REMOVING THE DASHBOARD FROM A 1970 CUTLASS SUPREME CONVERTIBLE, PART I of II

What kind of twisted bozo removes the entire dashboard when the dashboard doesn’t need replacing?  Truth be told there are several repairs that sort of require it:  the heater core is one.  A heater core can be done without removing all of the dashboard, but it’s a lot easier to do with the dash out of the way.  If you need to re-wire the dash, you have to take the dash out of the car to access the harnesses.  Unless you like swearing.  Here’s a little known secret: you need to remove the dash if you have to replace the convertible top switch. There’s a brace for the steering column mount that they don’t tell you about in the service manual. It’s blocking one of the two nuts that holds the switch on. Mr. Bungle might just cut and remove the brace so that next time a switch needs service, you just work around it. That brace is there for a reason. Give yourself an excuse to spend a day communing with your car.  Take the dash apart.  What else do you have to do with your Saturday?

Me, I’ve got a heater core and a top switch to replace, so the dash is coming out.  These are good off-season projects to stretch out over several weekends when weather allows, and you don’t care if the car is inoperable.  Can you tell I live in the north?

You’ll need:

• 5/16”, 1/4” sockets (from a 1/4” drive) and wrenches.  And a few other sizes.  Just keep the 1/4″ set handy.  This is why the Scout’s Pledge says, “be prepared”.  Of course if you weren’t a boy scout you don’t know this.  So I’m telling you now.  Better late than never.  I think that’s also in the Scout’s Pledge.
• an English straight-head screwdriver
• a #3 Phillips screwdriver
• plenty of Ziploc baggies (or any other brand, this isn’t a plug)
• a permanent marker
• flagging tape
• A small tool tray/caddy.  Keep your tools in this, and drop parts into this so you don’t lose them.  A little neatness separates repair jobs that are fun from repair jobs that suck.
• A task light.  I stopped in the hardware store today and they have these new LED task lights that are smaller than a flashlight and throw a lot of light.  I bought one and it’s a LOT better than the old fashioned task lights that are bulky, get uber-hot, and have electric cords that you get tangled up in.  It has a magnet so you can mount it up in the dash and ACTUALLY SEE WHAT YOU ARE DOING!  Get one that uses AA for longer life, and get some rechargable batteries for it.  Save the big bulky hot thing for big jobs like chassis or engine compartment work.

Here’s a before shot of a 1970 Cutlass Supreme dashboard.  This procedure should work on any Olds A body from 1970-72 with minor tweaks, depending on the accessories your car comes equipped with.  The procedure pretty much follows the one in the chassis service manual, with one-two tweaks to accommodate my personal preferences.

A typical 1970 Cutlass Supreme dashboard. I think it’s time to remove all those old vehicle tax stickers and state park passes.

The pictures use colored arrows to show where screws and other hardware are located.  I’ve seen a lot of how-to guides that show a picture, but don’t point out where the screws are.  Sometimes there are 3 dozen screws in the shot, when the guide says “remove the 3 screws”.   The arrows will make this all easier to follow.  Think of it as “dashboard removal for dummies”.

Do a light check to see if you’ve got any burnt-out bulbs.  This is the perfect time to replace them, since you’ll have everything apart.  Write down which bulbs are out, get the new bulbs from the parts store, and pop ‘em in when you reassemble.

1)  Disconnect battery.  I know this is obvious, but it bears repeating so you don’t send yourself to the hospital or wreck something that’s half a paycheck to replace.

2)  Remove lower A/C ducts.  Chances are you don’t have an 8-track player, so this is one piece.  If you have an 8-track player, The Song Remains the Same, man!  Oh, and you have two pieces to remove.  Most of the screws are in recesses; you’ll need to use a screwdriver handle on a 5/16” socket.  The one on the far left is flush to the dash.  Most of the screws you’ll encounter on the dash will be 5/16”.  Unless one of the previous owners was sloppy and stripped a few screws out, or lost some of them.  Then you’ll have some that are 5/16”, some that are 7/16, and some that are Phillips heads.  BTW, if you strip a screw out and have to replace it with a larger screw, DO NOT USE A PHILLIPS HEAD SCREW!  Especially if the screw goes into a recess.  If that screw head gets stripped you’re really gonna piss someone off.  I know from experience.

