1965 Mustang Radiator Upgrade - Page 2
Here is the rest of the shots of the upgrade. It includes paint and installation of the new radiator and the rest of the parts on the front of the car. Most of the work outlined here is finish, paint then re-assemble. Just watch out for the sharp edges on the stainless steel mesh, it's brutal on your hands!
PAGE 1 of the Mustang Radiator Upgrade
Finishing up Paint
The back of the finished radiator support. Notice the extensive masking!
Masking
This is what the car looked before I began painting. The Trunk Speckle Paint is really messy. After the first coat totally dries (a full 24hrs) You can do the Top Coat sealer. This keeps things durable and keeps dirt from sticking in the porus speckle paint.
Re-installation
Now start getting things back together, front valence and a few other bits. New mesh is ready for installation as well.
Assembly
Oil cooler, and mesh are mounted up, just awating the radiator. Don't ask why I don't have mesh in front of the oil cooler...
Radiator Upgrade All Done
Engine In, Everything mounted back in the engine compartment and ready to button the car up. With the size of the opening I could have used a slightly larger (width) radiator. Hoses were custom made with silicon hose and angles. I used the Bead Form tool to make the unions for the upper and lower radiator hoses. Came out nice. One thing that also helped was the swivel thermostat housing that is not visible here.
Paint
After letting all the primer and black paint it's time for the Trunk Top Coat. This paint is really really messy. It sprays bits all over the place as it uses high pressure to cause the speckling effect. Cover much more than you would normally for spray paint...You have been warned!
Stainless Mesh 1
After such nice work it would be ashame to have a rock pummel the radiator. So I put a nice coarse stainless mesh in front of the radiator but behind the support. The old one was too small. So after a quick trace with a sharpie the cut begins. Note use of special mesh cutting stand.
Stainless Mesh 2
Using a aircraft snip the slow process of cutting the mesh begins. You should wear leather gloves while doing the cut as I can tell you the edges are sharp after the cut and the snip is not.
Stainless Mesh 3
To get the mesh to fit tightly you need to start from the top with some mounting bolts and washers. This will help get the mesh tight and stretch out over the opening. You can use a Phillips head screwdriver to poke a hole and spread the mesh so a bolt will pass through it. I also had some trimming to do and marked any excessive material a this point
Stainless Mesh 4
Pulling it all tight from the back. All you holes should have a bolt in them at this point (hmm). This will make it much easier when fitting the radiator on top of the mesh. You can form the mesh a bit with your hands to remove wrinkles at this point as well.
