Problem with radiator fitting.

[The Shipley Squirrel]

I have just fitted the radiator on my ’49 Shipley Flyer and the bottom hose outlet pipe seems extremely close to the cylinder head pipe spigot
and is at the wrong angle.
Do I have the wrong radiator for a 1949 model ? It looks like it will be impossible to get the hose on and it would have such a kink in as to cut off the flow of water.
I have attached a picture below to show what I mean, the gap you can see between the two pipes in the picture is barely half an inch !
Any help much appreciated.

Mark.

[attachment=0:9at17m3n]Scott engine in frame 015 rez.jpg[/attachment:9at17m3n]

[richard norris]

Hello Mark, oh dear what a bummer. I suppose there is no room to raise the rad in the frame? Otherwise I think the pipe will need realigning. There always seems too little room for comfort there, I use soft (silicone?) hose which bends easily,

Good luck, Richard

[BRIAN MARSHALL]

Something MAJOR wrong here ! The spigot on the top of the cylinder head is the OUTLET for the hot coolant, rising by ‘thermo-syphon’ effect. That should connect to the top connection on the radiator, where it gets cooled and thus sinks to the bottom of the radiator, from where it should go to the lower (front) connection on the cylinder barrel….. The radiator hose connection spigot would therefore appear to be back-to-front !
Brian

[James]

turn the head around?

[BRIAN MARSHALL]

OH…. Looking at the second photo reveals that I misunderstood the problem! The hose shown is correct, and it is the angle of the spigot on the bottom of the radiator that seems to be at the wrong angle for a fairly straight connection. Also I was thinking in terms of the blind head barrels on my vintage (pre-1930) bikes !!
I can only suggest trying to use a flexible silicone rubber piece of hose, as already suggested, failing that try and get the rad tilted a bit more to try and get the connections to line up a bit better. Sorry I initially misunderstood the situation.
Brian

[BRIAN MARSHALL]

Just noticed that you have a later Birmingham type cylinder head. I’ve never compared one side by side with a Shipley head, and would be interested if someone can do so and post a reply, just in case the hose connections are different. It’s 35 years since I had a late Shipley bike, and I can’t remember it having a radiator with a slot down the middle, something I normally associate with 1931-1933 single top downtube framed Flying Squirrels and 1930 Sprint Specials. Again, could someone comment ?

[BRIAN MARSHALL]

Hang on a minute !! Just spotted that it is a Birmingham frame, not a late Shipley 1949 at all… You need a Brum rad.

[The Shipley Squirrel]

Hi Brian,

There’s a bit of confusion here. The second picture has been posted by James from Iowa, USA and is not a picture of my bike.
Mine is definitely a 1949 Shipley frame, exactly the same as the one I bought from you.
The head can only go on the barrel one way round and the rad is fitted with the return tube towards the rear of the bike.
I can only think it might be a rad for an earlier blind head Scott ?
Thanks to all for your replies.

Mark.

[Richard Moss]

Hello Mark,
Have you any further movement available on the radiator? I can see a bit of daylight where you’ve got some foam padding at the front. You don’t need much in the way of clearance and in this situation and I’d also be looking at whether you could get more lift if you modified the top mounting arrangement. You might also have to modify the ends of the pipes. I was also shown recently an example of silicone radiator hose that had a significantly greater flexibility than the tough rubber ones traditionally used. With various nips and tucks you might be OK.

Richard

[Steve Bowles]

Sorry I can’t take a picture at the moment.
I can say that on my 49 Flyer radiator (original) lines up with the spigot reasonably well.
The pipe is a real fiddle to connect because of the close proximity (1/2″) and the fact that the head nuts surrounding the spigot reduces clearance for the clip.
I have to lift the radiator as high as possible and then get the bracket back afterwards.

S

[BRIAN MARSHALL]

I must have been VERY tired last night !! I completely failed to see that the second photo was from Mark in Iowa. On a shelf somewhere I have a couple of unused old stock hoses of the type used by the factory. They have a flexible ‘concertina’ section in the middle, allowing them to bend without kinking. If anyone knows where they could be copied in a modern silicone rubber I can lend one as a pattern. Mine are age-hardened and a bit perished, so unfit for use but OK as a pattern.

[scott596]

Hi Mark to me it looks like the outlet tube has been soldered in pointing backwards when it should point forwards, most radiators for detachable head Scotts either point forwards slightly or are at 90 degrees, you will have to have it altered. Alan Noakes. scottworkshop@hotmail.co.uk

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