Aftermarket radiator is a bit off.

It"s a nice day here. Supposed to hit 60 or so.

Anyhow, my radiator on my "48 8N is a new almost fits right and the filler neck rubs the hole in the hood for it to fit through and the cap, once in place, rubs the hood enought to: 1). not seal and...2). defotm the filler neck.

My fix is to shim up radiator with thicker rubber to raise it for cap/hood clearance.

Shorten top radiator hose to tilt neck for clearance in hood.

Is there any problem with doing these two things I haven"t caught? Is there a better way?
thanks.
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Third picture didn't post but you can see,in the second pic, where filler flange is deformed due to cap and hood fit.

Radiator is shorter but has a longer filler neck. No problem with cooling just hood clearance.
 
You need to also adjust the upper radiator hose so the rad sits up straight and make sure your green fiber shim goes all the way around the rad neck.Most important that in all your adjustments the fan clears the radiator 360 degrees. Make sure your hood is on correcly and it not part of the alinement problem.
 
Yes the hood is on correctly.
The radiator is as it bolted on. I can move it back but I didn"t want to torque on it too hard. I know the mount on the tractor is slotted but I think it is back as far as it goes. I"ll look at that again.
It looks like I got almost an inch between the fan and radiator.
I have an old mudflap I can use for rubber to shim up the radiator a little. Might have an old inner tube from my motorcycle, too.
 
You should see mine - opposite problem. Radiator cap is about 1 1/2 inches from the hood. It looks REALLY nice.
 
Been there, and done that on two different radiators - one of which I purchased from a supposedly reputable seller of "just 8N" parts. I ended up repairing my old radiator and putting it back on. I now have two radiators (one nearly new) sitting in boxes in my shop somewhere collecting dust. If I recall correctly the last one I purchased new I could not fit the shroud correctly and ended up slipping with a drill (accidentally) and going into the core with the drill - making my day even better. I was really disappointed as I also purchased some other parts from them including some of the tie rod boots which lasted about a month before cracking and breaking. I read constantly on this site that the company I purchased from is a reputable company to deal with (not this site), but in my opinion, if parts do not fit correctly (as was the case with the radiator), or will not last more than a month I have to disagree. My advice, if your radiator can have a new core put in, that would be what I would do, as paying a couple hundred for something like what you have pictured is not worth the hassle of trying to make it fit.
 
Been there; done that. I was straightening fins on my old radiator and turned it into a garden sprinkler. Water coming out everywhere. The shroud off the original one wouldn't fit the new one. That doesn't seem to be a problem as it's never gotten hot to the point of boiling over. I still got my old one but I gotta make do with what I got being out of work at the moment. The new one works fine; it's just not shaped like the original.
BTW- There seems to be more parts that don't fit correctly than parts that do. I'd like to have the money back that I've blown on almost-but-not-quite fits parts from China or Mexico. Aside from not fitting you also got the quality issues you mention.
 
When my engine rebuilder called and told me that the whole top of my radiator had come off I assumed that he was talking about the top tank so I ordered a supposedly top of the line new replacement. When I took it to him I saw that what had come loose was the filler neck. Oh well, I already had the new one so I told him to put it on. Well, it took him awhile cuz he said it didn't fit right and had to make some modifications. The really bad part was that the neck was too long and the cap sat almost 2" above the hood.It really looked crappy so I fixed my old one and put it back on.
 
Probably the part that bothered me the most was that since I had problems with an aftermarket radiator I had purchased used, I called this vendor (who comes recommended by many on this site), and specifically asked if this radiator would fit properly, and explained to him the issue with the other one. He assured me I would have no problems. The only reason I did not call return the radiator and demand my purchase cost and shipping back was due to the fact I damaged it trying to make it fit (I was sure this was the only way to get my tractor going in time for hay season). I knew there was no way they would even talk to me after I drilled for the shroud, and punched a hole in the core. I admit the majority of the parts I purchased from them are fine, but radiator and tie rod boots certainly were not among them. I noticed on their site now it lists the radiator dimensions as "Its dimensions, size, construction and appearance is close to the original". Kinda like "almost right". Reminds me of a used fender I purchased for a pickup a couple years ago.......they said it was a good straight fender, ready to paint, but when I received it they had wrapped it in saran type wrap, and slapped a shipping label on it. It arrived with 3 creases in the fender which was worse than the one I had, so I ended up using my original, but I ended up getting my credit card charges reversed, and told the seller he could pick up the worthless fender. end of rant, but I am still sore over that radiator. :)
 
I purchased one at TSC and although it was not that cheap, it did fit surprisingly well. I do not have the shroud. Made in India I believe.
 
What I don't get is how these ripoff companies can make stuff so wrong. Wouldn't it be easier (and more profitable) to make it correctly, then just sit back and let the money roll in from satisfied customers? Am I too old fashioned? Am I a dreamer?
 
(quoted from post at 18:54:50 03/10/13) Been there, and done that on two different radiators - one of which I purchased from a supposedly reputable seller of "just 8N" parts. I ended up repairing my old radiator and putting it back on. I now have two radiators (one nearly new) sitting in boxes in my shop somewhere collecting dust. If I recall correctly the last one I purchased new I could not fit the shroud correctly and ended up slipping with a drill (accidentally) and going into the core with the drill - making my day even better. I was really disappointed as I also purchased some other parts from them including some of the tie rod boots which lasted about a month before cracking and breaking. I read constantly on this site that the company I purchased from is a reputable company to deal with (not this site), but in my opinion, if parts do not fit correctly (as was the case with the radiator), or will not last more than a month I have to disagree. My advice, if your radiator can have a new core put in, that would be what I would do, as paying a couple hundred for something like what you have pictured is not worth the hassle of trying to make it fit.

Ron-MO, not sure when you purchased your radiator, but there where issues prior to 2011.

I purchased one that they said came from a different manufacturer. The only problem that I had was the pre-installed mounting bolts where spaced a 1/8th of an inch off..All I had to do was open up the mounting holes to make it fit.

As far as the shroud fit, I do not have one so "no comment".
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The (new) radiator I purchased was in 2006, however the issues I had was not with the mounting bolts, it was similar to the issue with the top filler neck as mentioned in this post, but in addition I had obvious issues with the holes to mount the shroud. The first (used) aftermarket radiator had issues with not only the filler neck, but also the outlet, and it has been some time, and I cannot recall details on that issue. Sure seems to be a lot of junk, and some of the junk is being sold by supposed "restoration" suppliers (which was the case on the new radiator I purchased). I wish I had taken the time to persue getting my money back (with shipping cost both ways) from this supplier rather than try to modify the radiator to make it fit, as in my opinion paying over $200 for a "restoration" radiator from a seller who specializes in N parts should not mean you have to either make it fit, or live with an ill fitting radiator.
 
Yes, you can add rubber pads to raise the radiator a bit so long as you do not raise it so much that the shroud hits the fan.

Yes, you can tip the radiator back a bit by shortening the upper hose a bit or simply slipping the hose onto the water necks a bit farther so long as you do not cause the fan to hit the core.

Dean
 
No shroud on my new one that I'm having trouble with here.
I got almost an inch between the fan and the radiator. I'm not gonna go whole hog on it. Just enough for clearance. Maybe a 1/4" back and about that up.
 

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