Thanks to all for the various suggestions regarding removal of the two
ridiculously-positioned mounting bolts for the radiator on my TR3a. I
had a chance to get at it on Saturday and did manage to get it out.
The successful removal ended up using a technique that no one else
suggested, however. I had two 9/16" wrenches, and it turned out that
the position of the twelve points was slighly different on each. This
enabled me to get about fifteen degress of rotation from the bolts and
then switch wrenches, getting about fifteen degrees more, back and
forth, for a long, long, time. (There was a bit more room on the left
side after removing the lower rad hose.)
The bolt on the right side of the car came out easier than the left -
in fact, at the end I undid it with my two index fingers (although
that was somewhat painful). I was able to do the one under the
steering box using the two-wrench method until a certain point, but
then it really tightened up. The points of the bolt head began to
round off, and I was getting worried. Now, as the other side was
already undone, I found I could get better access by putting my leg in
the air and lifting the filler neck with my foot, thereby tilting the
rad toward the left (driver's side) and forward, which aimed the head
of the remaining bolt somewhat toward the rear and centre of the car.
Only then was it possible to use a six-point socket with a universal
joint, holding it on the bolt-head with one hand while turning the
ratchet with the other.
So there I was, one leg in the air, foot positioning rad, other leg
counterbalancing, one hand holding socket, other hand turning ratchet,
with coolant dripping on my head, when my wife came out to the garage
to see how it was going. I don't know what she thought; she was kind
and didn't say anything witty, intuitively sensing that I would
respond, I guess. Later, when I flushed the rad, (sorry Californians,
right on the lawn!) about a hundred sunflower seeds came out.
Thanks to (va)fred Thomas for the suggestion and diagram about running
a thinner bolt up though the existing nut and using a new nut on top.
I'm definitely going to do this; I don't need to have this experience
twice!
Later,
Jim Wallace
60 TR3a
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