• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

68 GTX 22" VS. 26" RADIATOR SUPPORT

mr.belvedere

Well-Known Member
Local time
7:28 PM
Joined
Jul 20, 2008
Messages
214
Reaction score
68
Location
eagle mills, new york
Just pulled in my buddy's Lynch Rd. 68 GTX. Cars been sitting since 1981, belonged to his dad. Started teardown today, and noticed the pass side of the rad support was all hacked up, and weld nuts were missing for radiator mounting. Top was nut and bolted, not attached at bottom, driver side is unmodified. Opening is 22", 2898047 26" rad bolted in. Should be the correct one for application as far as I can tell, 440, 4spd, Dana 60, no A/C. So now I"m thinking early collision, maybe some meatstick welded in the wrong support, and said screw it. Problem is, the S.O. numbers all match, upper tie bar, drip trough, and fender tag. And the fender tag indicates A1, 26" radiator. No rebody or fuckery going on, this is a real GTX owned by the same family since 1968, unfortunately the original owner passed away years ago, and didnt leave many details. So what gives? Do all these cars have a 22" hole, and the ones with a 26" core lose 4" of air flow? That cant be. Ooops on the assy line? Bad stamp on fender tag? I'll have to post up some pics, very cool project, but I'm effing confused!
 
GTX would always be a 26” with a 4 speed, with the opening to match, provided its an original 4 speed car. The radiator # is correct for that application as well. How do the welds look like where the core support is attached? Should be nice clean spot welds, should be pretty easy to tell if it’s been replaced or had body work done on the right front.
 
The top channel with the numbers stamped is the same for 22” and 26”

the difference is the sheet metal on the sides. Has the car been wrecked and repaired?
 
GTX would always be a 26” with a 4 speed, with the opening to match, provided its an original 4 speed car. The radiator # is correct for that application as well. How do the welds look like where the core support is attached? Should be nice clean spot welds, should be pretty easy to tell if it’s been replaced or had body work done on the right front.
Definitly a factory 4 speed. All clean factory spot welds as far as I can see. The side panel itself, lower tie bar and latch support, are all a little tweaked I must say. But honestly, the gaps are all good. The nose has definitly been apart, this thing took some shots in its hard life for sure. Missing a big piece of the puzzle. The SO's match, thats what kills me.

IMG952019111795103230020.jpg thumbnail_20200217_170713.jpg
 
Well the car is 50 years old and a lot can happen over the years. My guess is the panel has been replaced at some point with the incorrect part. Probably didn’t notice until everything was done and they made it work. It wouldn’t have left the factory like that.
 
The top channel with the numbers stamped is the same for 22” and 26”

the difference is the sheet metal on the sides. Has the car been wrecked and repaired?
Definitely has been hit somewhere along the line, but doesnt appear that right baffle has been replaced. Welds all factory, nice and neat. I would expect terrible looking welds from any bodyman who would weld in the wrong part, then use a can opener to make the radiator fit. I really belive this car was born with a 22" support and radiator.
 
Looking at the picture more, it’s hard to see on my phone, but the panel looks like it could be the original one. Just bent up a bit. The lip looks like it’s all bent up for sure. Maybe the original nuts came off and bolts/nuts were the easy fix.
 
They make a replacement side panel to convert 22 to 26 inch. One of the car mags did an article on it, and I was going to do it. Probably on the web. I have a new, unused one I’d sell cheap. Don’t want to hijack the thread with a buy-sell offer so PM me if interested. I can supply pix.
 
I'm just throwing this out there. There are many factory mistakes that I have seen personally. The amount of cars they pumped out, and the nature of the assembly line, I am suprised they didn't happen on every car.
 
My own '68 GTX 440 auto came factory with the 22" radiator....
It now has a 26" Griffin and I did enlarge the existing core support.
 