The lower A/C duct assembly on a 1970 Cutlass Supreme.

Once the screws are off, the duct assembly is gonna come right off.  Put the screws in a baggie, label, zip, and put to the side.

I’ve heard people refer to these ducts as “skirt chasers”, “crotch coolers”, and “poor man’s ass warmers”.  Do these things really push enough air to do any of those things?

3) Remove glove box.  To do this, you’ll need to take off the door/hinge, the glove box light, and the striker.  Refer to the picture below to locate all the screws.  Everything should have a 5/16” head except the glove box light, which will be a Phillips head.  Don’t remove the door from the hinge; just remove the whole thing as an assembly.  Those bottom 3 screws are kinda hidden behind the hinge.

Location of glove box screws, 1970 Cutlass Supreme. All these screws to hold on a piece of cardboard.

Oh, almost forgot.  There’s a stopper on the glove box door, all the way to the left.  I didn’t show it in the picture becasue someone who shouldn’t be named removed it but neglected to reconnect it.  You can’t see it in the picture so you don’t know it’s there.

Getting the glove box out is a lesson in geometry.  The thing is made of cardboard and if it is old, it’s not gonna make it out alive.  The replacement boxes are cheap, so just order one and replace it.  You’ll need to push the thing up, back, and turn it to the left to get it out.

4.  Remove steering column trim panel.  After doing something tough, I like doing something easy.  It’s two screws staring you right in the face, if you’re laying on your back with the driveshaft hump pressing into your lumbar.

Location of screws on steering column trim panel, 1970 Cutlass Supreme.

5.  Remove A/C manifold if so equipped.  I read somewhere that most CS’s came out of the factory with A/C, as the car was marketed as an entry-level personal luxury car.  Chances are you have this duct, even if you don’t have A/C because some kid removed it in 1979 to make the car “go faster”.  This is why I groove on having a car this old with the original A/C system.  Anyways, there are two screws holding this on.  Once you pop out the screws, the duct comes right off.

Screw location, A/C manifold, 1970 Cutlass Supreme.

This is a good spot to also remind you to get replacement gaskets whenever you do a job like this.  In most cases you have no idea when the last time the gaskets were changed, and they’re probably the original gaskets.  What do you suppose my 44-year old gaskets were like when I took the manifold off?  That’s right, spaghetti.

6)  Remove left-side A/C duct.  While you’re lying on your back practicing to be a contortionist, shift around and remove the duct on the driver’s side.  There’s only one screw holding it in.  With the manifold out of the way this duct will pop right off.  You now have full access to everything behind the dash… from below.

Screw location. LH side A/C duct, 1970 Cutlass Supreme.

7) Remove instrument trim panel.  OK, time to sit up and stretch.  The instrument panel has four screws.  Two up top, and two below that serve the dual purpose of holding on the light diffusers for your options switches.  Grab your Phillips and take ‘em off.  I’ll stress this really important tidbit now:  DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN ANY OF THESE SCREWS!  The two that hold on the light diffusers are perfect examples.  Over-tighten these, and you’ll warp the diffusers.   You’ll warp most of the plastic on these dashes.  It’s not like the modern shit that’s treated with chemicals to prevent UV and heat damage.  When you put stuff back on, snug ‘em up and you’re done.  If your gramma can’t get them off, they’re too tight.

Screw location, instrument panel trim, 1970 Cutlass Supreme.

Here’s an example of how to use the plastic bags:  put the hardware in, label what the parts are for, and find a box to put them all in so they’re all in one place.  If you’re doing this as a weekend job, it might be a while before you get back to work.  You’ll forget stuff.  I’m a single man with no kids, but I’ve seen what my nephews are like in a garage and if you don’t keep stuff organized and put away, shit’s gonna get lost.  I can’t stress this enough:  a little bit of neatness goes a long way.  I expect this job will span 4-6 weeks for me, and there’s no way I’m going to remember which screw goes where when I put this baby back together at the end of March.

