I got quite a bit done today, well until I ran out of wire for the Mig.... ARGH

Time to tackle the cooling issue. Heres the comparision between the 1 1/4" thick, 2 Core, 4 Cylinder radiator and the 2" thick, 3 Core, V6 radiator.



I cut out the lower part of the core support as needed. But I still left the top main piece for the OEM hood latch.



And since the V6 radiator is taller and I need to move it forward, I had to cut out the factory front crossmember to replace it with a piece of angle. well since I've had the vehicle, the front crossmember has looked like this, so it needed to be replaced anyways....



And now with the new crossmember.



Now you might think that a piece of angle (3 1/2" x 3 1/2" x 1/4") is not enough support but this is a All-Pro bumper that bolts to the front of the frame and the body mounts, so it provides quite a bit of additional support. I might down the road add some rect. tubing to it to stiffen it up, but for now, this will be fine.



Then I took some 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 1/8" angle and made my vertical radiator supports. these are going to be welded to the top of the frame and not the sheetmetal core support. Doing that should stop the possiblity of the cab flexing around and changing my radiator clearances.



And now for mock up.... You can hardly even see the electric fan. Just want I wanted - A nice stock look!



Well the tarus fan (16") wouldn't fit with this bumper. so I ended up buying an 14" Hayden rapid-cool reversable electric fan and a 185 degree thermostat relay wiring kit from Knecths (~$163). So thats the fan thats shown here.



This fan is 3 7/8" thick and just clears the winch by 3/8".



And heres the engine clearances I ended up with. and this is with the factory hood latch, just like I wanted....