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Passenger side of my rad core support is rotting out. Only reason I can think of would be an old leaky battery. It's pretty obvious when compared to the driver's side.
Driver
Passenger
Luckily a buddy still has a pretty nice gas core support from a 93 that he just swapped to a diesel. And I guess if I look at the bright side, this will make changing out the timing chain a whole lot easier when I finally get around to it. And yikes, looks like its time for some new mounts too.
Passenger side of my rad core support is rotting out. Only reason I can think of would be an old leaky battery. It's pretty obvious when compared to the driver's side.
Driver
Passenger
Luckily a buddy still has a pretty nice gas core support from a 93 that he just swapped to a diesel. And I guess if I look at the bright side, this will make changing out the timing chain a whole lot easier when I finally get around to it. And yikes, looks like its time for some new mounts too.
Man, that's a bummer. Is it worth drilling out the spot welds for the entire core support to replace, or maybe just cut out what you need and replace part? Spot welds are SUCH a pain in the behind, plus aligning the new CS is difficult too.
Man, that's a bummer. Is it worth drilling out the spot welds for the entire core support to replace, or maybe just cut out what you need and replace part? Spot welds are SUCH a pain in the behind, plus aligning the new CS is difficult too.
I'm just going to pull it and replace it. I have a free one handy, just needs paint. And I need to change my timing chain/water pump soon, which should be a lot easier with the whole front of the truck removed.
The only hard step in R&Ring the core support is re-loading the front mounts to align the fenders vertically. But if you take several good pics near the hood supports before you start, it's still pretty easy to load the fenders with a prybar. Horizontal alignment is easy - centered on the frame. I highly recommend black Energy poly with silicone grease, and filling the tubes with anti-seize:
Passenger side of my rad core support is rotting out. Only reason I can think of would be an old leaky battery. It's pretty obvious when compared to the driver's side.
Kind of make a good argument for an AGM / Optima type battery. The Optimas are priced beyond reason IMO, but there are some reasonably priced AGMs out there, and so far my experience says they are pretty good. I've started on the equipment first, the Backhoe got a Sears Diehard, been in service about 5 years, so far no diminished power, They have gone up a good bit in price though. Next got a Who-done-it brand AGM for the lawn tractor, off Ebay, and it too seems, durable enough.
That's the most-expensive solution to a leaky battery. A much-cheaper & -better solution is to buy a top-quality name-brand battery, like MotorCraft TTM, Interstate MTP, or Sears DieHard Gold (no cheaper versions of those brands). A flooded-cell battery stores more energy (more RM or Ah), discharges more efficiently (higher CA & CCA), tolerates deep discharging better, tolerates fast charging better, can recover lost performance by desulfating, has a longer warranty (the ones I listed), and co$t$ le$$.
I've still got a couple of Optima batteries in continuous service I bought in the 90's. I've never had a conventional lead acid last more than 10 years. So I'm calling apples and oranges.
The only hard step in R&Ring the core support is re-loading the front mounts to align the fenders vertically. But if you take several good pics near the hood supports before you start, it's still pretty easy to load the fenders with a prybar. Horizontal alignment is easy - centered on the frame. I highly recommend black Energy poly with silicone grease, and filling the tubes with anti-seize:
The other captions in that album explain how to get those bolts out of the CS mounts.
Fun times ahead indeed. I have done a couple of powerstroke swaps in OBS F350's so I am familiar with the core support procedure. Have you had a look at the new kit Energy Suspension has now that comes with all of the hardware too? Certainly more expensive but probably makes the job a lot easier. Still cheaper than LMC.
Kind of make a good argument for an AGM / Optima type battery. The Optimas are priced beyond reason IMO, but there are some reasonably priced AGMs out there, and so far my experience says they are pretty good. I've started on the equipment first, the Backhoe got a Sears Diehard, been in service about 5 years, so far no diminished power, They have gone up a good bit in price though. Next got a Who-done-it brand AGM for the lawn tractor, off Ebay, and it too seems, durable enough.
When I re-did my battery cables and put in a higher amp alternator a few months back, I also swapped in an Interstate Megatron-Plus. After seeing how they perform in powerstroke trucks, it is the only battery I would even consider any more. The optimas apparently have suffered some serious fluctuations in quality over the last decade or so. But back when I was building car stereos 20 years ago they were the only thing we would ever even consider.
Have you had a look at the new kit Energy Suspension has now that comes with all of the hardware too? Certainly more expensive but probably makes the job a lot easier.
It only encourages you to butcher the original hardware, which IME isn't easier or quicker. And it's obviously not cheaper. And I don't like the way their replacement sleeves are just a couple of thick washers stacked on a separate tube. It doesn't provide the same stability as the OE parts.
Well, crap!