Hardware and small parts tucked away neatly in a bag. My gramma would be so proud.

8)  Remove idiot light cluster (also known as the fuel gauge).  You’ll take the instrument clusters off left to right, starting with the idiot light cluster.  Remove the three screws.  Gently work the cluster forward.  Pop off the wiring connector.  Use an English screwdriver to GENTLY pry up.  Once you work it loose, use your hands to get it off the rest of the way.

The instrument panel with trim removed, showing screw location. 1970 Cutlass Supreme.

Removing wiring harness from the back of an instrument cluster, 1970 Cutlass Supreme.

9)  Remove LH duct hose.  See that paper hose going up to the LH A/C vent?  With the idiot light cluster out of the way, you can reach in and work it loose from the vent.  There’s two plusses to having this out of the way:  it lets a bit more light behind the dash, and it makes it easier to remove the wiring harnesses.  This hose was stapled to the vent at the factory, so to remove it you’ll need to pop off the louvers and remove the staple.  Unless somebody in the past didn’t know that this was all stapled together.  In that case, your hose will look like this when you get it out of the car:

You said you couldn’t feel any cold air through the vent when the A/C was on?  Well there’s your problem.

That’s what restoration parts warehouses are for, right?

With the louvers off, you can take those inside and give them a good scrubbing in the mudroom sink.  And get some chrome touch-up paint to freshen up all the chips in the “chrome” accents on the louvers.  Poor man’s alternative:  Testor’s silver enamel paint is great for touching up chips in the chrome.  No one will notice except you.

10)  Remove speedometer.  Take out the screws.  Also, take off the ground strip and put it in the bag with the screws.   You’ve got two things going on in the back that’ll make this a party if you aren’t careful.  Disengage the transmission gear indicator if you have a column-mounted shifter.  Back down on the floor and look up at the steering column.  You’ll see a thin metal rod like a paperclip, attached to a hook on the steering column.  The hook is held in with a screw, on my car it was 1/4″.  Use a wrench to remove.  Trust me, you can’t fit a socket on it.

Mounting location for the transmission gear indicator, 1970 Cutlass Supreme.

While you’re down there, shine a light on the back of the gauge.  See that cable smack dab in the middle?  That’s the speedometer cable.  It’s held in by a metal retainer. There’s a tab on the bottom of the retainer. Get the English screwdriver, depress on the tab, and pull the gauge forward.  The cable should pop right off and the speedo is free.  Remove the wiring harness like you did with the idiot lights.

Location (sort of) of speedometer cable to speedometer mount. 1970 Cutlass Supreme.

11)  Remove clock.  Yeah, the thing died 15 minutes after the car drove off the dealer’s lot, but you still have to deal with the body.  Three screws out, pop off the electrical lead and the light bulbs, and that’s that.  BTW, if your clock doesn’t work there are rebuild services that will replace the old mechanical clock with quartz movement hardware.  I’d recommend this service.  Had this done back in 1997, and after 16 years the clock is still working.  That’s 15 years, 364 days, 23 hours, and 45 minutes longer than the factory clock worked.  And it keeps better time than the digital clock in my  2005 Honda Civic or my 2011 Ford F-150.  Besides, if your concours judge takes off the instrument panel to see if it’s still the original mechanical clock, you’re dealing with a judge who REALLY needs to get a life.

Back of the clock cluster, 1970 Cutlass Supreme. How is a concours judge supposed to tell this has a quartz clock in it?

12)  Remove radio.  If you’re like me and you still have the factory radio, this is easy.  If you put an aftermarket radio in, you’re on your own.  Remove the knobs and the two nuts that hold the dials in place.  With the glove box out, you’ve got easy access to the mounting bracket.  There’s a single nut holding the radio to the bracket.  EPIC FAIL on the anti-theft device.  Then again, who’d want to steal one of these radios?  Can you imagine how whacked out someone would have to be?  Anyways, remove the nut, 7/32” or some odd size like that, and the radio slides right down the back and out of the car.

