A clearance issue that has been on my to-do list for some time was between the radiator thermofan (bolted to the back of the radiator) and the radiator hose at the thermostat housing. Despite me using a radiator hose piece with a tight bend at the thermostat housing outlet and trimming back a small part of the thermofan cover, the hose was still fouling against the plastic thermofan cover behind the radiator. The hose was not squashed at all, it was just touching it but with engine movement over time this would probably rub a hole through the hose.
I really wanted there to be a reasonable physical gap between the hose & thermofan cover. I had already cut away a small amount of the front panel to fit the radiator however it needed more so that the radiator could lean further forward. I couldn't move the radiator too far forward because the bonnet latch would hit the radiator when closing the bonnet but a quick measure indicated I could lean the top of the radiator forward a further 10-15mm.
I marked a long cut on the front apron panel - which was bent in a few spots anyway :
...then welded on a new steel strip to retain the original 90degree angle in the panel and giving it back some rigidity :
Due to this change I also had to remake the mount bracket for the top of the radiator. I fitted and closed the bonnet to measure how far the radiator could lean forward while still clearing the latch. I ended up gaining 13mm which should be more than enough to gain some much needed clearance for the radiator hose.
Old vs new top bracket :
The new position of the radiator. The square hole is where the bonnet latch passes through.
A few months later, I had the engine re-installed and the clearance is far better than before
I really wanted there to be a reasonable physical gap between the hose & thermofan cover. I had already cut away a small amount of the front panel to fit the radiator however it needed more so that the radiator could lean further forward. I couldn't move the radiator too far forward because the bonnet latch would hit the radiator when closing the bonnet but a quick measure indicated I could lean the top of the radiator forward a further 10-15mm.
I marked a long cut on the front apron panel - which was bent in a few spots anyway :
...then welded on a new steel strip to retain the original 90degree angle in the panel and giving it back some rigidity :
Due to this change I also had to remake the mount bracket for the top of the radiator. I fitted and closed the bonnet to measure how far the radiator could lean forward while still clearing the latch. I ended up gaining 13mm which should be more than enough to gain some much needed clearance for the radiator hose.
Old vs new top bracket :
The new position of the radiator. The square hole is where the bonnet latch passes through.
A few months later, I had the engine re-installed and the clearance is far better than before
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