This is the original thread, https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/aluminum-radiator-leak.1147585/ The leak was more of a seep, at the point where the tubes enter the lower tank. Afco told me there was no real good repair for this. I asked around and found someone who had done the same repair I was going to try. He used 3M panel bonding epoxy. It was expensive to purchase, but I had plenty to work with. I blasted the area with baking soda from Harbor freight using my standard sand blaster. It was super clean and dry. I pre mixed the epoxy and let it warm up a bit, then scooped it into the area of the seep. I made sure it went all the way across and out four or five more rows. I then used a shop vacuum to pull the epoxy into the radiator. The vac would pull about 2" of vacuum. After a week of curing I reinstalled it. It's been plenty hot this summer and I haven't smelled or seen any sign of leak yet. So I am pretty happy with the out come so far. Best of all I didn't have to break the A/C system open to get the radiator out.
Joe H , just an fyi , when my afco started seeping a few years ago , I took it out and pressure checked it in a tub full of water , it showed bubbles in the two outermost tubes on each side , top and bottom . I cleaned everything and used the higher temp j-b weld....12 years and about 30k miles later , it's still leak free ...( At the time the local rad shop and the internet gurus all said it was a non repairable throw away , ah , to be that rich !!)
My AFCO in my 32 started leaking in the same area where the bottom tubes attach. I used JB Weld also. I bought the large size and thinned it with acetone. I think the ratio was on the package. I cleaned out the bottom area and poured the JB Weld in and moved the radiator around to make the JB Weld flow around all the tubes. Three years and no leaks so far. AFCO was no help at all, radiator wasn't very old when it started leaking.
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