Always read the shop manual first

[cabrina]

Beautiful weather finally in Tennessee and I'm back to seriously working on the 50 Champion. Unfortunately I didn't read far enough in the shop manual before embarking on my latest goof. Instead of taking off the distributor and starter in order to try to pry the flywheel and loosen the engine after its winter Marvel Mystery Oil treatment, I decided it would be easier to take out the radiator and fan blade so I had room to use the breaker bar I borrowed from my dad on the crankcase bolt. Yep, now I have the radiator loose and wedged kadywompass against the fan blade which has one bolt still holding it on. HA! Drat! Guess my question is can I take the bullet nose off and pull the radiator out from the front or will that only make matters worse? Quit for the day when I stabbed myself with the screwdriver trying to turn the set screw on the hood release assembly.

She says "It's all coming apart eventually"

Cabrina Dieters
Murfreesboro TN
1950 Champion Starlight Coupe

[John Kirchhoff]

Don't know about the radiator, but just remember, screwdriver related injuries heal but holes poked in the radiator don't.

[cabrina]

Yes, that's why I thought take the radiator out carefully first then racket off the fan blade. Wrong! HA! At least as of this moment they are not actually touching. Anyone have a set of those low clearance socket wrenches from Sears? I'm wondering if they work better than standard box rachet wrenches?

[studeclunker]

WHAT?[:0] Read the instructions first?[:0] What heresy! Such Blasphemy! That's a crime against manhood! Everyone knows that a man must first break it so that he can read the instructions on how to fix it later![)]


Lotsa Larks!
K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Studebaker!
Ron Smith
Where the heck is Lewiston, CA?

[Blue 15G]

And never forget that the darkest hour is always right before everything turns pitch black!

[Roscomacaw]

ron writes: "WHAT? Read the instructions first? What heresy! Such Blasphemy! That's a crime against manhood!"

Yeah, but I'm betting cabrina's a gal[:X]. Does your rule apply to her too?[:0]

cab, my "feeling" is that you're only gonna cause more frustration. IF you've got the radiator stuck, unstick it (CAREFULLY!) and lower it back into it's saddle. THEN undo the fan & pulley. Probably a wise move to remove the water pump as well, since it's shaft will be out there as far as the fan was, waiting for a chance to stab the radiator's core.[}]
Removing the bullet might allow you access to the crank bolt but not with ease. Besides, if you're gonna try and turn it with that crank bolt, you're gonna have to hammer & punch that lock washer wing away from the bolt flat to be able to get a really GOOD bite with that big socket. You don't wanna be swinging a hammer anywhere near that radiator, so the rad's gonna hafta be outta there first! Gotta remember that you're doing something that the factory book doesn't address since they didn't envision you having/trying to UNstick an engine.[xx(]
When I changed Pete's water pump last month (before the engine started to give me fits), I put a small piece of 1/4" plywood between the fan and the radiator core to prevent damage. Even part of a heavy gage cardboard box, cut to size, would afford a bit of protection.

Miscreant adrift in
the BerStuda Triangle


1957 Transtar 1/2ton
1960 Larkvertible V8
1958 Provincial wagon
1953 Commander coupe

[cabrina]

Hi guys,

Thanks for all the suggestions. Being a 51 year old woman with a college education you'd think I'd know better than to get the wrenches out before the shop manual. HA! What can I say I have a Civil Engineering degree. Maybe the math gene is attached to the I can take this apart no problem gene.

Mr. Biggs if I use a 1/4 piece of oak for buffer do you think I could tap on the corner of the radiator and force it back into its saddle without damaging it?

[Roscomacaw]

As long as you can do this "tap" on the side frame (flange?) where it's steel. I wouldn't do so on the tanks or core. It's probably not stuck as solidly as you think.
If you do use a whack to dislodge it, have a second pair of hands holding the tank so it doesn't flop back down and damage the rad in the landing![}]

Miscreant adrift in
the BerStuda Triangle


1957 Transtar 1/2ton
1960 Larkvertible V8
1958 Provincial wagon
1953 Commander coupe

[studeclunker]

Oops![:I] My mistake![:I][)] Sorry, Cabrina. If you have any of that foam wrapping, you might consider laying that in the bottom of the radiator frame. I've found, not often having a helper, that it prevents damage. Even the cardboard liners for fruit packing will work.


Lotsa Larks!
K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Studebaker!
Ron Smith
Where the heck is Lewiston, CA?

[cabrina]

Thanks Mr. Biggs and Ron! I'll see if I can't rustle up some heavy gauge cardboard or maybe carpeting to protect the radiator core before I do any banging. Do have a replacement radiator laying in the garage if things go bad but I'd rather take both to the shop and let the radiator repairman boil both and reinstall the best one.

Before I make anymore gaffs, is there anything I should watch out for while trying to drop the old gas tank? Probably won't be able to con a helper into crawling under Da Bomb to help me with this job either. Should I block it up with some lumber or bottle jacks and inch it down?

[studeclunker]

I'm not sure about a '50, but with my Larks and '56 Parkview, I used a two-foot 2X6 and a floor jack. I put the car up on stands so I can get under it (to remove the mounting bolts, then put just enough pressure on the tank with the jack/board to relieve gravity. Once the bolts are off, I slowly lower it. This has worked to remove even a full tank. I've only dumped one[:I] and that's because I didn't use the board.[)]


Lotsa Larks!
K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Studebaker!
Ron Smith
Where the heck is Lewiston, CA?

[cabrina]

LOL, John. With 6 volt headlights and vacuum wipers I found it to be plenty dark any night it rains. ;^)

I know messing up an old radiator can be a real pain. The repair shop told dad his 1928 Dodge Victory 6 one was past the point of a rebuild. It took him forever to find a replacement.

[John Kirchhoff]

Blue, I don't know about the darkest hour, but for sure the darkest minute is immediately after the headlights go out at 60 mph. And Cabrina, old radiators should be handled like a rotten egg, very carefully and expecting it to go off at any time. If you do, it'll save that "I got the locked up air pump belt cut off with my pocket knife but then I ran the blade through the radiator" sorrow my friend had. And don't go thinking a college education keeps people from doing some really dumb things. I'm a high school graduate that doesn't make any more mistakes than guys with PhDs and Masters. As far as learning experiences go, I've found paying to fix your screw up is a much more effective teacher than paying someone to tell you not to screw up.

[cabrina]

Yeah, wood blocking and a floor jack. I have a nice 3 ton one of those. Probably don't have to worry about the tank still being full since the car hasn't been started since the early ninetys. HA!

[gordr]

Cabrina, you don't want to be using the crankshaft hub bolt to turn a stuck engine in any case. You will either simply back off the bolt, or overtighten it to the point of stripping the thread in the crankshaft. You are better off removing the starter, and using a pry bar on the teeth of the ring gear. If you do bust a ring gear, it's still less grief than damaging the crankshaft, IMHO.

Another thing you could do is obtain an extra crankshaft pulley, and weld about 6 lugs around the periphery of the front face, and mount that in place of the normal pulley. Then you can use a prybar between various pairs of lugs to torque on the engine. And you might get lucky, and have the engine break free as you try to remove the pulley bolt to effect the swap.

Gord Richmond, within Weasel range of the Alberta Badlands