Dear Friends: I am restoring a 1927 Top Hat and have the engine mounted on the frame. My problem is this: How do I mount the radiator attached to the frame. I have the little strap iron gadgets with the box ends that fit the bottom of the radiator. But when I hold radiator in front of the fan, it is sitting several inches in front of the box ends!

Would anyone have a photo of how the radiator is supported using the box ends? Need help?

Pete Kneedler

Location: Sacramento, CA, USA

Pete - have you read my attempt at help on your previous post? Not sure of your problem now, but if you have the correct brackets with the holding cups for the bottom tank, you place the core up against the shell inside (it won't go anywhere else if you want the neck to protrude through the shell top), fit the cups below (you should have holes in your shell to tell you where they are bolted) Then you position the assembly so the back of the core is about 1/8th inch from the fan bolts. Then if you follow my previous suggestions you should know from there where the shell mounts into the side panels or to your cows horns off the chassis. Apologies if I'm not very clear - if so, keep asking. Cheers, Bill

Location: Euroa, Australia

If you are the same pete kneedler who posted about a Top Hat saloon (sedan) back in 2013 cast your mind back to the radiator core and shell mounting - and you will see that the radiator shell (the outer bit) must be mounted in front of the 'cow horns' as Bill suggested earlier, using two pieces of metal to emulate the 'flitch plate' ends, bolted to the horns and the shell, I am not sure what the US name for 'flitch plate' is but it extends from the radiator to the firewall below the bonnet (hood).

Then the two 'cups' are bolted to the bottom of the radiator shell to support the radiator core inside the shell.

The core should then be just ahead of the fan.

Cheers, Tony.

Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Pete - Further to Tony's helpful bit, he's prompted a reminder on my part. With a '27 you'll usually find that the rear edge of the shell usually sits close to or against the front edge of the cows horns. Hopefully this should get the back of the core close to the fan as suggested by both. Thanks Tony, Cheers, Bill

Location: Euroa, Australia

Hi, Bill: Really appreciate your suggestions but have some questions. Is the radiator bolted to the shell and not to the frame at all? I assumed that the curve pieces with the boxes fit on to the bottom of the radiator, but what do the box pieces bolt to?

Do you have any photos or diagrams of the radiator support pieces? I think I am missing a piece, and I don't know what it looks like!

Really nice to hear from you. Where do you live?

Pete Kneedler in Carmichael, CA

Location: Sacramento, CA, USA

Hi, Tony: So nice to hear from you. I think most of my problem is that I don't have all the parts for the radiator support. I have the two curved pieces with the little boxes that fit on the bottom of the radiator, but what do those pieces attach to?

Would you by any chance have a photo or diagram that shows all of the radiator support pieces? Is there any chance that the radiator really doesn't attach to the frame at all but instead attaches to the shell (and then the shell attaches to the frame?).

I think I am missing a support piece and I don't even know what it looks like!

Thanks so much for your support. This problem is making me feel really dumb!

Pete Kneedler in Carmichael, CA USA

Location: Sacramento, CA, USA

The radiator shell (the outer bit as shown below) must be mounted IN FRONT of the 'cow horns' using two pieces of metal bolted to the horns and the shell-





Then the two 'cups' are bolted to the bottom of the radiator shell to support the radiator core inside the shell.

This is a later 1929 assembly with chrome radiator shell but the principle is the same with the painted shell.

Cheers, Tony.

Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

My radiator shell is damaged - missing most of the underside, and too fragile to bear weight.
So the radiator sits on two lazy "Z" shaped pieces of bar.
The lower ends use either the cow horn bolts or the shock mount bolts (I can't remember) and the upper ends carry U shaped ali channels lined with rubber, in which the radiator sits.

There is no direct connection at all between the radiator and the car, it is located by the hoses, the top where it goes through the shell, and the ali channels, and the weight is taken by the bars to the chassis.

As already said, the shell mounts on two small ali plates going forward from the cow horns, and is located at the top by a channel running back to the scuttle.

Simon

Location: On a hill in Wiltshire

shell mounts on two small ali plates going forward from the cow horns, and is located at the top by a channel running back to the scuttle.


When there is a scuttle

Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Hi, Tony: Thanks for the tips on mounting my radiator. Can you send me a picture or diagram of the "cows horns"? I'm not sure I have them in my workshop (and if you saw my workshop, you could understand why it is hard to find anything!). Pete

Location: Sacramento, CA, USA

Hello ole Pete, I was just thinking about you the other day. Good to hear you are still in love with Austin sevens. I think the solution to your present dilemma may be found on page 70 of the book "The Austin Seven" by R J Wyatt. Looking at the picture of the frame, you see a thing attached to the front, pointing upwards. That is one of the two "cow's horns". It is just a heavy bracket made from 3/8" steel, bent into a kind of quarter circle. Then refer to the picture of the body, and you see that the cow's horn bolts to the front end of the body, under the mudguard (fender to you) using the REARMOST set of holes. This leaves the other set of holes, now in front of the cow's horn available to take the radiator shell. When I rebuilt my Nippy it was just like this, and I bolted the radiator shell to the inside of the body panels. If you don't have the aforementioned book I can scan the page and send it to you. I'm not too good at uploading pictures onto this site. The picture on page 126 for a 1932 body shows the same thing, possibly a bit better, and the photo no. 48 after page 120 shows 2 bolts at the bottom of the radiator shell - these hold the bottom of the radiator to the shell - I can't remember exactly how but I think someone may have already explained that.

Location: Wellington, NZ

Ivan: It is so good to hear from you! You are still alive and kicking! I'm 83 now and still working on Austin 7's. I took my present car all apart two years ago, sand blasted everything, and am getting close to driving the car with just the frame and engine, brakes, etc. and hopefully the radiator.

However, since the radiator is bolted on to the body, that may not be possible, or is it? Is has been such a long time since I took the car all apart, I forgot how to mount the radiator. I do have the cow's horns, but not sure ow they attach to the body and radiator shell. There is a piece called the flibit (so something like that), and I don't even know what it looks like.

I don't have the book you mentioned, but I would love to have a copy of some of the pictures or diagrams you mentioned. Would it be possible to email me a copy of them? Here's my email address: petesuzi2014@gmail.com

So good to hear from you, Ivan. What are you working on these days?

Yer ol' Buddy, Pete

Location: Sacramento, CA, USA