Radiator Doesn’t Fit

[jgott]

Having trouble with fitting radiator. The sides of the radiator are hitting the 3/4” frame tubes before the radiator top mounting flange reaches the mounting tubes. Anyone else having this issue?

Roadster
Mark IV complete kit
Coyote

[michael everson]

Do you have any pics?
Mike

[gbranham]

I can see how this would happen, if you're not using Breeze's upper hinge. With Breeze's hinge, the radiator sits lower, so the 3/4" tube doesn't get in the way. At least that was my experience. I was pondering how the radiator would install on the top 3/4" tube without the Breeze hinge, because the top corners of the radiator hit the 3/4" diagonal frame bits before you can push the radiator up high enough to attach to the top 3/4" tube.

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[jgott]

Do you have any pics?
Mike

Here’s a few pictures.

[jgott]

Thanks! I’ll check out the Breeze hinge kit.

[BornWestUSA]

Is it upside down?

The Breeze upper and lower mounts are great, as is the lower hose.

[jgott]

I don’t think it’s upside down. It’s like the left and right sides of the radiator extend out more toward the front and back than previous versions. From pictures I’ve found, looks like the previous versions were thinner and tapered back so they fit better.

[michael everson]

Maybe the Breeze mount is the way to go.
Mike

[Papa]

I don't recall having any issues with the radiator fitment, but I'm sure parts have changed over the years. Two thoughts based on your pictures:

1. Are the tabs at the proper angle? Perhaps they can be tweaked down a bit.
2. Can you position the radiator flange on the other side of the tab? That may provide a bit more clearance.

I'm another fan of the Breeze radiator mount. I originally mounted my radiator to the tabs as FFR indicates, but over time, the stress on those mounts caused a leak. The Breeze mount spreads the stress out over several points vs. just two and lets you easily adjust the angle later when you are mounting the radiator aluminum.

Dave

[i.e.427]

Always have the Factory Five nose aluminum handy when fitting the Rad. The side aluminum pieces dictate the angle of the Rad. If the angle is too severe when fitting the Rad, it will contact the two side rails.

Frank

[jgott]

Thanks Frank.

[Mat1asBEV&ICE]

For me, even with the Breeze upper and lower mounts there was no way to get the FFR nose aluminum to fit with the required 51 degrees (or whatever). Thankfully I was planning on going with Replica Parts (Mike Everson's) nose aluminum, anyway. I can just barely get to 58 degrees.

[BUDFIVE]

Interesting thread—even with the Breeze parts(upper hinge, lower mount, shroud) my FFR radiator barely fit at 51 deg. The driver side just made it under the 3/4” down piece on the frame. I wonder if the radiator dimensions or frame shape have changed a bit?201225

[jgott]

I think you may be onto something with the frame changing a bit. Here are two pics for comparison - one from page 63 of the Gen 3 coyote install manual and one of my frame. The cross bar with the radiator mount bars is welded further forward on my frame than in the picture from the manual. Your frame looks very similar to mine.

[edwardb]

I think you may be onto something with the frame changing a bit. Here are two pics for comparison - one from page 63 of the Gen 3 coyote install manual and one of my frame. The cross bar with the radiator mount bars is welded further forward on my frame than in the picture from the manual. Your frame looks very similar to mine.

You might be onto something. Or maybe not. I would recommend against over-analyzing pictures in build instructions. They are there to make a point about the assembly being described. But Factory Five tends to use stock photos in their documentation. They are often on the old side and maybe not exactly the same as current production. I've seen many examples of this.

[gbranham]

Get the Breeze hinge, and the Breeze lower radiator support, and be done with it. The FFR method is just a poor design, and frankly, they should add the Breeze bits with every Complete Kit.

[John4337]

Smarter minds than mine will work on the fitment issues, but I’ll second the recommendation to go with the Breeze upper and lower mounts. Much easier now than on a completed car, trust me.

[jgott]

Get the Breeze hinge, and the Breeze lower radiator support, and be done with it. The FFR method is just a poor design, and frankly, they should add the Breeze bits with every Complete Kit.

Breeze parts are on order. Thanks for the help everyone!

[jgott]

The Breeze parts did the trick. Perfect fit now. Thanks again everyone.

[gbranham]

The Breeze parts did the trick. Perfect fit now. Thanks again everyone.


Good deal. Now that you have the Breeze solution in place, isn't it truly ridiculous how FFR has this designed with the current frame setup and the radiator they ship? It will never fit, no matter what angle you try to install it.

[Mike.Bray]

Good deal. Now that you have the Breeze solution in place, isn't it truly ridiculous how FFR has this designed with the current frame setup and the radiator they ship? It will never fit, no matter what angle you try to install it.

There's some really good aftermarket parts for the Factory Five cars like the Breeze stuff and the RT-type turn signal solution out there, and thank goodness. Some of these like the Breeze radiator mounts are pretty much a requirement if you want to finish your car like the OP learned. I've wondered if FFR ever looks at some of these things and considers implementing them into their kits. Not that I would ever want to see business taken away from supporting vendors but how hard would it be for FFR to fix the radiator mounting for example? The standard design is truly beyond ridiculous.