Hello All
Tried to put the bonnet on last night. No go!!! My rad is running interference. I tried tilting it towards the engine as much as possible, and still touches and prevents the bonnet from sitting down properly.
Can someone tell me what size the rad should be? I wonder if it was re-cored at some point in the past with a taller core. Picture attached so you know what rad type I’m talking about.
Thanks!
Darren
Darren, sorry I can’t tell you the rad size as my S2 is on an other continent, I also had an height issue when I fitted mine (after an accident)
From memory the rad sits in two “U” shaped brackets above the rack in rubber bushes (the U being upside down) I had to make new brackets that just cleared the rack and also tip the radiator slightly.
Hello Darren,
yes, its a very tight fit, one milimeter too much rubber washer height on unside makes it hit the bonnet. (I have used 1mm rubber washers) It should be as far back as possible - I used factory photos from engine bay to adjust filler cap to engine distance.
I could post a photo from my car. The bonnet runner support brackets might also give a too low front opening height. Tilting it will result in radiator front edges moving upward - I think it should be moved backwards in “upright” position. Its still tight then with my car…
Anna
there are two holes in the fiberglass which the bolts on the bottom of my rad go through. To lower, I would have to cut the fiberglass and then make some type of brackets. However, the steering rack is really close underneath the fiberglass so I don’t know how much space I would really get.
currently I only have very thin rubber washers beneath, but I need about 1/2" which is why I’m wondering if someone re-cored the rad improperly
…the two 1/4 holes in fiberglass are alright and original.
Looking from the side of the cars nose, it looks as it will never go under there, but it did. Also, the lower radiator hose has an influence on the system as it pushes the rad bottom forward. With rad in tilt position, You would get the diagonal height, wich is more than upright height. Tomorrow, i can measure rad height on car.
Anna
Just measured mine at 14 1/4" or 35.5cm. Measurement was taken just ourside the top inlet.
Rob Walker
Hi Darren
I have my S1 radiator out to be recored so I took some measurements:
The radiator, which I recored once before many years ago, is 14" high max in the vicinity of the mounting studs. There is a 1/8" rubber pad around the studs. The radiator sits on the fibreglass bridge over the steering rack. The distance from the top surface of the fibreglass bridge to the rack mounting bracket under the studs is 2 3/4". I don’t know what the clearance beneath the bonnet is as it is difficult to get in there with it closed.
Incidentally, I’ve often wondered why it is called a radiator. It’s a forced convection cross flow heat exchanger and radiation has little to do with it.
Boys and Girls…a quick deviation on the subject of S2 forced convection cross flow heat exchangers. I am restoring a very late S2, 26/5803, which appears to have been fitted with a S3 wide radiator. I don’t know if this is original or not, but as S3s from 5811 (the airflow model) did have the new arrangement, I’m wondering if they had run out of Marstons by the time they came to build mine.
I don’t have the two holes in the fibreglass tray that the bottom of the Marston ‘plugs’ into, and the bonnet has the single spring opening arrangement, with no bobins on the sides to take the bolts for the twin springs. The car has been off the road since 1973, but I guess that was enough time to ‘upgrade’ to the newer style (nearly said radiator) FCCFHEs
Any opinions?
Mark
Mark,
Your S2 sounds like mine. Mine had the original setup until I was forced to use a Buick for purposes of braking, the normal mechanism having failed. The replacement front clip was an S3 version, and Don Tingle had an S3 radiator cloned for me. I bent up some brackets and it has been working fine ever since. It would be odd if they were using an S3 body shell (as indicated by the lack of spring attachment bobbins) at the end of the S2 run.
Perhaps because ‘radiator’ is an easier term to use 
Matthew
…had a look at the rad today:
like rob, I had total height bottom tank to top tank - 355mm
space between tank bowls (the rad grid) - 236mm
A friend of mine runns an S3 DHC with original single front spring (with metall bracket) and original S2 style cross reinfocement somrib. No sign of bobbins on the side runners! It has the intermediate Triumph? force fed heat exchanger… He owned it since '71.
The part list shows 3 types of radiator arrangements up to S2/S3 FHC.
(I also saw one early (65) S2 FHC with Marston set up.)
