Chwatson

I was in a relatively minor car accident several weeks ago, for those of you unaware. Anyway, at the time there appeared to be merely cosmetic damage, but upon closer inspection, the radiator, and therefore the fan shroud behind it, were pushed back a bit. The shroud is now contacting the A/C clutch on the front of the compressor.

I had a shop look at it in regards to fixing the busted condenser and they said they couldn't touch anything until the radiator support was pulled out. I'm extremely sorry to be an *** and ask for help, but I haven't found much information on the subject.

I know this will be a good opportunity to upgrade to 6 blade fans and the late shroud, but I want to get an idea for the kind of work necessary to fix this so i can actually install the new shroud. I'm not looking for a perfect fix (is the radiator support a bolt-in?), I just want all the functionality back for the time being. I presume I'll have to remove the front bumper and valance, which is a hassle but nothing new. Unfortunately I couldn't wait around for the Porsche specialists in town to look at it, so I took it to a general repair shop with a very good rep, but, not knowing the intricacies of the 924/944/968 series, they could not tell me any specifics, instead they could reference what to do based upon traditional layouts/designs.

Like I said, I'm sorry to be a jerk but this is the first time I've had more than 90 seconds to spend browsing Rennlist, let alone ask any questions. Time is not a luxury I've had in recent weeks, but I think I'll be free next weekend if I finish my research papers in time, and I'd like to finish this for good.

FWIW the radiator/fan assembly appears to have essentially pivoted using the top mount as a hinge (if that makes no sense: the top of it stayed stationary as far as I can tell and the bottom moved maybe 1-1.5 inches towards the cabin).
I'm not thrilled that I have to ask this question but y'all are the only choice I've got at the moment (I'd also really like it if I hadn't even had to ask it in the first place).

I'll post pics this evening hopefully when I get home (fun fact: the fan still works perfectly). Thanks in advance for any help whatsoever, and thank God for Rennlist.

V2Rocket

if im imagining correctly what youre describing as the radiator support its nothing really that special, just a big bracket sort of thing that i imagine you could just bend back to being straight.

the ac condensor isnt very hard to remove, at least it wasnt on my car but it might be more challenging for you since my system had leaked all the refrigerant

Chwatson

I'm not worried about the condenser. All the r-12 leaked out anyway and it's finally cooling off here in FL

The problem is I haven't had any time to tear into the car yet and I really want to figure out what it is I'm talking about, first. There appears to be a radiator support underneath it, but I'm not sure if that's what's bent (or even if it is bent, if that's the bent piece that's actually caused the radiator to be swept back, or simply a byproduct of the actual culprit bending).

Wow some of this sentences and statements I've written are ridiculous. Actually most of them are, but I can't figure out another way to describe it.

Here's a picture from the scene, it shows the general state of things. If anything it looks like what I hit was low slung, almost like a really high curb, even though it was a car.

Perhaps it will help/suffice until I can get good pics. Thanks for the prompt response, V2

Chwatson

Oh, as for the R12 it all leaked out within about 90 seconds of the collision. Don't know if I mentioned that.

Chwatson

Here are some pics of the problem. Sorry about the quality, a flashlight and camera phone are not conducive to high quality pics, though I doubt even the best of cameras could've managed any better, considering the space constraints.

Spidey944

The radiator support is super easy to bend, and these cars really dont like ft end impacts. You should be able to give it a good yank and gently bend it back into place.

Chwatson

that's great to know. i'm planning on pulling the valance/bumper (i presume that's necessary) and going from there. i just don't know how well the valance will go back on, though, considering the shape it's in now. i might try to pick one up by the weekend and replace it. that might be impossible, though.

Chwatson

I'm planning on putting in the late fans, but I've heard they require the updated lower rad hose for clearance reasons. How do I tell if I've got the new style hose?