Hot Rods Radiator stay rods look broken , any advice.

As you can see the car is channeled 2” ,we have sectioned the radiator ,I think 1” 1/2. The rods can only go up on the firewall 3/8” . They need to come down maybe 1”1/2 on the radiator to negate the broken uphill look. Is the best thing To un solder the bracket and make a new one? It’s just the funky strengthening radius in the middle Of the bracket that could be a challenge to duplicate.

 

I wonder if you can cut the bracket horizontally near the bend and add a section dropping the attachment points down where they need to be

 

You mean cut it at the top bend and add some metal. Possibly need to do some sculpture work as I imagine the centre bulge is to stop it flexing .

 

What Tim said will work and i would add a bulge for the flexing.

 

Maybe it's the picture; but the radiator looks a couple inches too tall. Maybe put the grille shell on and run a straight edge off the cowl, should be a slight slope down to the front.

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X2 on the radiator being too tall.

 

I also agree the radiator is too tall but there is a way of using what you have.

Why not make 2 new rods, run them from the present location on the firewall and step them up at a angle and then straighten them out to attach to the radiator. HRP

 

There no rule that says the 'rods' have to be dead straight so they roll on a pool table like a cuestick. I'd maybe bend a double-dogleg at one end or the other of the rods to establish the visual line that you're after. The rods you have look slightly overkill, heavier than average. They may be a big deal to bend and will maybe draw the eye or be a distraction no matter what you do.
Forgive me for being such a critic. I'm an anal-detail guy because of my past occupation. I love everything else I see.

Edit: The suggestion to muck with the front bracket is not a bad idea. If you can cut off the upward curl at the back end of the bracket and flip it or extend it down to mimic the drop at the firewall, you might have another option.

 

It throws the whole car off when the radiator is too high. Grille shell would make it even worse. It look like if you brought the radiator down to where those rods are level it would be about right. Just my opinion. Let's see a pic of the whole car.

 

Radiator does look a little tall. If it can’t be lowered make up some new bars with a z in it. Or... bolt a piece of flat stock to the bracket for a lower mount. Curved to match the bracket. Sorry just thinking what I would do. None of my stuff is pretty so.........

edit: shiftwizard beat me to it.

 

You could unsolder the bracket, cut off the rod attaching part and turn it over and reweld. Or you could get a piece of 10 ga. steel and drill holes for the rods and bolt it to the radiator at the appropriate height.

 

Radiator to high, by time you put grill shell on it will look even worse.

 

Radiator has to come down.. You will not be happy the way it is....

 

Seconded on the bolt-on "extension" of the original mounting points. You do still need to lower or shorten the radiator to keep the lines right, but a quick-and-dirty curved piece of .120" flat stock, arced to follow the original curve, would get it stable for the time being. Two bolts in the top, and your support rods in the lower holes.

Roger

 

No expert and the eyes not that good myself but as said, once the grill shell is on it’s not going to look to clever. Nothing comes for free, either the radiator should come down or the whole other end of the rods should come up.
A friend over here lowered the mounting pad areas on his front cross member to get his radiator down another half inch,brutal but any gain is a bonus.
Nice looking Y block by the way!

 

Hey, has anyone mentioned his radiator might be too tall?

 

You did a much better job of explaining what I was trying to convey.

 

no I don.t think that's the problem ,I think the radiator is too tall so Id make some funky brackets to drop the rods instead

 

If he lowers the radiator, the back air cleaner will hit the hood. Probably will anyway.

 

Well, ya know......every once-in-a-while I can still surprise folks.

Roger.....tryin' to stay humble

 

For shits and grins that’s what it looks like with a hood top

 

It may be the angle of picture but still looks to tall. 1/2 to 3/4 inch lower would help a lot.

 

I think the hood line on a '28-'29 slopes down to the front more than it appears in your addition.

 

@fastcar1953 and @RICH B

I drew how s hood top would actually fit on this particular car. And while I could measure I’m pretty confident in saying two things.

1: the hood line as drawn is is flat. The distance which amounts to the front and back of a hood side are very close to the same from hood edge to the frame.

2: yes, stock they slope down as Rich’s photo shows. Which makes me wonder if the stock hood sides aren’t square or if the hood shelves have the taper incorporated. Leaning towards the hood shelves being wedge shaped. Haven’t held one for a couple days

 

Radiator isn't to tall, body is to low. (Just kidding, great looking car so far)

 

I measured because I got curious and the hood sides do tapper. The back is 3/4 inch -roughly- taller than the front

 

I tend to agree the radiator is still too high , just can’t get a picture at present as the 32 is in front . I did throw a bit of ply on as a mock-up but hard to get far enough away to get a decent visual. We have already taken I believe 1” 1/2 out of radiator and am reluctant to take more and have a boiler. Shifting it forward would make a Pinocchio and a useless mechanical fan . I am looking at options of cutting into the front crossmember and replacing what we cut out and raising the radiator mounts . My son is a welder by trade. His car he can make the call.
I think these are the air horns he wants to use , so air cleaners through the hood will most likely happen if in fact he does run a hood. That’s his old Triumph .

 

Reverse Milner

 

That’s a good idea, I’ve seen the dropped radiator mounts in the cross member before.sounds like a good solution

 

We took 3/4” out of radiator and made a new stay rod bracket with a continuation of the “nose”which lowered the mounting point another 2”. Now just need to modify radiator side bands.