Time to relocate the radiator and a/c condensor. I used a spotweld cutter... its the *ONLY* way to do the job. It is basically a mini hole-saw that cuts *around* the weld, So you don't have to waste time drilling *through* the weld and putting a hole in the chassis... The spotweld cutter leaves behind little nubs that have to be cleaned up later.
My removed tabs/brackets do not get destroyed/mangled in the process. Take measurements of all of the tab locations and write them down. This will make life easier when you reposition them. I just flipped the measurements and everything lined up perfect when we test-fitted things.
Here is a macro shot of my spotweld cutter. This is a 5/16" cutter. Perfect since the spot welds are 1/4". I got it as part of a set at Northern Tool for $13.99 . Once I got the hang of it, I cut through the welds and had the brackets removed in no time.
I cleaned up the welds with an air grinder... I love air tools... Afterwards I hit them with a little paint so that I wouldn't have bare metal.
Another reason why I was a little disappointed with the hasport kit. The hardware was all mild steel. It is a little hard to see from this pic, but *ALL* of my bolts were rusted right out of the package. I spent about $40 replacing all of them with plated grade 8.8 or better bolts.
I went to dinner and hit sears to pick up a larger tap handle. I then relocated the radiator and a/c brackets. I just drilled some holes with a 13/64" bit and tapped them with a 6mm X 1.00mm tap. Some 6mm bolts will hold the brackets in place until I can get them welded. Sorry, forgot to take a pic. Everyone was tired and cranky by this point
It had been a long day.
Its about 1am and we are trying to get this motor into place.
By around 2am we finally had it in place and everything snugged down... It would have gone quicker if we were using the proper hooks on the motor for the lift. However our leveler had short chains. This is why the motor is crooked in the previous shot.
A slightly better shot taken the next morning.
A nice big opening over here to figure out my air intake setup. Some of this space will be eaten up when the radiator and fal fan are installed.
Still have decent space behind the valve cover. Looks like I can still get my strut tower brace back on. Looks like about 9.5" of clearance to the firewall.
