Well, that's the last time I do THAT...

[moparedtn]

Swapping out the radiator on Fred the GTX takes like what, a half hour if I'm lollygagging/having fun?
By way of comparion though...
Swapping out the radiator in our '12 Charger R/T is a good 6-7 hours of swearing/cursing/SEA OF PLASTIC
(remember - I have no lift in the garage).
Guess which one I just had the "pleasure" of completing?
Yeah. That one.
The soul-sucking, bone-crippling "modern engineering" one...

This is not a task an old car guy like me would enjoy taking on, simple as that.

I damn near drowned in that black poly-plasticky-molded vs. cast/machined sea of parts!
The product packagers in Dodge's engineering worked overtime on these cars (the Charger/Challenger/300
are all pretty much constructed the same).
Talk about 10lbs. of shiyat in the proverbial 5lb. bag....yeah, they got that much perfected, anyways...
Not exaggerating here - every damn fastener involved with the job was a challenge to get to.
Every. Single. One. Especially for a grown man with meathook hands and arthritis...
Don't even get me started on the industry collective bright idea of aluminum core/plastic tank radiator construction.
They ain't stupid, those engineers. This stuff is intentional - the crap is supposed to be replaced, regularly.

Ok, enough whining. The positives from the project?
1. All the box stores wanted around $270 for that plastic/aluminum wonder of a radiator. No-name branded, too.
Summit had the Denso "upscale" version for half that (I don't use Rock Auto because they ship FedEx - sorry).
Fit perfectly, no issues at all with that much.
2. This damn thing only has a 1" thick core! How the hell do they get the cooling job done with THAT?
It weighs next to nothing and I handled it with kid gloves, the dainty thing.
Hell, Fred has a 3" thick core triple row Griffin in it, for heavens' sake...
3. As I sweated and cursed and skinned knuckles (more like surgically removed skin on all those sharp plasticky
edges), I did arrive eventually at a certain respect for how tightly everything fit together as a package, too.
The zenith of assembly line efficiency, the lot of it. Not so much for shadetree repairing later, but...
4. The sense of accomplishment on this project was palpable.
Given the lack of lift and considerable time spent under the car on my back on concrete, it was a test of
determination for sure - but y'all know one thing I ain't lacking is sheer will...

You know how sometimes a project will fight you to death and you're not quite sure it's going to work like you
hope when you're done with it?
There was none of that with this one - I had a good feeling about the outcome from the get-go, which I
suppose is equal parts confidence in my abilities/personal level of QC as it was faith in the design.
Before I even got to the flush/fill final portion of the job, I just knew it was going to be fine - the first time -
with no leaks, no left-off parts, no permanent damage inflicted to the car....
...and it was, as was evidenced by that sweet after-shower-and-dinner test drive last evening.

So, to summarize - yes, modern cars are certainly demonstrably advanced in all manner of production cues,
be it materials or efficiency or what have you - but do they actually have souls like our beloved old cars?
Hell no - these things are the epitomy of glorified appliances, least to me - and this one just beat hell out of me
without so much as lifting anything heavier than the 10lb radiator itself.

Chalk it up to a "have to" project, certainly not a "want to" one.
Next time one of the 21st century rides needs that level of repair, it won't be me...
But the sense of satisfaction of knowing it got done right - it is her car, after all - and not hacked up by some
half-assed dealer wrencher is what I'm left with this morning.
Remember the goal here - don't leave a mess for her to deal with.

Now to proceed with the next little FUN project on Fred the GTX.
I gotta get this taste of plastic outta my mouth, after all...

 

[1967coronet]

you keep at that late model work you will get your bodyman stripes yet.
I hear there is soon to be a open position at our shop.

 

[moparedtn]

you keep at that late model work you will get your bodyman stripes yet.
I hear there is soon to be a open position at our shop.

I tell you what, there is SO much undercladding and aero this and scoop that on that thing....
all miraculously affixed with those plastic push-button thingies.
The other rather disturbing thing is how much plastic is literally bolted together with metal
fasteners - metal into plastic! - using self-tapping hardware especially.

I know one thing - when I was done with it, the whole front end was more sturdy and re-completely
reconstructed than what I found (the remnants of the collision damage work done by a body shop
previously) that it was rather disappointing to see such seemingly careless work come out of a shop
with a good reputation in the area.

It wasn't right before - but it damn sure is now.

 

[WileERobby]

Great story, and you pretty much described why there's not the "interest" by the younger generation in this industry. The time and effort to swap a modern radiator equates to when we swapped engines or transmissions; and then some ! A simple task like changing the oil on my modern Challenger, removing 2 plastic undershields. Recently, I had to replace 2 bad rear wheel speed sensors on my chally that limped home. So, I go to the local Chrysler dealer to pickup the parts in my reliable 43-year old survivor Cordoba that runs like a clock, so I can fix my "new" car.

 

[PlymCrazy]

Can't help but hear the echo of your signature here Ed. Oh maybe not in the context originally intended. But still true nonetheless

"I have fought a good fight..."