Radio dial retainer nuts, 1970 Cutlass Supreme.

Radio mounting bracket nut, viewed from glovebox opening, 1970 Cutlass Supreme.

If you have a factory radio, this is a good time to clean the volume and station tuners.  In the old days, we’d scoot down to Radio Shack, get some tuner cleaner, pop off the cover, take out the tuners, spray them down, and put it all back together.  Good as new.  Radio Shack doesn’t sell that stuff anymore.  Now you have to go to Amazon.  Search “contact cleaner” or “TV tuner cleaner” and you’ll find it.  I’ve heard some say brake cleaner works.  Without doing a label comparison I’m not willing to sacrifice the radio.

At this point, you’ve done everything you need to do to undress the dash for removal.  When we continue, we’ll unplug wiring harnesses, loosen the steering column, and remove the nuts and screws holding the dash to the car.  Much of this is blind work so don’t expect many pictures.  BTW, if you’ve followed directions your dash should look like this:

I wouldn’t suggest driving anywhere. You won’t be able to tell how fast you are going or if you have enough time to make it to the next gas station before your tank runs dry.

Part II coming up when I get to it. Depends on the weather.

REPLACING CONVERTIBLE TOP MOTOR, 1970 CUTLASS SUPREME

The high temperature outside is 13 degrees.  But I’m jonesing to get started on the car repairs.  I’ve made a list of things to do and checked it twice. Today’s task is to remove the convertible top motor.  This is quite possibly one of the easiest things in the car to remove.  So easy that I don’t need to post any pictures.  Besides, it’s cold out.  I don’t want to operate a camera if I don’t have to.

Here’s a summary of a guide from the service that is going to rebuild the motor for me.  There are four things that go wrong with convertible top pumps.  Based on reading this, it’s a good idea to check the voltage to the pump from time to time.  The pump should draw 30-35 amps when in operation.  If it is drawing more than that, it’s time to repair or replace.  The four problems are:

1)  The pump operates erratically when the switch is activated.  The armature in the motor is shorted out.  Another symptom of a bad armature is a worn-out top switch.  Components in the switch melt because it is designed for a maximum 40 amps, and a shorted out motor will draw over 100 amps.

2)  You press the top switch and nothing happens.  The brushes in the motor are worn out.  Or mice got into your car and chewed through one of the wires leading to the motor.

3)  The top only works in one direction.  A check valve in the pump is shot.

4)  The motor works normally but the top doesn’t.  There’s a leak somewhere.  That’s why your car smells like old transmission fluid.

No matter what you have a busted motor that should be replaced ASAP.

This procedure will work for any GM “A” body made between 1968 and 1972.

Tools you’ll need:

• A pry bar.  Use the one for your spare tire jack.  Unless you are Mr. Bungle and never bothered to replace it when you bought the car and the jack was missing.
• ½” box wrench
• Rags
• Wire ties
• #3 Phillips screwdriver
• Flag tape.  You can get this at any hardware store.  It is your friend for marking hoses, wires, and anything else that you’re not going to remember the proper location for.
• Sharpie
• Soapy water
• A new set of rubber mounting bushings and fill plug.  These cost about 10 bucks from parts suppliers or eBay.  Get two plugs because you’ll need one for the:
• Handy Dandy Dr. Fisher convertible pump bleeder tool.  I’ll update this when I get around to re-installing the motor.
• A couple of soda bottles.  Make them 2-liter.  If you don’t drink soda, buy a couple of 2-liter soda bottles and pour a couple for R.E. Olds.
• A 50^oF or above day.  You’ll need to operate the top, and it has to be warm.  This is an arbitrary number, born of one of my dad’s two rules about owning a convertible:  if it’s over 50 you drop the top.  For the record, the second rule is:  you own a convertible because sometimes you have to put the top up.

Do this with the top in the raised/up position. It’s a hydraulic system, so the position of the top shouldn’t matter for servicing the pump. Having the top up gives you room to work, and you may need to raise the pump when you bleed it. If the top is down you have no clearance. And you’re fucked if you’re outside and the weather turns foul.

