Front valance variations

[moonstone SIV]

Can any members please help with the following query.

Early Tigers had the lower section of the radiator support panel opening enlarged by Jensen, no doubt to assist with air flow. This was done with a gas torch, similar to the removal of the transmission tunnel.

At some point, and it may have coincided with the introduction of the oil cooler brackets on the front valance, this enlarging procedure was deleted. In an effort to work out at what point this occurred could any owners of cars post B9473292 please let us know how their car is configured? I'm referencing that particular chassis number since it's a car with original sheetmetal, the opening cut out but no cooler brackets.

Thanks guys for your assistance.

 

[Warren]

He said

If you're interested in a he said quote.
A pal of told me he had the conversation with N.Miller and that the factory did not torch off the lower radiator covering from the smaller Alpine radiator. My car has the torch marks but no telling what didn't caretaker did it.

 

[moonstone SIV]

Warren,

Not only was the area removed with a gas torch, but a thin right angle strip of sheetmetal was tack welded over the top of the horizontal cut to tidy it up. This is evident on many cars I have seen so it was not some dodgy modification by a previous owner. Pic of B9473292 attached. To assist with the info does your car post date the one in the pic?

 

[spmdr]

or this one

I have seen very few of these.

But they are out there.

This one is also in that same VIN range: B9473xxx

BTW, the title of this thread has me NOT thinking about core support mods, just sayin.

When I started reading this thread I was VERY skeptical of it being a "Factory" mod, then I thought,

Wait a minute, I HAVE seen a few mods like that, that WERE all the same... Hmmm.

DW

 

[Warren]

Source

Certainly I consider my sources.
My deceased friend was a straight shooter that had the go around with Norm.
Considering the number of people that have asked me for the sheet metal I would think that nearly any Tiger owner with a can opener a Sawzall a jigsaw hammer and a chisel or a torch would have taken off that piece without a second thought. I'm just talking about the little piece that covers up the bottom of the radiator. I've seen some guys that do really nice work by trimming a series of holes in the piece that get progressively larger as the piece widens.

My car is 2628 and I don't remember the number of Paul's car. He parted out many Alpine's had access to plenty of nice sheet metal, so was looking for the factory look as bad as that may be.

I Believe that they had cut one of my old 1A cars 1326 but I have the remnants of 1345 that is a good core piece except for they torched off the horn mounting brackets.
I was just looking at another site and some people do think that it was torched off, but certainly I'm not one of them. Surely The test may be, if you had an original car torched off and it did the premature rust out because it just got body color paint shot over it.

 

[moonstone SIV]

Thanks DW, that's one ugly nose...! Can you tell me if the VIN is post B9473292 please.

Warren, I get that many are skeptical about the mod being factory applied but the pics tell otherwise. And what backyarder was going to attach 2 cover strips to finish the top of their handywork....? On multiple cars....?

 

[65beam]

variations

This photo of my series 4 Alpine while it was being restored by Doug at Tiger Auto in Dayton Ohio shows a clear view of the radiator support area.

 

[Warren]

My point

My car doesn't have it, Paul's car didn't have it and they were just basically cut straight down without any finishing or added sheet metal. Just for the sake of conversation why would you add a piece of metal down below the bottom of the radiator that doesn't really do anything. Yours will be the first that I've seen that had the extra added little metal at the bottom. You got to think that if somebody was a metal worker and did that kind of stuff that they would also add some metal to the bottom of the fan shroud but you don't see that very often if at all. I certainly question the idea of putting another piece of metal in front of the bottom
of the radiator. You could say there is no visible means of support other than the brackets and the four bolts.
I would suggest if you want more input that you should either call Norm or go to where he frequents like the email list or that Facebook Tiger page.
to be clear Bob just posted a picture what I'm used to seeing and what I was talking about was people just cut off this lower section that covers the bottom of the larger Tiger radiator.
Thanks Bob I really wasn't feeling like laying down to the front of the car today.

 

[at the beach]

Core support mod

As far as I know Jensen did not modify the core support area from what Pressed Steel had built. The last version of the radiator core support listed in the Rootes Parts List for the Tiger that I have found is part number 2225853. This still had the angled sheet metal that blocked the airflow.

However I seem to recall a service bulletin that instructed dealers to trim the lower section if an owner complained about cooling problems.

Does this (service bulletin) ring a bell with anyone else?

Buck

 

[0neoffive]

Yes

As far as I know Jensen did not modify the core support area from what Pressed Steel had built.

However I seem to recall a service bulletin that instructed dealers to trim the lower section if an owner complained about cooling problems.

Does this (service bulletin) ring a bell with anyone else?

Buck

Being of "age", I do remember early conversations about a factory fix being offered. We are talking decades ago fer sure and I've seen the cuts & folds in many cars that enter the shop. My own restoration solution when we are raising a carcass from the dead includes replacing the entire lower portion of the support with a 1/2" steel pipe which allows smooth air flow thru the normally blocked radiator area. Amen fer now . . . . .

 

[moonstone SIV]

Thanks Randy, your pic also clearly shows what I've been describing. I don't suppose you have a chassis number recorded for the example in the photo?

If this truly was an "in service" modification, at the very least the radiator and associated hardware has to be removed to allow access for the process and the paint repaired at it's conclusion. Black satin with a brush of course.

And every dealer so requested used a gas torch for the cutting, (as opposed to a cut off wheel or sawzall), and an arc welder, (2 small beads per side), to attach the trim strips...? The whole premise, though not impossible, seems highly unlikely.

Anyway, we seem to have become sidetracked. So, can any members with a car later than B9473292 please chime in if their radiator support panel has had the same treatment as pictured earlier. Thanks.

 

[spmdr]

Yes, the VIN of the car above is a little later, B94733xx

 

[0neoffive]

I'm guessing

Thanks Randy, your pic also clearly shows what I've been describing. I don't suppose you have a chassis number recorded for the example in the photo?

If this truly was an "in service" modification, at the very least the radiator and associated hardware has to be removed to allow access for the process and the paint repaired at it's conclusion. Black satin with a brush of course.

And every dealer so requested used a gas torch for the cutting, (as opposed to a cut off wheel or sawzall), and an arc welder, (2 small beads per side), to attach the trim strips...? The whole premise, though not impossible, seems highly unlikely.

Anyway, we seem to have become sidetracked. So, can any members with a car later than B9473292 please chime in if their radiator support panel has had the same treatment as pictured earlier. Thanks.

That project was an earlier B94 car with many issues. It now has a 1/2" pipe neatly welded in place.