Inliners International Forums General Discussion Tech Tips radiator clearance problem, gmc 302

Maybe someone can help me out here. I have a '54 Chevy pick up that I am putting a GMC 302 engine into. I noticed that I only had about a half inch clearance between the harmonic balancer and the radiator. There was no clearance at the water pump area. I thought maybe I could rearrange the mounting brackets to possibly give me another 3/8" clearance but that would leave me no room for an electric fan. Does anyone have any advice to offer?... Should I use a thinner radiator (custom built)? Does anyone know of another radiator that would fit this application?
Thank you for your time!
Bosshog

I am assuming that the '54 is similar to the earlier AD pickups. Most will cut out the top lateral part of the radiator crossmember and mount a chevy radiator in front of the crossmember. This will work but you greatly weaken the crossmember. I used this method in my '48. In time, the top bar of the grill will crack. There is a better way. Get a GMC radiator and radiator crossmember. Cut both your chevy crossmember and the gmc crossmember about 1/3 way up. Take the top of the gmc crossmember and the bottom of the chevy crossmember and weld together. This will get you the radiator in the right spot without compromising structural rigidity. You will have to slightly trim the hood latch panel. If I recall correctly, the ears which go out to the fenders may have to be redrilled. Shoot me your email and I'll send you some pics.

Dear Jayson;

Good tip/remedy to an old problem.

Sounds like a good article for the TPN.

The GMC front cross member is a different design from the same model Chevy truck front cross member and radiator support in like years from 49-54. We GMC guys like bust stones by saying Chevy guys have long motor envy. That's not a dig, just a poke at some fun so don't take it seriously.

This might help you understand the key differences a little better:
http://www.oldchevytrucks.com/cgi/htmlos.exe/001932.4.2624903408900002722





and this one I took last year in Patrick's boneyard. He happened to have a GMC and Chevy frame stacked on each other (like in the photos above) in the yard:


You can see in the shot from the angle how the GMC radiator mount is a few inches farther forward and a little lower than the corresponding Chevy one.

This is a pretty common problem for what it's worth. Using the front GMC cross member will relocate the radiator and create other problems, so I'm not sure that will fix more problems than it creates.

Here's how Patrick Dykes manages the 302 front motor mount on a Chevy frame for what its worth: