I know there has been talk about it. has any one ever had an aluminum rad black anodized??? I hate the look of an aluminum radiator. I also would hate to paint it and cut down it's efectiveness.
Hmmmm. All solar hot water panels are black (copper treated with a sulphur wash) to absorb heat and transfer it to water. I think you have that backwards. It stands to reason if you reversed the process it would transfer heat to the airflow provided by a fan on a radiator. Admittedly if you painted it black instead of anodizing the aluminum there is some insulating effect. I think its a good idea myself.
Sounds good to me, too. SOMEONE on here must've done this, right? How 'bout a shot of it in your car? Don't we have some radiator shop owners on here? I've been thinking pretty hard about doing this very thing, so I'd love to see one and get some feedback from the owner/operator.
if painting a aluminum radiator makes it cool different ....i've never noticed it.....as i paint all my radiators black.... seems like someone was offering a black anodized radiator....can't remember who it was ....i might have to call my radiator guys and ask them.......brandon
I read an artical somewhere on the web that said painting an aluminum radiator black WILL NOT affect the cooling and may increase it because the black would dissapate the heat better....I painted the aluminum radiator in my 29 coupe black and it did not affect the cooling at all.
what kind of paint did you use? did you prime it first? just wondering, i thiny is a good idea too, i dislike the looks of an aluminun rad, but like how they work.
Anodizing your radiator can be a little tricky. The body and the fins CAN be anodized - BLACK is the BEST color for transfer of the heat from the coolant, to the aluminum then to the coating and on into the air flowing by. (known as "emmisivity") But a problem is created at the point where the core is "welded" to the tanks. The compound / welding process resists anodizing. (it won't anodize evenly) So ... there is a product that an be used to "paint" - spray - that will give even coverage. http://www.dominionsureseal.com/productsdetails.asp?id=100&catid=31 Your thought for the day - If BLACK is such a bad color; WHY are 99.9999 % of the rads manufactured, painted BLACK??
The last thing a radiator shop does after it repairs a copper radiator is paint it black. Aluminum or copper it doesn't matter. If the paint acted as an insulator and reduced it's efficiency they sure as hell wouldn't paint them. Paint it black...hot rod black.
BobK---Ya got it backwards, son. Black absorbs heat, and/or dissipates heat better than any other colour. White is the colour that has a hard time absorbing or dissipating heat.
Heat will turn Black anodized aluminum a purplish color over time. If the aluminum radiator is welded together, if the filler material(welding rod) is not the same as the radiator material it will anodize a different shade. If you are just looking for a black finish, I would stick with radiator paint.
my biggest problem with painting a radiator is in getting enough paint with in the fins. I hate the look of some thing that is not covered enough and you see shades of aluminum where there is not enough coverage.
We have black anodized "heat exchangers" (aluminum 1/2 sized radiators) on the equipment we build at work. Ain't never seen one turn purple (or any other color for that matter) but then again I don't believe we run near as hot as a car does.
Slag, you woulnt be able to see any aluminum color in the fins, its so dark between the fins it looks black anyway, and by painting it black you'll get enough paint inside the fins to make up for any aluminum you see. But dont put too many coats between the fins or paint it too heavy or you'll end up closing up the airflow.
you don't need anything trick......i use stuff from the hardware store in semi gloss......or flat black.....works well and usually only cost 2.99 a can .....unless i find some at the dollar store.... brandon
It has been a long time but long ago we used to color heatsinks black with a conversion coating process from Birchwood-Casey. It was simply a dip process and lasted quite a long time. Don't know the name of the process or if they are still in business. Might check it out.
Has anyone tried powdercoating the radiator? I would this that at 450* that it wouldn't melt anything, yet would allow the powdercoat to flow into the finned area. I haven't done this, but just thinking out loud.
We have had radiator TANKS powder coated. Coating the core and fins is not a good idea. Powder coating is thicker than paint, and can and will reduce the cooling affect of the radiator. It will also tend to flake off these areas, because ya can't do a proper prep to make it stick. JUST PAINT THE DAMN THING BLACK!!!!!! Krylon, 2.99 a can. One should be plenty.
The Jalopy Journal
