S3 Radiator mounts

[Arno Church]

Help!
I cannot locate , or even remember removing the lower radiator mounting brackets of my S3. The upper mountings are fitted to bonnet hinge slide stiffening brackets and are mounted on the body mounting to the front chassis turrets. I had to fabricate one as the RH one went astray after the accident by the DPO. There are no indications in the WS manual as to what the bottom brackets look like and there are also no indications as to where they are mounted on the body/chassis.
Can anybody help?
Arno

[gjz30075]

Arno,
The lower mounts are quite simple. It's a strip of 16/18 guage (or so)
metal, 1" X 2 1/4" , bent in half 90 degrees with a 3/8" hole in the middle
of each 'tab'. One tab gets mounted to the body and the other half gets
mounted to the radiator. Place the radiator in the car, loosely mounted with
the top mounts and you can then determine the location of the lower mounts.
The multiple holes on the radiator mounting flange gives you flexibility.
Don't go too low because the body mounting will end up behind the upper 'A'
arm pivot and would be very difficult to work in a nut there.

Greg
'72 Sprint, working on mounting an S3 radiator as we speak.

[Arno Church]

Thanks Greg,
Will now be able to make them.
If I understand correctly it is mounted through the fibreglass only and not through the chassis somehow?
I also take it that the radiator is mounted vertical- not at a slant ?
Arno


Arno,
The lower mounts are quite simple. It's a strip of 16/18 guage (or so)
metal, 1" X 2 1/4" , bent in half 90 degrees with a 3/8" hole in the middle
of each 'tab'. One tab gets mounted to the body and the other half gets
mounted to the radiator. Place the radiator in the car, loosely mounted with
the top mounts and you can then determine the location of the lower mounts.
The multiple holes on the radiator mounting flange gives you flexibility.
Don't go too low because the body mounting will end up behind the upper 'A'
arm pivot and would be very difficult to work in a nut there.

Greg
'72 Sprint, working on mounting an S3 radiator as we speak.

[gjz30075]

--- In lotuselan@y..., "Arno Church" <stuckect@i...> wrote:



Correct. Through the fibreglass. In the wheel well, the bolts will
be just forward of the shock tower and above the 'A' arm. The
radiator will be at a very slight rearward slant. You certainly want
to position the bottom so the hose fits.

Greg

[Steve Crook]

Arno
The lower radiator mounting bracket is a piece of flat bar bent 90
deg at one end with a 5/16 clearance hole to line up with one of the holes
in the radiator side and the other part of the flat bar is slotted with a
3/8 clearance and uses the chassis
turret/body fixing bolt for location, not the fiberglass . The slot is to
enable the radiator to be positioned for fan clearance, sit the rad as high
as possible to the bonnet without touching and blank off the gap at the
bottom.

Regards
Steve
----- Original Message -----
From: Arno Church <***@***.***>

Sent: Sunday, March 04, 2001 19:00
Subject: Re: [LotusElan.net] S3 Radiator mounts



stiffening brackets and are mounted on the body mounting to the front
chassis turrets. I had to fabricate one as the RH one went astray after the
accident by the DPO. There are no indications in the WS manual as to what
the bottom brackets look like and there are also no indications as to where
they are mounted on the body/chassis.

[Arno Church]

Thanks Steve

Arno
The lower radiator mounting bracket is a piece of flat bar bent 90
deg at one end with a 5/16 clearance hole to line up with one of the holes
in the radiator side and the other part of the flat bar is slotted with a
3/8 clearance and uses the chassis
turret/body fixing bolt for location, not the fiberglass . The slot is to
enable the radiator to be positioned for fan clearance, sit the rad as high
as possible to the bonnet without touching and blank off the gap at the
bottom.

Regards
Steve

[Arno Church]

Steve
I was checking this out tonight and the chassis turret/body fixing bobbin is some 5 " behind (to the rear) of the radiator flange . The upper mount which runs from the same bobbin up to the u/s of the bonnet slide and with a mounting flange bent through 45 degrees, fits perfectly with the radiator in position.
If the bottom mount is fitted to this bobbin, surely there will be a turning moment or force on the bottom bracket as this will be running horizontal over the 5". Is the upper mount strong enough in the vertical plane to retain the weight of the radiator filled with water? What are the lengths of the two "legs" of the bottom bracket?
Arno
----- Original Message -----
From: Arno Church
To: ***@***.***
Sent: Monday, March 05, 2001 4:38 PM
Subject: Re: [LotusElan.net] S3 Radiator mounts


Thanks Steve

Arno
The lower radiator mounting bracket is a piece of flat bar bent 90
deg at one end with a 5/16 clearance hole to line up with one of the holes
in the radiator side and the other part of the flat bar is slotted with a
3/8 clearance and uses the chassis
turret/body fixing bolt for location, not the fiberglass . The slot is to
enable the radiator to be positioned for fan clearance, sit the rad as high
as possible to the bonnet without touching and blank off the gap at the
bottom.

