Engine Sve Aluminum Radiator Not Fitting

Southport2014 · Mar 23, 2016

I have a 87 mustang gt and i am trying to get the sve aluminum radiator in and it goes in and sits on the two isolaters and then i try and mount it to the top radiator brackets and it moves like half inch back in forth up top and is not secure. I am also getting rid of stock fan shroud for my electric fans i ordered as well. The old radiator i believe is a oem style fit fine.

jAEded · Mar 23, 2016

Did you buy new isolators for the top?

One common thing I've seen people do is cut the rubber off the mounts that allow the radiator to slide a little forwards and backwards. I only did it to one mount on the passenger side, but left the driver intact. I don't know if this is the case for you? The rubber isolator on top when its new should wrap all the way around the mount on top of the radiator. Left side, right side, front, back and tops. It fully wraps around, if I'm making sense?

The reason some people cut the rubber out to allow a little movement in the radiator is if you make a lot of horsepower, when you launch off the line the front picks up and twists a little from the torque of the motor. If the radiator is mounted super tight it tends to flex the radiator until it fails.

MUSTANG GUY · Mar 26, 2016

I had the exact same problem. Lucky I ordered new rubber bushings where the upper and lower holders are so I ended up cutting my old one and adding it in between my SVE rad and the upper mounts to eliminate the slack.

Onefine88 · Mar 26, 2016

I have the same radiator and luckily mine fits perfectly. Guess my bushings and mounts are good.

MUSTANG GUY · Mar 26, 2016

I bought new bushings and mounts along with my SVE rad and had this problem.

FastSVO · Jun 6, 2016

I just bought an SVE rad and having a heck of a time getting it to install correctly. Seems the radiator sits too low (on the driver's side) and the radiator cap is rubbing against the wiring harness that loops around it. My rubber bushings are present and in good shape. I even cut up and old bicycle inner tube to create some much need "lift" from the driver's side but that still was not enough. Does this sound even remotely possible? I am also finding the radiator neck makes it very difficult to install either my old or the supplied new radiator cap. It's as if the OD of the groove is too thick for the cap to slide easily as you twist it to the closed position.

MUSTANG GUY · Jun 6, 2016

I had the same issues with my rad sitting too low on both sides. I ended up having an extra set of the rubber bushings that I cut up and put for extra padding to tighten the mounts properly

FastSVO · Jun 6, 2016

I think I found my problem. There is a big difference between the height of the fill necks between the old and new radiators.

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FastSVO · Jun 9, 2016

anyone happen to know if the Champion or Mishimoto radiators set the fill neck height lower than the oem unit? Are these dimensions for the oem unit available online?

Farrell5.0 · Jun 9, 2016

I've had a summit 3 row for 3 or 4 years now with no issues and the fitment had no problems either.

mikestang63 · Jun 9, 2016

champion 2 row and it sits at stock height

FastSVO · Jun 9, 2016

mikestang63 said:
champion 2 row and it sits at stock height

Thanks all for the replies!

Mike, when you say it sits at stock height, does that apply to the filler neck as well?

I'm going to measure the height of the fill neck to the lowest point of the radiators I have so I can start quantifying the results.

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mikestang63 · Jun 9, 2016

does this help. you can see the cap is right at the same height as the upper rad support and the radiator hold downs cover the tabs on the radiator.

FastSVO · Jun 9, 2016

Wow, your engine bay is pristine!

Those pics do help me out. Looking at the first pick this is where my concern and issue was. The wiring harness that comes around the end tank basically hugs the radiator cap and makes opening it very difficult. Obviously the picture I had posted earlier shows a significant height difference in this area between my old radiator and the SVE unit.

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mikestang63 · Jun 9, 2016

thanks for the complement.

I re routed all of those wires through the driver headlight opening and inside the driver inner fenderwell. you can simply unplug most of them and reroute them through the driver headlight opening and then back into the engine compartment. Just label them if needed.

Farrell5.0 · Jun 9, 2016

Here's a screen shot of a video I took a while back. It's kind of hard to tell and I have the cap on backwards but I think you get the idea of where it sits. I can take a picture this afternoon if you'd like.

FastSVO · Jun 9, 2016

Farrell5.0 said:
Here's a screen shot of a video I took a while back. It's kind of hard to tell and I have the cap on backwards but I think you get the idea of where it sits. I can take a picture this afternoon if you'd like.

Your cap seems to sit higher than Mike's?

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FastSVO · Jun 9, 2016

Which radiator are you running?

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Farrell5.0 · Jun 9, 2016

It's a summit racing 3 row. I believe it sits up quite a bit higher than on mike's radiator.

mikestang63 · Jun 9, 2016

Champion 2 core dimensions

Core Size: 18" tall x 24.5" wide; Total Size: 19.25" tall (with cap) x 29.25" wide; EC138; Ford Mustang All Aluminum Radiator

Engine Sve Aluminum Radiator Not Fitting

Southport2014

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jAEded

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MUSTANG GUY

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Onefine88

Previously 89SSC18

MUSTANG GUY

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FastSVO

MUSTANG GUY

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FastSVO

FastSVO

Farrell5.0

Not sure what "DP" means, but know's he likes it!

mikestang63

FastSVO

mikestang63

FastSVO

mikestang63

Farrell5.0

Not sure what "DP" means, but know's he likes it!

FastSVO

FastSVO

Farrell5.0

Not sure what "DP" means, but know's he likes it!

mikestang63

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Engine Sve Aluminum Radiator Not Fitting

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