Radiator replacement on a budget

Sounds fair, for a new core. If this is an original radiator it will be far more heavy-duty than newer ones... might be a good investment.

For comparison http://www.ebay.com/itm/WILLYS-JEEP...Parts_Accessories&hash=item3f3d98608f&vxp=mtr

 

Yep, a new core is basically a new radiator. They are only reusing the side brackets and top and bottom tank. Fin repair is irrelevant because the new core comes with the fins.

Ask them if they will simply solder the hole closed. No guarantee other than it doesn't leak when you take it home.

 

What kind of torch do you have? Have you done any mechanical soldering? Plumbing? Building stuff with solder? With soldering in general, you need clean bare metal, flux, the right solder, and enough heat so that the joint gets to soldering temps without damaging the surroundings. And it has to be hot enough so that the loss of heat away from the joint is much slower than the rate of heat going into the joint. So you need a hot torch. Is a home propane torch hot enough? I doubt it. A MAPP torch? Maybe. Air-acetylene? Yes.

 

:iagree:

Can be done, and sucessfully. But definitely some art involved.

 

My first gig in the real work world was as a driver for a radiator shop. I just delivered and picked up radiators and heater cores, and gas tanks from shops, but often watched the guys in our shop who did the radiator work. They had a deft hand, like PeteL says, it's an art.

The typical "clean and repair" or "rod and repair" consisted of removing the top and bottom tanks (everything was brass then and there were very few side tank radiators- this was in '73). But that describes jeep stuff anyhow, so it's going to be pretty much the same. Once the tanks were removed (they just use the torch to melt the solder), they took long thin steel rods to "rod out" the tubes. The rods were more like flattened dipsticks, they weren't round. That got out all the junk and corrosion in the tubes; if they were sound enough, the radiator could be repaired. If the tubes had too many holes or weaknesses, then a re-core was in order. But if they could, they patch the tubes, or cut off whole tubes then put the tanks back on and yours truly would spray paint them black, set them in the dryer and eventually deliver them to the shop or dealer.

From what I could tell, the application of heat is very tricky and they used specialized torches and specific gas (not sure what it was, might have just been propane or NG). Put too much heat on it and you'll melt solder in places you don't want that to happen and it'll leak all over. Same goes for changing location of radiator hose outlets or really any other type of work on a radiator- it still strikes me as strictly professional level stuff.

Radiators do wear out- there is no two ways about it. Repairing them is often a band-aid and just creates problems further down the road. From my experience in the shop, a lot of clean and repair jobs were just so that the owner could keep the car going for awhile till he sold it in the not-too-distant future.

One other thing, to really get the tanks or other brass parts clean and ready for soldering, acids were used in abundance. I have always wondered how that environment affected those guys' health. I was fortunate that the vast majority of my time was out of the shop, driving around San Diego picking up and delivering radiators in a '64 El Camino. So I avoided most of it. Just as I was quitting to go fight fire, the soles of my boots disintegrated- they just fell off. The acid had eaten away at the threads and glue.

Re-core it and be done with it. If you want to keep your jeep radiator looking like a jeep radiator, insist on copper and brass, not aluminum.

(Repairs can be successfully done at the shop, but they don't just apply external heat to a leak and try to patch it. That's asking for trouble. Instead, they, once again, pull off the top and bottom tanks and solder up the offending tube. Then the tanks are cleaned with acid and replaced. You lose some cooling capacity, sure, but that's the price you pay. At the same time, the shop can do a clean and repair- it's all about the same amount of work to them and blocking off tubes is a pretty common practice. It's a good time to determine the health of your radiator anyhow. The point is, a competent shop will be very reluctant to let a sure-to-fail job leave their building.)

 

Guys, I just finished up my aluminum radiator install. I had to notch the lower tank to clear my steering shaft, but everybody's steering install is different. I used Champion CC2374B and Dearle fan 19115 it is a 15" fan, I could have used the 17" fan if i needed more cooling, but it barley keeps the thermostat open right now. I have 1 3/4" of clearance fan to rad. For the lower hose, I used Napa # 7344. It is stock for a 1969 cj5 with a v6. It is only 1 1/2" and to get it on the 1 3/4 rad outlet I just let it get warm in front of the heater and put a little oil on it. Slid right on. For the upper I have Napa # 9521. Don't like it. Just get a universal upper hose. Here are some finished pics.

 

So after talking to the radiator shop, they actually talked me out of repairing my OEM radiator saying it would be like throwing money away because the unit is beat.

So I ordered this guy and its in its way now: (I'll hold onto the old one just in case)

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-380324/overview/

 

The technology has changed dramatically since my work in the rad shop. Back then, I never saw anything but copper and brass. I sure can't blame a guy for going with a much less expensive aluminum unit.

 

So the back of my Jeep is looking like a parts warehouse. I haven't unboxed or installed any of my new parts because I am waiting on the frame repair before moving forward. Some people have asked me about the new Summit radiator, so I figured I'd post an update.


http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-380324/overview/

Paid $159 w/ free shipping
Arrived in 3 days
Does not include mounting hardware, radiator cap, etc.

Its a pretty stripped down no frills radiator, but the dimensions (size) and price is what sold me on this unit.

 

Pretty sure thats the same radiator I have in mine. Works well.

 

After a test fit, it won't work. I'll be returning it and looking for other options.

Back to the drawing board . . .

 

Round two:

Champion 3 row (#CC2374) on sale for $209 ($259 shipped) Its not perfect and will require modification, but its close enough for government work. The bottom portion of the bracket will need to be trimmed, and I will have to fab some sort of a bracket to attach the radiator to the grill/ bars that run across the top of the engine bay. When you look at the bars in the second picture it looks mighty close, but once the grill goes on those holes are located below/ behind the actual radiator itself.

 

Don't throw it away. I have repaired far worse and I am still using units as old as 1950.

 

do you have a tool to pressure test it? to find exactly where the leak is? from the picture to me it looks like its leaking at the tubes in the core judging by locations of corrosion.

 

I made my own with hardware store rubber plumbing caps and hose clamps. Add a tire valve and a bicycle tire pump, put the radiator in water and look for bubbles.