1)  Disconnect the battery.  This goes without saying.  Mr. Bungle may skip this step.  Mr. Bungle may also have some nerve damage from repeated electrical shocks.

2)  Clean out the trunk.  Remove everything including the trunk liner.  You don’t want to get everything soaked with fluid.  This is an excuse to get rid of all that crap that accumulates in your trunk.  And it gives you room to work.   Unless you’re Mr. Bungle.  In that case, knock yourself out.  Literally.

3)  Lift up the well liner.  This is the black vinyl bag that separates the trunk compartment from the passenger compartment.  When down, the top folds into it.  If you’re like me, you use the well liner to store the emergency jacket.  What’s the emergency jacket?  That’s for when you get the first nice spring day and you decide to take a quick spin with the top down.  Only to realize that when it’s 52 degrees out, going 30 MPH with the top down is pretty fucking cold.

You won’t need to remove the bag.  Just lift it up at the seams like you are turning it inside-out.  I tucked the corners behind the piston rods to hold it up out of the way.

4)  Remove the top motor.  You should now have a clear view of the top motor.  Unless you were doing this when it’s cold and you were running the car inside the garage to warm the place up.  In which case you’re dead and still reading this and that should creep you out.   The motor is held in place by three rubber acorn bushings.  Use the pry bar to lift the motor, making sure you are NOT tucked under the reservoir cap, which is the coppery part of the motor.  That thing is soft and you’ll bend it or puncture it if you are not careful.

Convertible top motor, removed from car.  The copper-y part on the left is the pump reservoir.  The aluminum part in the center is the pump.  The steel part on the left is the motor.  The bag underneath is a poor food choice.

The guide that I read said to use the soapy water to lubricate the bushings so they pop out easier.  My pump motor was the original motor.* Those rubber bushings were original.  Only they weren’t rubber any more.  More like some crusty material that once was rubber.  They crumbled.  This is why you bought the bushing kit, right?

5)  Remove the hydraulic piston hoses from the pump.  There are two sets of hoses:  one for lifting, one for lowering.  Use the flag tape to mark which hose is which so you don’t reverse them.  Unless you’re Mr. Bungle.  Then use the Sharpie to correct the label on the top switch.

Using the ½” box wrench, remove each set of fittings.  Because of the check valves, very little fluid should leak from the pump.  Wrap a rag around the fitting and use the wire tie to secure the hoses to the frame.  If you keep the fittings elevated they won’t leak fluid.

6)  Drain fluid from the pump.  Put the #3 Phillips in the divot of the rubber fill plug and work the plug out of the motor.  Unless you have the factory tool for removing this plug.  But you don’t have it.  So just use the screwdriver.  In my case, the plug met the same fate as the acorn bushings.  No matter, you remembered to order the replacement bushing and fill plug kit, right?  Now just pour the fluid out.  It’s going to be either Type “A” transmission fluid**, brake fluid, or (if the pump has been serviced at least once in it’s life), Dexron transmission fluid.  Either way, it’s going to smell kinda funky if it’s been in the pump for decades.  Drain the fluid into one of those soda bottles.  Use a funnel.  I shouldn’t have to say that but I will.  You should get 6-8 ounces of nasty, smelly fluid out of the pump.

7)  Replace/rebuild the pump.  If you haven’t already decided what to do, now is the time to decide.  If you are impatient, you’ve probably already got a replacement pump.  That’s cool.  I like to rebuild or repair original components whenever I can.  Since my pump is the original pump I’m opting to have it rebuilt.  If I’m happy with the job I’ll plug the rebuild service when I’ve finished the installation.

Which motor do you need?  As I understand it, they’re all kinda universal.  But if you want an exact match the part number is stamped on the motor cover.  There’s also a serial number stamped on the pump casing.  At least that’s where it was on mine.  If you send yours out for a rebuild, record the part number and the serial number so you know you’re getting your old pump back.  If you do the rebuild yourself, it looks pretty easy.  The hardest part would be rewiring the armature.  I’m lazy and I’m paying someone else to do the work. Kits for rebuilding the pump/motor are readily available.

