Well my car being a european model has a realtively rare radiator meaning no stores carry it and I'd have to find a used/rebuilt one. One came up online and the person selling it was honest and told me that it had damage to the lower fins and though it held water he thought the thing was basically in need of fixing before it is usable. He thought the person might have used a sealant or somthing to stop a leak.
The person is asking a reasonable price but I'm curious if it is worth rebuilding a radiator. There are shops around here for radiator service. Has anyone here had any experience repairing a radiator?
I'm surprized. I had a '76 280 Z and I wanted to have the radiator rebuilt (yeah, it's not that uncommon an import). Anyway, one of the bigger radiator shops in the area said they stopped doing rebuilds. They sold me a new radiator, but it wasn't quite as easy as that. The new radiator didn't even look like the old one(the tank and inlet were wrong). The computer/ordering guide they were using was messed up....they eventually wound up taking two different radiators for Z cars and "mixing and matching" to get the tank to work right. So in a way, I still had a "rebuilt" radiator.
Take what you have to a radiator shop. They can fix it, from just presure flushing it to putting a new core in it. That's what Esprit owners do. If they can do an Esprit, they can do whatever you have. If the model has a history of low cooling capability, you can even get an extra row core put in.
+1 on Hess' post. We have a 450SL in the shop right now getting a 3 row recore. There's sure to be a radiator shop somewhere around you that will do custom work. The down side: it probably won't be cheap. In fact, you might check with Griffin Radiator (GRM advertiser) and see if they can make you something.
Thanks for the information, I think I'm going to go talk to a couple of shops and see what they say. The radiator that is currenty on my car isn't in great condition, it cools the car well enough that driving 95mph in 105F weather the car ran 85C but I really should try to find one to have as a spare especially if I ever try to get the AC working. I like going to radiator shops anyways because they always seem to be doing interesting work.
One person online told me the radiator on my car is the same size and everything as the 450, but the oil cooler is on the other side. One small detail maikes all the difference.
Thank you folks again for the suggestions!
Back when I first got my 64 Spit the radiator was crap. I took it to a rad shop and had them recore it with an extra row. This was back in 90 but it was a little over $100 to have it done. Big money to me, I has just graduated HS but well worth it.
Ya re-cores are quire common. Expect to pay but the quality is usually better then even the "new" ones I see. It comes to pride in ones work.
I got a rad for my mustang several years back. It was the heavy duty one cost around $130 or so. the problem was it did not fit. The store had another sent and it to did not fit. Turned out there there was a manufacturing error and a bracket had been installed incorrectly in on the entire lot that they had in there ware house.
They ended up actually taking my radiator and sending it to a local shop. They rebuilt in and I got it back for the cost of the one I was supposed to get. I was assured that I would be pleased. I was very skeptical and I was starting to see the red mist at this point. But I kept it together and I gave them 24 hours to get it right as I was supposed to be leaving for Nelson Ledges in 48 hours.
Now the good part. 24 hours later I return. The one I got back was all metal (tanks and everything) My original rad had plastic tanks. The original in my car was either a single or double core (I dont remember now). I was going to get a 3 core as the heavy duty option. The one I go back was a 4 cour!!!! Lastly and most importantly it fit absolutely perfectly.
Needless to say I was very pleased. About the only down side I could see (if you want to call it one) was if you were using this for a racing application it was a very heavy piece. I bet it was at least 4x the weight of the one I replaced.
For E36 M3s and giggles I searched for a replacement radiator for my car online and found a new one, 1020$! Last time I searched I didn't find anything thought so even at 1000$ this is a good sign. I swear that 9/10 parts for my car are the same as a US model but for that 1/10 part the cost is 2-3times more expensive.
I figure if I can get the radiator core for 100$ and a couple hundred bucks for a decent core job, it might be worth it. Does anyone know if there are any caveats to recoring a radiator that has a transmission cooler?
At least the world is getting flatter with the internet, before Al Gore invented it finding parts was even worse.
Not a problem to recore a rad with a trany cooler in it. I have had it done dozens of times. The place I have used for years has been around since the 50's. If no one on the left coast will do it you can ship it to them here and they will take care of it.
I cant remember, that does have metal tanks doesnt it?
It is either all copper or brass, one or the other. The metal is dead soft so the person I might be getting it from says something happened and it got damaged at the bottom of the fins and might have punctured a cooler tube but if the top and bottom tanks are good and the fittings are good it might make a good core for rebuild.
There is also another person saying they might junk their 280sl and I'll ask them how much they'd want for their radiator. Having a car with a rare radiator turns you into a damn vulture!
Thanks for the offer Porky, that would make a hell of a journey for a radiator, the damn thing will have seen more of the country then me. I'm sure I can find a rebuilder here but the damn environmentalist ruin the fun for the radiator guys. One local guy said he ran a large shop and the EPA made him buy all sorts of equipment and took the fun out of working so he downsizes.
My brother's girlfriend's dad owns a big radiator shop in Bridgeport, WV, and he does a booming business. His is the only radiator shop anywhere around so people bring him business from a very wide geographical area. He can rebuild or recore just about anything. My brother's heater core sprung a leak in his thunderbird, and though thunderbirds aren't exactly rare, he told my brother to bring it by and he'd recore it, no charge. And he did. He is also working on a custom intercooler for my brother. He does brass, copper, aluminum, you name it, he can handle it.
The bulk of his work comes from big diesel commercial applications, but he handles a wide variety of specialty stuff.
Radiator shops aren't dead! I'm sure there is one near you and I'm sure if there isn't you could mail it in to a place like his.
