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Radiator...what to do

dyeager535

dyeager535

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New engine revealed that the 13 year old radiator won't cut it, especially with higher ambient temps.

My dilemma is multi-fold. I have a new radiator, which is for my project to see if I can get away with a smaller AL radiator tucked up inside the core support. But the likelihood of getting the time to complete this before I need the truck again is unlikely.

The other problem is that this is a copper/brass four core, that I paid $180 back in 2004. It's got a lifetime warranty, so I can get it replaced. But they will replace it with an aluminum/plastic one that only costs $130.

I'm not averse to the plastic/aluminum, that's just where things are going. But I'm tempted to see about having the copper/brass re-cored. I suspect it will cost me at least what I could buy the AL/plastic one for. I just feel like I'd be letting myself get ripped off turning in a much more expensive radiator, to be replaced with a much cheaper one.
 
I'd suspect it's going to be $200 or more for the rebuild. Guess you have to decide if it's worth it to have a copper n brass.
 
I just had mine recores with a new high efficiency 4-core and it was almost $500! Vegas prices :yikes:
And it wont even keep this big block cool. Might want to look at a 3-row aluminum/plastic?
 
Fastereddie said:
I just had mine recores with a new high efficiency 4-core and it was almost $500! Vegas prices :yikes:
And it wont even keep this big block cool. Might want to look at a 3-row aluminum/plastic?
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Whoa
 
dyeager535 said:
New engine revealed that the 13 year old radiator won't cut it, especially with higher ambient temps.

My dilemma is multi-fold. I have a new radiator, which is for my project to see if I can get away with a smaller AL radiator tucked up inside the core support. But the likelihood of getting the time to complete this before I need the truck again is unlikely.

The other problem is that this is a copper/brass four core, that I paid $180 back in 2004. It's got a lifetime warranty, so I can get it replaced. But they will replace it with an aluminum/plastic one that only costs $130.

I'm not averse to the plastic/aluminum, that's just where things are going. But I'm tempted to see about having the copper/brass re-cored. I suspect it will cost me at least what I could buy the AL/plastic one for. I just feel like I'd be letting myself get ripped off turning in a much more expensive radiator, to be replaced with a much cheaper one.
Click to expand...
See if the warranty holder will pay to have yours fixed. Or maybe split it with you.
 
Not a bad idea, but I'm pretty sure that Schucks (now Oreillys) won't deal with that at all. I can always ask, but I think trying to deal with them on that would be more hassle than it's worth.

If recore costs more than the radiator cost new, pretty easy answer to me.

Guess that was an easy answer...Place I've gone to for decades for radiators/recores is permanently closed. :(

If I could get my hands on a junk AL/plastic, pretty sure they wouldn't care/know the original was copper/brass, and I could give this to someone that has to have copper/brass, or scrap it and at least recoup a few bucks.
 
i just switch from the big diesel rad to aluminum with plastic tanks and it runs cooler. by 20 degrees cooler. i gues in summer that will help alot.
 
Kain said:
i just switch from the big diesel rad to aluminum with plastic tanks and it runs cooler. by 20 degrees cooler. i gues in summer that will help alot.
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Really... 20degrees. what is it? 2 row, 3row? For what application? I wish I wouldnt have wasted 500 bucks :(
 
There's 112th street radiator on 112 and Waller in Tacoma they do good work
 
I've just done this exact thing . And here in the middle east where I am stationed the temperature gets above 50 degrees . I just put in a aluminum / plastic 3 core rad and wow what a huge difference .
20 degrees cooler at least ! And im running a healthy camed 468bb !
 
From experience, the only way you can say one is better than the other would be if both of them were new. I know my radiator is shot, and putting a cheap plastic/aluminum is going to better keep engine temps in check, but if the copper/brass was brand new, it would probably do the same, and be of superior construction. (IMO).

Thanks for the tip on the Tacoma folks, I'll give them a ring. I'm not expecting much though, unfortunately I think the days of cheap re-cores are gone. Dwindling demand for copper/brass cores I'm sure.
 
Rough estimate for a recore, over the phone from the local place...~$500.

FWIW, this is for the "standard" size radiator, at roughly 28x19". Not one of the larger diesel/BBC ones.
 
Some radiators from oreillies are still all metal. I bought a big one for mine and it was metal. Maybe take a look.
 
