Why is nothing easy? It seems like Murphy's Law is in effect all day, every day. From the littlest things to the biggest tasks, it all feels like an uphill battle, doesn't it? I'll be the first to say that finding the time to work on the Bumpside is one of my biggest hurdles between everything else. The truck is no different than any other project lately--it seems everything I do to it takes much longer than expected, and usually leads to a can of worms followed by a longer to-do list.
In a pleasant turn of events, I did just finish a job on it that was easier than anticipated. It was time to handle the cooling system and check it off the previously mentioned list of chores. A while back I called US Radiator to inquire about a radiator for the '68. They said they had one of their standard brass and copper radiators that would drop right in the stock location, or they could build one if I had specific inlet and outlet needs. I explained what I was doing and that I was using a 4.6L Ford three-valve engine, which was originally cooled by Ford with an aluminum unit, so it only made sense to keep it that way. Plus, I did have specific inlet and outlet specs as well as needing an electric fan. US Radiator has been on the cooling scene for a long time and has had great success with their all-aluminum Tripleflow Desert Cooler radiators, but had never built one for the '67-72 F-100 crowd ... but that didn't mean they couldn't.
The polished aluminum jewel that showed up at the shop a couple of weeks later was nothing short of spectacular! I put it back in the box for safekeeping and left it there until the situation at the Tech Center wasn't quite so hazardous--me making a mess--since it would be just about the nicest thing there for the time being.
Now that I had the radiator, I knew I wouldn't be able to go into the local parts store to tell the oblivious kid behind the counter I needed radiator hoses for a '68 F-100 with a 4.6L in it, otherwise their computer would melt. So I ordered some stainless steel tubing from Stainless Works to build my own. Stainless "hoses" won't rust or corrode like mild steel, and using a few U-bends, 90-degree bends, and feet of straight tubing, I'd be set. Plus I was sure the end result would look quite good. If you peek your head into the engine bay of many pro-built cars and trucks, you'll see something very similar.
Like I mentioned earlier, it fell into place much easier and hassle-free than expected. It might have taken just as long to rifle through radiator hoses at the parts store than it did to actually make the tubes.
If you're looking for a way to kick it up a notch under your hood, give this a try. After all, it's only metal! And even if you don't need an aluminum radiator for your truck, US Radiator has a better than stock replacement for Ford, Chevy, and even Dodge trucks from '48-72.