Regards
Steve

[Steve Crook]

Arno
The engine in my S3 is presently out, I will take a digital photo
tonight showing the mounting bracket as fitted (without rad) and email to
you off line tomorrow.

Steve

[Arno Church]

Thanks Steve , you're a star
Arno

Arno
The engine in my S3 is presently out, I will take a digital photo
tonight showing the mounting bracket as fitted (without rad) and email to
you off line tomorrow.

Steve

[paul_adamson]

Whoa there! Can I also have a copy!
In the interests of good cooling I've 1/2 fitted an S3 radiator in my S4
I'd love to see how it's meant to look.

-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Crook [mailto:***@***.***
Sent: 06 March 2001 10:46
To: ***@***.***
Subject: Re: [LotusElan.net] S3 Radiator mounts


Arno
The engine in my S3 is presently out, I will take a digital photo
tonight showing the mounting bracket as fitted (without rad) and email to
you off line tomorrow.

Steve

[cliveyboy]

While we are on the subject of radiators dont forget the piece of card that
goes in front at the bottom.
Cliveyboy
_________________________________________________________________________
.

[Elan45]

No, the lower mounts are under the heads of the bolts that go through the body bobbin and tie into the top of the chassis tower for the front suspension. This should be pretty obvious. If you need photos, contact me off line and I will take digital photos and send them to you.

Roger


Thanks Greg,
Will now be able to make them.
If I understand correctly it is mounted through the fibreglass only and not through the chassis somehow?
I also take it that the radiator is mounted vertical- not at a slant ?
Arno


Arno,
The lower mounts are quite simple. It's a strip of 16/18 guage (or so)
metal, 1" X 2 1/4" , bent in half 90 degrees with a 3/8" hole in the middle
of each 'tab'. One tab gets mounted to the body and the other half gets
mounted to the radiator. Place the radiator in the car, loosely mounted with
the top mounts and you can then determine the location of the lower mounts.
The multiple holes on the radiator mounting flange gives you flexibility.
Don't go too low because the body mounting will end up behind the upper 'A'
arm pivot and would be very difficult to work in a nut there.

Greg
'72 Sprint, working on mounting an S3 radiator as we speak.

[Elan45]

No, see my earlier posting this morning. If anything, the radiator is a little farther forward at the bottom.





Correct. Through the fibreglass. In the wheel well, the bolts will
be just forward of the shock tower and above the 'A' arm. The
radiator will be at a very slight rearward slant. You certainly want
to position the bottom so the hose fits.

Greg

[Elan45]

Your upper mounts must be wrong somehow. I'll have to look at mine to tell you what I suspect could be wrong.

Roger


I was checking this out tonight and the chassis turret/body fixing bobbin is some 5 " behind (to the rear) of the radiator flange . The upper mount which runs from the same bobbin up to the u/s of the bonnet slide and with a mounting flange bent through 45 degrees, fits perfectly with the radiator in position.
If the bottom mount is fitted to this bobbin, surely there will be a turning moment or force on the bottom bracket as this will be running horizontal over the 5". Is the upper mount strong enough in the vertical plane to retain the weight of the radiator filled with water? What are the lengths of the two "legs" of the bottom bracket?
Arno
----- Original Message -----
From: Arno Church
To: ***@***.***
Sent: Monday, March 05, 2001 4:38 PM
Subject: Re: [LotusElan.net] S3 Radiator mounts


Thanks Steve

Arno
The lower radiator mounting bracket is a piece of flat bar bent 90
deg at one end with a 5/16 clearance hole to line up with one of the holes
in the radiator side and the other part of the flat bar is slotted with a
3/8 clearance and uses the chassis
turret/body fixing bolt for location, not the fiberglass . The slot is to
enable the radiator to be positioned for fan clearance, sit the rad as high
as possible to the bonnet without touching and blank off the gap at the
bottom.

Regards
Steve