The part number for the motor is found on the motor casing.  All GM top motors start with “5044”. 

The rest of this will have to wait.  The way things are going with the weather I won’t be able to finish this job until May 2014.  When I update I’ll talk about flushing the old fluid from the pistons and bleeding out the motor.

*How did I know it was the original pump?  It had an old label on it to remind the person who services the pump to only use Type “A” transmission fluid.

**Did you know a major ingredient in Type “A” transmission fluid was whale oil?  Yeah, GM was killing Shamu so people wouldn’t have to learn how to drive stick.

REPLACING A RADIATOR IN A 1970 OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS SUPREME WITH A/C

This is my first post regarding a repair.  I’m going to go into repairs so that if you are not a car buff, or you will never get close to doing this kind of repair, you might still enjoy reading it.

I’ve been working on cars for 30 years and I’ve heard a lot of derrogatory terms used for repair jobs that use shortcuts, all based on ethnic stereotypes.  I’m not going to use any of those terms.  I’m going to use the term Mr. Bungle.  Every repair will talk about Mr. Bungle.  How would Mr. Bungle do a radiator repair?  He’d go to his local car parts store and get a bottle of a “stop leak” product and pour it in.  That stuff don’t work.  It may buy you some time, but that’s about it.  It also gums up the tubes in your radiator, reducing its efficiency.  And it may also screw up your engine.  Don’t be a Mr. Bungle.  Just fix the damn radiator.

This repair was done the end of December 2013 by my mechanic, so this post is based on at least 4 other radiator jobs I have done on GM cars in the past.  First, here’s a list of parts and tools to have at the ready:

• 3/8″,7/16”, 1/2”, and 9/16” open-end wrenches.  One of each should do.
• 3/8″,7/16”, 1/2”, and 9/16” sockets.  A 3/8” drive should work for this job.  You won’t need a lot of torque unless the car is in really rough shape.
• Lift ramps.  You can also use jack stands, but save yourself the jacking and crawling around to place the stands.
• Penetrating Oil
• Flathead screwdriver
• Container for anti-freeze.  Parts stores have these flat containers with a large open mouth for doing oil changes.  Get at least one for draining fluids from a car.  If you plan on re-using the anti-freeze, get a separate pan for anti-freeze only.  You don’t want to cross-contaminate fluids.
• Container for transmission fluid
• Slipjaw/water pump pliers; may be needed for step 2
• Radiator mounts:  These are two pieces of rubber that fit on the lower radiator cowl.  These keep the radiator from vibrating and bouncing around while you are driving.  Any restorations part source worth their weight has these.
• A good radiator shop:  These are becoming harder to find as modern radiators become disposable.  Take the time to find one.  Trust me, you’ll need it.
• Distilled water:  this is to mix with the antifreeze.  Don’t use tap water, especially if you have hard water.  The minerals build up in your radiator, blocking tubes, decreasing efficiency, and shortening its lifespan.  Distilled water costs a buck a gallon at your local grocery store.  That’s a lot cheaper than another radiator repair 5 years down the line.
• Time:  be prepared to not drive the car for a few days.  Don’t wait to do this a day before the car show.

Only Mr. Bungle does anything with the coolant system when the car is warm.  Unless you want second degree burns on your upper body, do this when the car is cold.  Now, on to the radiator change!

0)  Disconnect battery.  This is an optional step.  You aren’t doing anything electrical, but I ALWAYS disconnect the battery when poking around under the hood.  It’s a safety thing.

1)  Put car up on ramps or jack stands.  You’ll need to get underneath to avoid a lot of swearing and scraped knuckles.  If you use ramps, swap this with Step 0 or else you’re going to have a hell of a time driving the car up on the ramps. Don’t forget to engage the emergency brake or put wheel chucks behind the rear wheels once the car is up on the ramps.

