Reply to "Coolant hose placement on the radiator"

Early Pantera dwgs show the water pipes rigged one way while later ones mention the opposite hook- up. I once tried it BOTH ways the same day on the same car and got no measurable change in engine temp.Almost all Pantera radiators are "double bypass"'- that is, water goes across the core twice. Early stock radiators were bisected front-to-back with a radiator baffle in the tank while later ones were bisected top-to-bottom. The early method didn't work well & was recalled by Ford; the baffle changed (if it hasn't already broken loose!) There is no extrernal way to tell one from another. To check, insert a wire, a welding rod etc into the upper rt bleeder hole. If it goes on;y half-way across, the original (bad) baffle design is in place. If it reaches all the way to the front of the tank, the late baffle is installed. A radiator shop can change the baffle location while rodding out the radiator, but practically speaking, the poor thing if stock is 33 yrs old and probably needs replacement regardless. There are many aftermarket units available from the vendors, all of which are better than an old stocker of either configuration IMHO.