Radiator Update #3

Success!

I took things 'easy' today as I put everything back together. I intended to take the time to clean parts, clean up coolant in the engine compartment, remove crud from bolts & nuts, etc. As a result, I needed several hours to complete the work. In retrospect, I could have completed in ~1 hour if I had been working at a more manly pace.

Following the installation, we (Dusty & Gary, the brothers who own the heated garage where I have been able to work) took a spin to verify correct operation. The coolant temperature was very consistent, so I'm a happy man!

The big lesson learned today was "Carb cleaner, carb cleaner, carb cleaner." Evidently it can be used to clean just about anything under the sun!

There were some (mis)adventures, as well:

1) Despite the part being correct, I had to re-drill some mounting holes on the radiator.
2) The radiator fan housing was slightly warped (not affecting operation), and had to be man-handled into place on the radiator.
3) Goodbye radiator intake shroud! I had no clue as to how this chunk of plastic was to be reinstalled. It already looked fairly mangled, and I doubt it was doing what it was intended to. Perhaps it is more useful in warmer climates?
4) We had to take a rubber mallet to the thermostat housing. That thing was stuck.
5) After destroying the thermostat in order to remove it (it was also very much stuck), we determined it wouldn't have needed to be replaced. Oh well, I'd already bought a new one.

Once again, I apologize for the lack of pictures. Although I do intend to include pictures in the near future, I've come to realize taking pictures while working on cars is no simple feat. I would literally have to clean my hands every time I desired to take a picture. My hands are still filthy despite having been washed with a very harsh cleaning agent, and my fingernails make me look like I've been digging through dirt all day.