Leyland Car Owners - P76 Six radiator conversion

Subject: V.K Radiator
: Date: Mon, 17 Nov 2003

: Hello.

: You said a few weeks ago that you would like some pics and a brief rundown on the fitment of a VK commodore to the 6cyl engine.

: Well, it started off as a simple water pump change as the one on my N.V Green 6 seized up solid. So I began searching for one and eventually came up with one from a car that has seen disuse for 20 odd years. Then came the normal procedure of removing the stuffed one and fitting the good one. Just a simple job, taking only 2 hours. Well me being me, I decided to experiment a little.

: The standard radiator and plastic fan was ditched, and so was the small thermo fan that had been added last summer. I was given a Holden V.K. Commoder 3 core cross flow radiator a couple of years ago and had it hanging up on the wall. Every time I walked past it I thought about why I still had the thing, and if I would ever use it. I had also bought a set of twin thermo fans for about $10 at a local swap meet last year and had them lying around some where as well. With some bending of brackets and some heavy duty self tapping bolts, the thermo fans were attached behind the grill (Making them in front of the radiator) and wired into the ignition. Next I flushed and painted the radiator ready to go in.

: The bottom of my radiator was already modified before I got it, so all I had to do was drill some holes into the metal plate that had been welded on and put some nuts and bolts in for the pins that go into the bottom of the engine bay.

: If you get a standard one, you will probably have to make up a bracket to weld onto the radiator with the pins in the right places. Or you could take an original one and graft it on.

: The next bit I should have used the angle grinder, but I used a file instead. The vk radiator has pins that stick out on the left and right side instead of bolts. So you have to convert the holes in your engine bay to big slits. You also have to take the hole down an extra 1/2 inch as the radiator is a little higher.

: The P-76 top hose fits right on, but the bottom hose needs some attention. I used a V8 bottom hose, and cut it in half. As the radiator end is smaller than the water pump end, you need to have a big end and a little end. I had a Hillman Hunter?? Hose that fitted inside the cut V8 hose, and with a metal sleeve, I joined the two together.

: One thing to remember, if you are not going to use the original fan, you will need to put 2 or more washers on the bolts that hold the pump pulley on, as they will hit the pump and jam up.
: It is a tight fit, so a little rubber grease on the rubbers will help a lot.
: Cheers for now,
: Adam.

Leyland P76 Owners 2003

P76 Six radiator conversion

Using a Holden VK radator