2)  Drain radiator.  Make sure you loosen the radiator cap before draining. You may or may not have a petcock to drain the radiator.  You should.  I have an original Harrison radiator, and it has a petcock.  The nipple on the petcock can accommodate a hose to make draining easier.  On my car it is the same size as the overflow hose.  Since the overflow hose needs to come off anyways, just pop it off and fit it over the petcock.  Something tells me that’s what GM intended with the original design.  You know, back in the days they designed things with ease of repair in mind.  If you don’t have a petcock, skip to Step 3 and drain in Step 4. Ha, made you read the whole thing before I told you that.

3)  Soak transmission cooler lines with penetrating oil.  Look just below the radiator cap nozzle.  There’s two steel lines that attach to the radiator.  This is your transmission cooler.  I don’t know how efficient it is, but if it was good enough for the guy who designed it, it’s good enough for me.  Spray some penetrating oil on them and let it soak in. You don’t want to break these.  They’re a pain in the ass to replace and not so easy to find these days.

If you don’t see steel lines heading into the tank, then you don’t have a transmission cooler.  Which means you don’t have a Cutlass Supreme.  But that’s OK, this repair will still work.  Just skip this step.

4)  Disconnect radiator hoses.  Hope and pray that the hoses aren’t stuck to the nipples.  Whatever you do, don’t use wrenches, pliers, screwdrivers, whatever to remove the hoses.  Bend the hose nipples and you’ll never get a good seal on the hoses again.  Be patient and work them off by hand.  If they’re stuck on that tight, cut the hoses and replace them.  You’ve probably neglected their replacement anyways.  Besides, a blown radiator hose is no picnic.  I find it easy to just remove the upper hose entirely.  The lower hose can stay hooked up to the water pump, but remember that some coolant from the engine will drain out.  Have a catch pan ready.

5)  Remove fan.  There are four nuts/bolts that mount the fan to the fan pulley.  I think they are 7/16″.  Maybe 3/8″. Just make sure you have a full set of tools at the ready, at least the “big 4″ wrenches mentioned above.  If you have to run back into the house to get another tool, don’t come crying to me.  Anyways, just take the fan off.  I don’t recall having to remove the belts to do this.  Some will say you don’t really have to take the fan off.  But I like having extra room to move around.

6)  Remove fan shroud (if you have one).  The fan shroud directs air flow from the fan over the radiator making it cool better.  Contrary to what some have told me in the past, it’s not a safety feature.  Look at the thing.  It’s not gonna stop you from losing your hand if you’re fool enough to get close to the fan.  There’s four body bolts holding the shroud on; 2 up top and 2 down low.  With that pesky fan out of the way the shroud lifts up and off.  Oh, and because you removed the upper radiator hose like a good girl or boy, you don’t have to mess with the upper radiator hose support bracket.  Just leave it on the shroud.

You have to stop and think:  if the shroud improves radiator efficiency, why didn’t GM make it standard equipment?

7)  Remove upper radiator cowl.  This is the part with the tune-up label on it.  You use it to rest your elbows on while you pretend you know your way around a carburetor.  There should be four body bolts holding it in place.  I think they are 9/16″.  I don’t know.  Refer to what I wrote in Step 5.

8)  Disconnect transmission cooler lines.  Remember how you started soaking those a couple of steps ago?  They’re ready to come off now.  I don’t remember the wrench size.  It’s probably 1/2”.  If I have to tell you again to keep a complement of tools at the ready, then stop what you are doing and ask your neighbor to finish the job.  He or she might be better at following directions.

9)  Remove radiator.  Lift the radiator up and out.  It’s that simple.

From here on out what you do depends on where the leak is.  Over 99% of the time the leak is in one of the tubes on the core.  This is a good place to have a leak.  A winner is you.  Go to Step 11.  The other 1% of the time the leak is in one of the tanks.  This is a not-so-good place to have a leak.  Go to step 10.

10)  Get a replacement Harrison radiator.  Buy it from a salvage yard or get a radiator you know to be a Harrison.  DO NOT BUY AN OFF-BRAND AFTERMARKET RADIATOR!   In my years or working on GM cars I have NEVER found an off-brand radiator that is an exact fit.  In my opinion they aren’t worth the hassle.   Harrison is the brand name for the GM-manufactured radiators.  If it’s not a Harrison it’s a waste of money.

