I feel sorry for those souls who have trekked up the Himalayas, or torture their bodies by participating in triathlons. Imagine the costs of preparation and training leading to self doubts and frustration! I, too have reaped such "reward" recently by venturing no farther than 20 feet from my front door. You see, I accomplished the ultimate achievement merely by replacing the radiator in my TR3B, without the removal of its front cowling.
Readers may question my dislike of the original factory procedure at this point. I purposely chose to remove the radiator without the removal of the front cowling because there are many TR3s with either too beautiful paint work or with their cowling in place, hoping never to remove it again, or for any of a dozen other reasons which TR3 owners are well aware. Why, removal of the front cowling is the absolute last resort. I had to find out how this task could be accomplished. Logic here is that most hobbyists are far more willing to take the extra time to pull nuts and bolts, though it's more time consuming, than to pay a professional to touch up and match color on body seams.
Owing to the radiator's lower mounting brackets, it's "easier" to pull the radiator from the top side than to drop it from the bottom. Trust me on this point. To accomplish this task, I first pulled the lower hose out at the radiator's end then followed the steps below.
1. Cover the radiator's front and back sides with pieces of cardboard shaped to protect the cooling fins during removal and installation.
2. Remove both horns
3. Remove thermostat housing and the bypass hose
4. Remove water pump after generator is loosened on its bracket
5. Remove front chassis tube
6. Remove lower radiator mounting bolt on each side, then push the radiator as far forward as possible
7. Remove fan assembly and hub extension
8. Remove top hose
9. Remove plunger apertures, onto which the bonnet release lever locks
Once the repaired radiator sat back inside the car, I re-installed all pieces in the reverse order. My total time expenditure was about 12 hours for the entire job. But now that I am a veteran, I believe the same job can be completed in 6 uninterrupted hours.
Would I do it again? My answer is the same as Sir Francis Chichester's, when he was asked the same question at the completion of his solo trans-world sail, "Yes, but not tomorrow, though.".
Michael Ling
Santa Barbara, CA
Working on automobiles is inherently dangerous. Moss Motors, Ltd. is not liable for injury or damage due to incorrect installation or use of their products. All products are sold with the understanding that the safe and proper installation and use of the products is the customer’s responsibility. Follow factory workshop manual procedures and instructions, but use current shop safety standards and common sense. Some tasks will require professional advice or services which Moss Motors cannot provide.Email (for Moss Tech help):
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