Just a follow up. Coincidentally was at an auto repair shop two weekends back helping a co-worker. Had a brilliant idea, asked the guy what they did with the bad radiators they pulled. "Throw them in a pile out back, they are almost worthless as scrap". Gave me one that was roughly the same size/shape as the truck radiator.

Took that "core" in, traded it for a new plastic/AL radiator. If you think about it, what the heck is any store going to do with those core plastic/AL radiators? I doubt they re-use the plastic, and they would recycle the AL, so the core is nothing but scrap weight.

FWIW, the radiator fit as good as the one I took out. Only two semi-odd problems on install. The vent line bubbled/leaked a bit of coolant as the engine warmed up, and the heater hose didn't seal very well. Not sure what is up with the vent line, it has the little spring hose clamp. I'll pull it off and check to see that it's not plugged, it shouldn't be pressurized obviously. I didn't replace any of the hoses, so that end of the heater hose may be a bit hardened. I just took the clamp (comes with the clamp/cap that they provide to block that nipple off if not in use) and put it semi-snug around the flared part of that nipple. We'll see if it leaks. If nothing else, cut the hose end back to "fresh" rubber.

As advertised, it's a single row 1.25" tube.

I may take the time to measure it, but it looks to me like the plastic tank (passenger side) swells quite a bit when under pressure. I can see that working the seal excessively. I use the truck pretty infrequently, even if a poor design, I will probably get decent life out of it.

This is the radiator: https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...6/4459536/1983/chevrolet/k5-blazer?q=radiator
https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...6/4459536/1983/chevrolet/k5-blazer?q=radiator
Once I get the e-brake situation sorted out I'll take it for a test drive. Confident it fixed the overheating, but with the temperature dropping substantially this time of year, going to be a different ballgame when I drive it. 90's to 40's. Radiator has to do a bit less work the next 6 months or so. :(
 
And....it failed. lol

Came home from work, truck hasn't been started or moved since initial fill and run up to temp, antifreeze slick down the driveway. After much cursing and other merriment, determined that it was either leaking around the lower hose or the tank seam right near that fitting. Took it out, angled radiator a bit, added water, started running out the seam at the bottom.

Due to the core support design, I checked to see if maybe the rubber cushion had collapsed enough that the tank was hitting the sharp raised edges on the core support that locates the lower radiator cushion, but I couldn't see any signs of contact at all. Took the radiator back, the one in stock at the store had been crushed in the box. Guy said Spectra is making their units FWIW. Went to another store, got (another) replacement. Same part number, this one is obviously from a different manufacturer.

Not real happy with the footing this is starting out on. Just in case, I made a plate to go under the radiator cushion to ensure the radiator tank cannot hit the core support. I checked the copper/brass radiators I have, and the "mounting flange" is about the same size as the one on the plastic/AL radiator, but the copper/brass would be a lot more tolerant of contact there.
 
Got the replacement, "completely different" design. Drain diameter is different (of course, after I ordered the pieces to make the smaller one drain via ball valve) the tanks have more external ribbing on them, and the outlet to the overflow tank is pointed straight back towards the engine. Doesn't really matter, but not the angle it should be. All different from the radiator I got from the same company a week prior.

Made my lower "spacers", but that required shimming the upper mounts too. Also, looks like the core is taller than the previous, the mounts on both sides hit the aluminum, but it's not the tubes, it's the ribs across the top.

That led me to think about why these things seem to fail in the trucks. First, if the plastic tanks contact anything (like the lower core support ribs that hold the mount in place) it's going to put stress on the tank/core seal. Second, most modern vehicles that use these radiators that I can think of, don't rely on brute force vertically to hold the radiators in place. Modern vehicle example below:

4


The truck design puts pressure on the tank/core seals when it's clamped down, which is obviously less than optimal. I suspect shimming the bottom mount to ensure no core support to plastic tank contact, and paying very close attention to how much pressure the mounts are exerting on the tanks will pay dividends. To the point of potentially discarding the factory rubber mounts, and using thinner material for the mounts to adjust how much clamping force the tanks see.

Ran this all weekend, didn't fail. Still not sold on reliability. If I have to work with making shims and different material to try and make these things last, I'll go buy a $130 Champion all aluminum and spend the work on that...at least I know leakage is less likely with welds. No guarantees, but less likely.
 
You definitely don't want to clamp the radiator vertically. That's what supposedly killed 3 of mine.
 
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