How do you identify a Harrison Radiator?  If memory serves, there’s a Harrison  logo stamped on the top of each tank.  Look for it on the side.  Just below that will be the part number.  Each tank will have a metal tag on it with several codes.  They match up to the build sheet, and told the assembly line worker what type of radiator the car was supposed to get:  3-row or 4-row, transmission cooler or not.  If you have a Cutlass Supreme you probably have a 3-row radiator.  If you have a Cutlass Supreme and you have a 2-row radiator a previous owner replaced the radiator with whatever he/she could find, or they had a shitty mechanic.  You should be worried.  I’ll go into a bit more detail on the radiators later.

If you work for a company that makes off-brand radiators, don’t write me and tell me I am full of shit.  Just make your radiators to spec.  For something that often costs in excess of $400, it should fit like an avocado pit fits into an avocado and it should last as long as the original, which in this case made it 40 years.  When I had my 1970 Cutlass in the shop for a radiator replacement, my plan was to put the replacement radiator in, save the original radiator, and have it re-cored later.  Money was tight and it was cheaper to go with the replacement.  The mechanic went through 3 off-brand radiators that were supposed to fit in a 1970 Cutlass with A/C.  None of them fit and he eventually just had the old Harrison radiator re-cored so he could finish the damn car.  Which takes us to Step 11…

11)  Re-core your radiator.  This is where a good radiator shop comes in.  They’ll remove the old radiator core from the tanks and weld a new core in.  This is usually more expensive than a replacement radiator, but it’s good in two ways:  you keep the original radiator that came with the car, and you’re virtually guaranteed an exact fit when you reinstall the radiator.  And if it’s a good shop the welds will be strong and the radiator should last another 40 years.

This typically takes a few days.  This is a good time to do the little things that often get neglected.  Polish the wheel bezels on your Super Stocks.  Lubricate the car’s hinges.  Stuff like that.  Oh, and don’t forget to…

12)  Replace radiator mounts.  These are two pieces of rubber that fit on the lower radiator cowl.  They keep the radiator from vibrating and bouncing around while you drive.  Being at the front of the car they get exposed to all the shit that is on the road.  These things get a lot of abuse.  Since you have the radiator out of the car, replace them.  Most of the classic car parts warehouses carry these.  Last time I did a radiator they cost something like 10 bucks.

While you’re down there, clean the lower radiator cowl.  I’ve found dirt, sticks, leaves, grease, roadkill parts, etc.  All sorts of nastiness gets in there.  Chances are it will be 20 years before the radiator gets removed again, so clean it up down there.  It’ll help prevent rust and corrosion.

13)  Install radiator.  You’ve got your refurbished, good-as-new radiator back.  Follow steps in reverse and put everything back together.

I can’t stress this enough:  DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN THE TRANSMISSION COOLING LINES!  You crush those tubes and they’re going to leak, leaving you to wonder why your car doesn’t upshift when you’re going up a hill or why it won’t go into reverse.  Just snug them up.  Same goes for the radiator hoses.  They only need to be snug.  They don’t need to be tight.  If the hose is bulging even slightly around the clamp, it’s too tight.

14)  Re-fill coolant.  This isn’t just putting anti-freeze in the radiator and calling it a day.  You want as little air in the system as possible.  Assuming you followed my advice and you have a Harrison radiator, there are fill line indicators inside the tank.  Pour coolant in up to the line.  Put the cap on, but don’t tighten it.  Start the car, making sure the heater is open.  Run it for a couple of minutes. Stop the car and check your coolant level.  You’ve probably bled some air out of the system and the coolant level is a bit lower than it was when you started.  Top off and repeat the procedure.  You should only need to do this twice to get the right amount of coolant into the system.  If you go a bit overboard, the excess should empty out via the overflow hose the next time you are cruising down the highway.

You’re now done and ready to drive.  If you did everything right you can drive the car 500 miles and not have to worry about stopping every 30 minutes to make sure there aren’t any leaks.