Hood hitting radiator?

[scalveg]

I am still working on my Z little by little. At the body shop today I was asking the guy about my hood latch, which often pops up (thank goodness Z cars have hoods which open the right way!)

He instantly noticed something I had missed all this time: the hood is hitting on the top of my radiator! And it's wearing through the brass at a good clip.

Now, this is a car that (now that I have owned it for a while) shows every sign of having been made from parts of about 3 other cars (one of them a Maxima!).

So my questions are:

1) Is this the right radiator for my '78 280z? If not and I just get a new radiator, will the problem be magically fixed?

2) If it IS the right radiator, what is the least-painful way to fix this problem? Are any of Motorsport's radiators shorter? Should I drill some new holes in the mounts or fabricate new mounts to shift it down?

The dimensions of the radiator seem to be about:

2 5/8 inches deep (thick)

20 3/4 inches tall

24 1/2 inches wide

Thanks for any advice!

[esprist]

I am still working on my Z little by little. At the body shop today I was asking the guy about my hood latch, which often pops up (thank goodness Z cars have hoods which open the right way!)

He instantly noticed something I had missed all this time: the hood is hitting on the top of my radiator! And it's wearing through the brass at a good clip.

Now, this is a car that (now that I have owned it for a while) shows every sign of having been made from parts of about 3 other cars (one of them a Maxima!).

So my questions are:

1) Is this the right radiator for my '78 280z? If not and I just get a new radiator, will the problem be magically fixed?

2) If it IS the right radiator, what is the least-painful way to fix this problem? Are any of Motorsport's radiators shorter? Should I drill some new holes in the mounts or fabricate new mounts to shift it down?

The dimensions of the radiator seem to be about:

2 5/8 inches deep (thick)

20 3/4 inches tall

24 1/2 inches wide

Thanks for any advice!

I do not believe this is the right radiator for the car. And installing MSA shrould will not help the situation at all. Raight radiator should cure the problem.

Esprist

www.jdm-car-part.com

[five&dime]

If cost is an issue, check your local pick n pull or look at car-part.com for used.

[mgood]

This is the original radiator form 11/75, looks totally different. I am not sure if the 78 is the same as a 76.

[scalveg]

Yeah that's really different, without the weird bulges coming up on the ends and hitting my hood! It really looks like that would solve the problem.

Thanks for the replies!

[sblake01]

mgood's radiator looks exactly like the one on my 78 (except for the lack of a shroud). The one you have there sits too high above the support. You cold try drilling holes in the bracket that would allow it to mount lower provided that wouldn't create a clearance problem at the bottom.

[beandip]

I am still working on my Z little by little. At the body shop today I was asking the guy about my hood latch, which often pops up (thank goodness Z cars have hoods which open the right way!)

He instantly noticed something I had missed all this time: the hood is hitting on the top of my radiator! And it's wearing through the brass at a good clip.

Now, this is a car that (now that I have owned it for a while) shows every sign of having been made from parts of about 3 other cars (one of them a Maxima!).

So my questions are:

1) Is this the right radiator for my '78 280z? If not and I just get a new radiator, will the problem be magically fixed?

2) If it IS the right radiator, what is the least-painful way to fix this problem? Are any of Motorsport's radiators shorter? Should I drill some new holes in the mounts or fabricate new mounts to shift it down?

The dimensions of the radiator seem to be about:

2 5/8 inches deep (thick)

20 3/4 inches tall

24 1/2 inches wide

Thanks for any advice!

Just lower the radiator a inch. All you need to do is elongate the mounting holes or drill new ones and set the radiator lower. I mounted a 280Z unit in my 240 and it is 2'' longer. I just set it low enough to clear the hood and all is well.

Gary

[FastWoman]

Yeah, mine is a '78 too, and it looks like mgood's.

[scalveg]

Well since I've already bashed a hole into the current radiator, plus I have serious doubts about the previous owner's ability to use good anti-corrosion coolant, I think I'll just replace it. I'll sleep better at night.