Firehawk068

So, I was doing my tune-up the other night, when I bumped my elbow into the top radiator hose and it popped right off!
My first thought was the clamp came loose....................No such luck!

The rest of it was inside the hose.......


I was bummed, cause it was too late to do anything about it that night, but I was happy that it happened in my driveway and not out wheeling in the mountains.

A call to my buddy at the Auto parts store (that I no longer work at) and I scored a Spectra OEM replacement for $73.


I got to work right away with disassembly.




While I had the front of the XJ torn apart, I figured now was the time to do something with this new GM trans cooler(fits a full size Van) that I have been sitting on in my garage for a year and a half. I bought it off ebay for $35..........


I drilled the rivets, and removed the factory brackets, cause there was no way it was fitting with them on there...........


I needed adapter fittings from the 5/16" that GM uses, to 3/8" that Jeep uses...........and I fabbed up my own mounting brackets using a spare set of radiator mounting tabs, and some conduit brackets I had laying around.(I was never a fan of the zip-ties that go through the radiator/ac condenser. I like mine mounted a bit more solid)

This is what I finally decided on .


One of the lower mounting tabs sits above the rubber grommet, and the peg on the bottom of the radiator goes through it. The other one I bolted to the lower radiator support.


I also decided to run hard-lines around to the aux cooler. Less chance of more rubber hoses chafing on bodywork when I'm out wheeling.
So I bent some up using two 20" long pieces of 3/8" line......

I ran them through the opening where this normally goes.


I checked the flow from the transmission to make sure I was plumbing it after the cooler in the radiator...........
I adapted one of my custom lines to the hard line that connected to the top fitting on the radiator cooler with a fitting I just happened to have in my box of assorted brass fittings..........I had to straighten, and re-bend the factory hard line to get it where I wanted it..........


The other custom line connects in where the old hard line did.......


New radiator with original mounting hardware attatched, and the straightened/re-routed original hard line........


Everything back together, from underneath.
I used a new piece of high-pressure transmission cooler hose from the feed line to the tube at the bottom of the radiator cooler, and I double-clamped it on both ends.....................(I will probably replace the other factory rubber piece thats on there as well)


A quick shot of flat black paint on the fittings, and mounting brackets, and it almost looks factory!



Fluids topped up. Grille back on, and she's ready for a test drive............(yes I overfilled the radiator, and spilled a little on the driveway)


Now hopefully my tranny will thank me, and stick around alot longer..........
Between my hood vents, and my new radiator, my temps should remain in check....................Next mod-Fan override switch.........................

Dr. Doom

Looks good. On my next to do list