blue. Sticking with black for everything else.

j
 
Yeah, I know, I was picking on you. You're using Krylon True Blue on everything I'm painting black. We're like opposites. I'm painting all my sheetmetal with that smooth blue Durabak. I've put 5 coats on the inside, 3 coats on the outside, and 2 coats underneath and I only used 3 quarts. The stuff dries slower than **** (somewhere around 12 hours until you can sit on it) so you have a bunch of bugs stuck in it by then. I'd swear they're going to use my wheeling rig like in Jurassic Park and the amber. The early ones get completely submersed but the later ones you can usually brush off.
 
you plan on anything for the back? if not, why not move the radiator to the back. keep it out of the mud. run a junkyard windstar fan and a relay. that would help one of your problems.

ive seen a short reservoir on something GM, but i can't think of what.
 
CyberSniper said:
Yeah, I know, I was picking on you. You're using Krylon True Blue on everything I'm painting black. We're like opposites.
Click to expand...

thats right. GD it, my memory is going to ****. I swear every year older I get I lose more and more... wait a second, what are we talking about again? :doah: :wink1:

j
 
Well, the back is pretty much already spoken for. The first 24" after the cab there is going to be a plastic toolbox out of a S-series mounted there with a shovel and an ax mounted underneath it. Behind that is a 39" long by 34" wide bed I already built that is going to get mounted on the factory rubbers (you can see one new one in the picture). I'm mounting the fenders to the bed. Real estate back there is getting to be a premium. If I wasn't running the toolbox I'd definitely put the radiator in the bed. In fact, at one time, I'd planned on putting the radiator back there. Do you happen to know if they put a 4 core radiator in a van, TJ? I think I'd have enough cooling with a 4 core.

Don't worry j, I'm going senile too. Last night, a drunk ex-girlfriend called me up and asked me why we broke up. I usually have a tanked one call every 3wks-1mth asking me the "why'd we break up and what are you doing" rigamarole of questions. It took me a solid five minutes to figure out who it was. And I think she knew it even though she was plastered. I pretended to have a bad connection and hung up as cover for not knowing... then answered the phone knowing who it was. As per usual, I watched TV/did my mail for about an hour until the silent pauses got longer then I hung up. I can't really remember why we broke up either. And she wasn't even that long ago.

So, next week when I start painting driveline and steering components Krylon True Blue I guess I'll be senile. Maybe you'll paint your doors that color as well. haha.
 
big83chevy4x4 said:
you plan on anything for the back? if not, why not move the radiator to the back. keep it out of the mud. run a junkyard windstar fan and a relay. that would help one of your problems.

ive seen a short reservoir on something GM, but i can't think of what.
Click to expand...
mid 80's monte carlos and similar had a short flat brake resorvoir
 
dave_90_blazer said:
mid 80's monte carlos and similar had a short flat brake resorvoir
Click to expand...

Cool, I knew I saw it somewhere. I'll ask my Dad to pop the hood on my Mom's 86 Monte Carlo SS and take some measurements. They also have dual diaphragm boosters if I remember correctly... hmm.
 
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