has anyone bought one of these aluminum radiators from china on ebay?

well i know a man who bought 100 import radiators from a warehouse that was closing. he was askin 150 a peice for them and sold vry few. he was sellin them at swap meets and out iof his shop.we showed them to me and they did look pretty good,but i bought a made in the usa ra.payed a bit more but to me i was trying to do my part for my country.yaeh im kinda funny that way.anyway says that hes not sellin these damn thing like he thought he would jokinly i said hell manm jack up the price say to 300. -to 350 and see what happens.he sold out in 2 months.lol didnt tell anyone they were made in usa. told them the truth ,they were china knock offs.i quess people have the pay more and get better shit.idea. anyway he gave me a free one because he said it was my idea. didnt tell him i was just jokin..lol i neeeded one for a project i was buildin so why not!

 

I'm just amazed that you're going to buy a new part for that car. Kind of breaking with family tradition aren't ya?

 

I bought one for $195 shipped and it is IDENTICAL to the one I bought from Indiana for $425

 

A lot of our cast parts are still cast in foundries in So Cal. I sure couldn't give anyone a list of onshore products, but I'll bet that a lot of the fellas could. There are a lot of the repop flathead parts still cast here, like Navarro heads and the like.

JE pistons were still made here the last I checked.A lot of the small batch parts made by HAMB vendors are made right here in someone's garage.

Oh Boston,
Start a thread and use my posts here is you want for a beginning of the list if you want.

 

I bought one of the champion ones for my model a open hood 350
It cools ok runs round 190 200 around town and when hotrodding around cruising and freeway cools great oh and I only have a littke coolant mosty water all n all I say worth the money

 

wow! great feedback! ok well I am going to consider this info and decided soon what I want to do! thanks

 

off topic, where can you buy just the core and install your own tanks? there used to be a rad shop in my town and they would sell just cores if you wanted.

 

Most people are really patriotic in a sense and we all like to think we are too,but seriously which ones of you are absolutely sure you always buy American?

I doubt there are many here who actually know where all they bought came from so why even worry about it .......yer beatin a horse that has well......been deceased a while.

 

I paid nearly $800 for a Walker for my 37, and a $160 for a 2" chopped 32 ford radiator for my roadster. If I had to do it again, I would have also bought the 160 dollar one for my 37, and pocketed the extra money, as both cars run cool with no leaks after several years. I prefer to buy American too, but $440 is a lot of money to me.

 

ive got one and no problems, oh yea I paid for it....... i guess that matters

 

I bought one from him for my T when I had it,was so impressed that 2 of my friends ordered from him too---good workmanship,good prices,good service,made in USA----what else could you want?

 

I agree with you on principle but that horse has been out the barn for too many years to make much of a dent until there is an organized effort to identify real American products. Buy what you can afford for now and make a charitable contribution with some of the money you saved.

 

Its become a throw away society/world fellas and mostly price driven.

Ain't no different here - and we're pretty close to China who is a huge trading partner with Aus.

Almost EVERYTHING comes from over there these and our manufacturing industry is either pulling the pin and relocating offshore to compete OR is shutting up shop - for good.

My old man always taught me to buy quality ONCE and look after it for a lifetime. Do you think most people these days subscribe to this thought process ?

Having said that, I see the China thing much like the Japanese thing of the late 60s early 70s - where everyone would relate to the "Jap Crap" term for stuff that came out of the Land of the Rising Sun - anyone remember that?. Anyone looked at the quality of Japanese stuff lately and thier reputation for their manufacturing quality? I believe China will eventually go that way as well - the quality of the goods that are coming from there is improving every year.

Generally these days, its those with the means that have the luxury to pick and choose by brand, and there will always be a market for those who cannot afford it or have the desire to spend the $$$.

I guess you buy what you can afford works from China, or make the sacrifices to buy American if you are able to.

Remember the home grown stuff often has to skimp on quality to keep the price down and to remain competitive.

Rat

 

Dude, just find something here in the us. Guys have posted a bunch of alternatives for a similar price. That's why our economy is in the tanks because everyone thinks like this.

 

True! I just picked a Champion radiator up and it was great for the price.