Just pulled in my buddy's Lynch Rd. 68 GTX. Cars been sitting since 1981, belonged to his dad. Started teardown today, and noticed the pass side of the rad support was all hacked up, and weld nuts were missing for radiator mounting. Top was nut and bolted, not attached at bottom, driver side is unmodified. Opening is 22", 2898047 26" rad bolted in. Should be the correct one for application as far as I can tell, 440, 4spd, Dana 60, no A/C. So now I"m thinking early collision, maybe some meatstick welded in the wrong support, and said screw it. Problem is, the S.O. numbers all match, upper tie bar, drip trough, and fender tag. And the fender tag indicates A1, 26" radiator. No rebody or fuckery going on, this is a real GTX owned by the same family since 1968, unfortunately the original owner passed away years ago, and didnt leave many details. So what gives? Do all these cars have a 22" hole, and the ones with a 26" core lose 4" of air flow? That cant be. Ooops on the assy line? Bad stamp on fender tag? I'll have to post up some pics, very cool project, but I'm effing confused!


"Passenger side" radiator support missing nuts?
(And what appears to be a part number?)

"My guess" is your car came from the factory like that.
A 1969.
That's too much for coincidence, I would think.
"Nice clean welds".
Not on Friday.
See especially post 7.
https://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/threads/radiator-support-oddity.56462/#post-911770032
20210220_122432.jpg
20210220_121253.jpg


20210220_122230.jpg

20210220_122349.jpg
 
Last edited:
Those are sheet metal numbers. Look all over the car they are there. Start on the hood hinges.
 
Those are sheet metal numbers. Look all over the car they are there. Start on the hood hinges.

Except the right side support doesn't have one.
Along with the missing nuts, like his car I think.
That I noticed, anyway,
 
Definitely has been hit somewhere along the line, but doesnt appear that right baffle has been replaced. Welds all factory, nice and neat. I would expect terrible looking welds from any bodyman who would weld in the wrong part, then use a can opener to make the radiator fit. I really belive this car was born with a 22" support and radiator.
My car is the same way, fender tag says 26, core support has a 22 inch opening with a 26 inch radiator attached to it in a non-factory manner. There is no VIN stamping anywhere to be found on my radiator support. Mine definitely did not leave the factory this way.

I am positive mine had a frontal impact sometime over the past 50 years that destroyed the original 26 inch core support. Why they didn’t replace it with another 26 inch core support I have no idea. Maybe for some reason at the time they couldn’t get a hold of one. With no VIN stamping on mine it must be a reproduction support. So the impact had to have of occurred after they started making repro core supports for these cars.
 
My car is the same way, fender tag says 26, core support has a 22 inch opening with a 26 inch radiator attached to it in a non-factory manner. There is no VIN stamping anywhere to be found on my radiator support. Mine definitely did not leave the factory this way.

I am positive mine had a frontal impact sometime over the past 50 years that destroyed the original 26 inch core support. Why they didn’t replace it with another 26 inch core support I have no idea. Maybe for some reason at the time they couldn’t get a hold of one. With no VIN stamping on mine it must be a reproduction support. So the impact had to have of occurred after they started making repro core supports for these cars.

May I ask if your support with no VIN has a part number?
And regarding the items you feel have been replaced , are they spot welded in a factory manner as the OP described. ?
Mine has both that and tacks in the same places.
Thanks.
 
1967 R/T and GTX came with 26" rad as standard equipment, regardless of whether it was 4-speed or automatic. This changed for 1968 and up when 26" rad became an option, usually tied to an axle or towing package. The driver's side attachment holes are the same for both 22" and 26" rads. When a 26" rad is installed, the extra 4" of hole shows up on passenger side of rad support.
When I made my one-of-none 1967 R/T station wagon, I had a 26" rad from my R/T parts car, but the wagon came with a 22" rad. I carefully detached the factory spot welds on the passenger side of the support and cut out a 3" wide section of the rad support, preserving the factory opening lip and mounting holes. I bolted this strip to the passenger side of the 26" rad, and then bolted the other side of the rad to the driver's side support. I overlaid this section that was now bolted to the rad over the remaining passenger side of the support. I scored down this cut to mark the section of metal that would now have to be removed with a body saw. I was having body and paint work done on this car anyway, so I had my body guy trim and butt weld the two sections together. With a little body work and paint, the opening looked like a factory 26" job.

scan0002[2].jpg scan0003[1].jpg
 
Auto Transport Service
Back
Top