How to replace a stretch

Classic cars have spacer bars that fail if a rattling sound is coming from the car or if the radiator is loose or moving.

Classic cars and hot rods are back in fashion in today's market. Spacers only apply to classic cars, hot rods, or custom vintage cars. A brace is a device that secures the radiator in a classic car or hot rod. They are usually attached to a frame cross member, firewall or fender.

The spacers were made of steel and attached directly to the radiator. Radiators in classic cars, hot rods, or custom vintage cars are made of steel or aluminum and have brackets for attaching spacer bars.

The advantage of the spacer is that it securely fixes the radiator to the vehicle. On the other hand, the spacer does not have rubber grommets, so it cannot compensate for vibrations. If a spacer bar were used on a new type of radiator, the plastic casing (carbon fiber) would crack.

Modern cars have top mounts for attaching the radiator. They usually have bushings and brackets that keep the heatsink from moving and protect it from vibrations.

Signs of a bad rod include rattling sounds that may come from the front of the car and a radiator that is loose and moving. If one spacer rod were to fall off while the other remained in contact with the heatsink, the heatsink could turn into a spinning fan. If the support rods fall out and cause the heatsink to come into contact with the fan, the heatsink may be destroyed, resulting in leakage and overheating.

Part 1 of 3: Checking the Condition of Stretch Marks

Required material

• flashlight

Step 1: Open the hood to determine if the vehicle has a strut bar.. Take a flashlight and look at the rods.

Visually check if they are intact.

Step 2: Take the Heatsink and Move It. If the radiator moves a lot, the strut may be loose or damaged.

Step 3: If the radiator is tight and does not move, test drive the vehicle.. During a test drive, check for abnormal vibrations from the front of the vehicle.

Part 2 of 3: Replacing the Strut

Necessary materials

• socket wrenches
• Switch
• Disposable gloves (safe for ethanol glycol)
• Drip tray
• flashlight
• Jack
• Jack stands
• Protective clothing
• There is a pry
• Ratchet with metric and standard sockets
• SAE and metric wrench set
• Safety glasses
• small funnel
• Wheel chocks

Step 1: Park your vehicle on a level, firm surface.. Make sure the transmission is in park (for automatic transmission) or 1st gear (for manual transmission).

Step 2: Install wheel chocks around tires.. In this case, the wheel chocks wrap around the front wheels because the rear of the car will be raised.

Apply the parking brake to block the rear wheels from moving.

Step 3: Raise the car. Jack up the vehicle at the indicated points until the wheels are completely off the ground.

Step 4: Install Jacks. The jack stands should pass under the jacking points and then lower the vehicle onto the jack stands.

In most modern cars, the jack stand attachment points are on a weld right under the doors along the bottom of the car.

• AttentionA: You can refer to the user manual to find out where to properly install the jack.

Step 5: Remove the radiator cap or reservoir cap.. Place the cover where the hood latch is; this will prevent you from closing the hood and forgetting about the lid.

Step 6: Place a large pan under the radiator drain plug.. Remove the drain plug and allow the coolant to drain from the radiator into a drain pan.

Step 7: Remove the upper radiator hose.. When all the coolant is drained, remove the upper radiator hose.

Step 8: Remove the cover. If your vehicle has a shroud, remove the shroud to access the bottom of the radiator.

Step 9: Remove the fan blade from the water pump pulley.. Be careful not to scratch the heat sink when pulling out the fan blade.

Step 10: Remove the lower radiator hose from the radiator.. Make sure a drain pan is under the hose to collect any remaining coolant.

Step 11: Unscrew the mounting rods from the radiator.. Pull the radiator out of the car.

Keep in mind that some of the heatsinks can be heavy.

Step 12: Remove the support rods. Unscrew the spacers from the cross member, wing or firewall.

• Attention: In most vehicles without a hood or closed front, it will be easier to remove the spacers. You don't need to remove the heatsink, but you will need to remove one rod at a time to hold the heatsink in place.

Step 13: Bolt the new spacers to the cross member, fender or firewall.. Leave them free enough to connect the radiator.

Step 14: Install the radiator in the car. Connect the support rods to the radiator and tighten them at both ends.

Step 15: Install the Lower Radiator Hose. Be sure to use new clamps and discard the old clamps as they are no longer strong enough to hold the hose tightly.

Step 16: Install the fan blade back onto the water pump pulley.. Tighten the bolts until tight and 1/8 turn more.

Step 17: Install the shroud. If you had to remove the shroud, be sure to install the shroud, making sure the shroud is securely attached to the heatsink.

Step 18: Slide the upper radiator hose onto the radiator.. Use new clamps and discard the old ones as they are not strong enough to hold the hose tightly.

Step 19: Fill the radiator with new coolant with the correct mixture.. Most classic cars use a 50/50 coolant mixture.

• A warning: Do not use orange Dexcool coolant unless your cooling system requires it. Adding orange Dexcool coolant to a system with standard green coolant will produce acid and destroy water pump seals.

Step 20: Install the new radiator cap.. Don't think that an old radiator cap is enough to seal the pressure.

Step 21: Raise the car. Jack up the vehicle at the indicated points until the wheels are completely off the ground.

Step 22: Remove Jack Stands.

Step 23: Lower the car so that all four wheels are on the ground.. Pull out the jack and set it aside.

Step 24: Remove the wheel chocks.

Part 3 of 3: Test drive the car

Step 1: Drive the car around the block. Make sure you don't hear any rattling sounds from the front of the car.

Check the cooling system to make sure it is full and not leaking.

If your spacer bars are loose or damaged, further diagnosis of the spacer bars may be required. If the problem persists, you should seek the assistance of one of AvtoTachki's certified mechanics, who can inspect the racks and replace them if necessary.