 

I got one yesterday in the mail for my '55 Chevy, can't beat it for the price, Aluminum (two row) for $169 to my front door. Those 12 year slaves do Great welds.
It will look good next to my Chi-com chrome 120 amp alternator and it's knock off aluminum brackets and pulleys and Taiwan fan shroud. Reagan was right, see how good life is after we won the cold war...


By the way I bought from an American based company so at least an American profited somewhere in the deal.

 

In every case Chinese Japanese lebanese Americanese,its a lot about the actual persons doing the work on the items we buy.....work ethic is seemingly a lost art.
A while back I was mad about some guages mede in Mexico,and it was a sad example of an instrument for sure.
I also am a hobby musician,and the Guitars made in Mexico by Fender and the like are actually decent instruments,so it is really about that single person doing the work is it not?
And by sayin that I also mean people who manufacture things here in America as well......some are really not wanting to be at work I guess.

 

Every time someone posts a "question" on here about "Cheap Chinese"vs.high priced USA made" it turns into a sparing match about "patriotism". Why can't anyone just answer the question? lol
JimV

 

One other thing.All these chinese made products are order by an american company having things made in china.USA anufacturing has found out that its cheaper to have something made 12,000 away, shipped in a cantainer ship, unloaded, stored & sent out to dealers cheaper then it is to just make it here!! And there giving the makers in china the specs of what they want.If the welds are bad, brackets don't fit,leaks, falls apart etc.Its because the persons( Us,we!) havin it made are scrimping.China is very cabable of making quaility stuff.Over there if you fuck up they shoot you!!( as with the Walmart dog food). Now thats an incentive program!!lol
JimV

 

Choprods is right. I have researched a lot of parts that I bought and found many identical parts from several different vendors for several different prices and I'm sure they all came from the same supplier. Buy what looks like the best bargain

 

Quite frankly, $160.00-$200.00 seems like a reasonable and fair price for a radiator.
$400.00 - $700.00 does not. No matter how pretty the solder joints are.
I bought a radiator for my OT car a few years ago, and paid around $150.
I am not sure if it was was made in China or not. At the time I didn't bother to check.
I needed a radiator, and that was all I was concerned with.
Either way, it works just fine.

I prefer a Made in the USA part too, but often the budget will not allow for it.
I just try to buy the best value I can find.

There is some truth to that.
I read recently that Cadillac is planning on raising its prices to the level of its German competitors.
Because there is a perceived value associated with the cost of something.

 

I bought a two pass Aluminum radiator from AFCO through Speedway for $169 and it works great and the weld quality is as good as the high dollar PRM unit in my Chevy. I don't know for sure where AFCO manufactures them but you get good quality for the money and they come in many sizes.

 

looking for one for my 64 belair wagon with a 250/pg that has the side flanges, anyone?

 

Champion radiator in my Rambler and it works great.

 

you guys buying champion radiators did you buy 2 or 3 row units? were talking $170 vs $225 delivered to the door.

 

Here is the one I put on my '62 Bel Air mentioned in prev post..... here is a coser look at the actual welds and fit in the car....I don't show cars any more but maybe someone could see if they thought this radiator was trash or not by a picture ...

 

I bought one on there that was made in ohio for about 2 hundred

 

JEEEEZZZZ, Im going to hate sayin this BUT its truth. I bought a "new" cheap alum radiator from jegs , upon reciving it I saw it was made in china. I called jegs and bitched because nowhere in the ad did it say that....to no advil, so I used it anyways
Belive it or not , it works better than the griffin I had, kept my motor at 165-70 on hot days.....its a full race bbc 533 ci 850 hp.
I try to buy usa, but this chinko radiator works better than good.....
I knew i would hate sayin this.....and I do...........but its truth.
Buy USA>>>>>I feel better now

 

I got one from an ad I found on racingjunk.com. It was shipped to my door for $169.00 from Minnesota to New York. Fit my Budget.

 

I've been to China. I've seen how they work and why things made there cost less. But it does amaze me how one US company can sell a handmade tig welded radiator made in the USA for $170 bucks with free shipping and lifetime warrantee and another, be it a name brand, sells the same basic product for upwards of $700 bucks. The big guys should have all the economies of scale to be competitive. A $500+ spread is not competitive.