 

[Cranky]

Just working on our 2000 Durango showed me where cars were heading in the not too distance future and looks like it was much easier than yours. And people keep on asking me why I don't go out and buy a new car instead of driving the 'old junk' I have lol

 

[Belvedere408]

I got the bright idea to help a young girl out with a radiator on her V8 grand Cherokee. Pretty much took my whole day and I broke nearly every fastener on there. Haha I got it together, but wow what a pain. I was thinking 2-3 hours tops.

 

[Cranky]

I got the bright idea to help a young girl out with a radiator on her V8 grand Cherokee. Pretty much took my whole day and I broke nearly every fastener on there. Haha I got it together, but wow what a pain. I was thinking 2-3 hours tops.

When it comes to the new cars, I tell people to call the stealership and ask them the labor time and what the total cost will be and then I tell them that my price is going to be within 20% of the dealer prices plus it's going to take me twice the time or more. They usually just go to the dealer after telling them the new cars are worse than a 1000 piece puzzle lol

 

[moparedtn]

So, I go to the local Chrysler dealer to pickup the parts in my reliable 43-year old survivor Cordoba that runs like a clock, so I can fix my "new" car.

Yep. I took Fred over to a local parts store for antifreeze and such for the job (including a 192F thermostat instead
of the stock 203F - we'll see how the car likes that!) and pulled up to the front door like I do...
Guy pops out the door and asks what parts I needed "for the old girl".

"Uhhh Scooter? "The old girl" is here fetching parts for the modern car. "

 

[moparedtn]

Can't help but hear the echo of your signature here Ed. Oh maybe not in the context originally intended. But still true nonetheless

"I have fought a good fight..."

Yes....but also yes, if you catch my drift. Thanks as always for making it through another of my ramblings....

 

[moparedtn]

Just working on our 2000 Durango showed me where cars were heading in the not too distance future and looks like it was much easier than yours. And people keep on asking me why I don't go out and buy a new car instead of driving the 'old junk' I have lol

When I did the one on the '04 Ram several years ago (10 years seems to be the life expectancy with these
disposable radiators), it was a ton easier just from the sheer space in which to work - but it still took much
longer than doing the one in Fred, by more than a little bit...
Told my wife recently that should any of our "modern" critters suffer catastrophic failure (as in, beyond my pay
grade to fix), the next ride would instead be much older - say, back to OBD1 times or older.
There's something to be said for simplifying ones' life towards the end...

I'm glad to have been able to do the Charger this time by, very grateful of course - but it was also quite
apparent I don't have many such convoluted repairs left in me.
I'm sore and stiff today as if I swapped the 440 in Fred yesterday or somethin'...

 

[JackR]

Yes. I feel your pain. I needed engine mounts in my 2014 grand Cherokee a few years ago. How hard can that be? About 10+ hours and you are blind to the actual mounts. Impossible to see so need to work by feel. And can’t lift the engine except on the front pulley after removing skid plates.

that is why I was quoted $1500.00 to install $100.00 in parts.

 

[1STMP]

I surely can sympathize, moparedtn.
Design advances (driven mostly by the
EPA), and manufacturers looking for
high profit margins. Working on
modern cars can be a daunting task.
Assemblies are more modular than
the cars of yesteryear. They give no
thought to indivials working on their
own stuff, and have tried to stop it.

 

[Kern Dog]

Told my wife recently that should any of our "modern" critters suffer catastrophic failure....

I agree that some newer cars are so cramped, you have to remove many unrelated components just to get access to the broken part.
These Dodge/Ram trucks though....aside from the spark plugs in cylinders 5678, the rest of the truck is easy to work on for a modern vehicle.
I'm looking at swapping engines within a few months. I've seen many YouTube videos of engine removal and everyone seems to think it is an easy job compared to Fords and Chevys.
I also changed radiators in the truck. The washer pump and overflow jug added time to the job along with the bracketry for the cold air kit. Otherwise, it was fairly straightforward.

 

[Demonic]

I am rapidly moving to having my 71 Jeepster Commando as my daily driver. Mostly for the reasons above and the like. The oil filter in my Jeep Liberty is a colossal PITA to get to. To do plugs, I have to pull the fuel rails. I have a company truck, so daily driver means something different for me than most.

 

[moparedtn]

I agree that some newer cars are so cramped, you have to remove many unrelated components just to get access to the broken part.
These Dodge/Ram trucks though....aside from the spark plugs in cylinders 5678, the rest of the truck is easy to work on for a modern vehicle.
I'm looking at swapping engines within a few months. I've seen many YouTube videos of engine removal and everyone seems to think it is an easy job compared to Fords and Chevys.
I also changed radiators in the truck. The washer pump and overflow jug added time to the job along with the bracketry for the cold air kit. Otherwise, it was fairly straightforward.

Yep same, like I said...
I'll keep the '04 until something computer/electronic winds up being a "gremlin".
Otherwise, trucks are the only newer vehicles I'm interested in owning.

 

[moparedtn]

Hey - does anyone have the software (or books) on estimated labor times on car repairs the shops use?
I'd be curious to hear just how slow I was on this job vs. what "the book" says?