ok...please help. i need it!! i have a 49' merc on a gm(1978 buick)frame and drive train w/ a 403 V8 and a 400 trans(except the radiator). the radiator has sprung a leak, and im not 100% sure what kind of car it was in?? all custom(nothing fancy) brackets holding it in place. 1. the radiator is a "harrison radiator" 2. brass/ copper i guess?? 3. Downflow 4. 24" wide(side to side) 18" high(top to bottom) 1 3/4"-2" thick(deap)....(any idea what its out of?) here is the options/questions i have. i guess???? 1. IS IT WORTH REBUILDING? It has a pretty big hole 1/4"!! in the bottom tank thing?? does the rebuilding normally work good? do they find and REPAIR any OTHER weak spots under the first layer of paint? 2. WHERE IS THE BEST PLACE TO BUY A NEW RADIATOR? i know the cost vs. cooling issues with aluminum.....how ever...whats the best deal for a car that isnt concerned with being "only traditional"...i want it to be a "driver"...however....cost($) is a factor. so maybe a original type radiator, not aluminum??? 3. SIZE DOES MATTER??? lol. does it HAVE to be the same size as i have now(which has worked FINE until the other day)? if i dont know what the radiator is from then i cant "replace it" with exact thing, so how do i know what to buy?? 4. ANYTHING SPECIAL ABOUT MOUNTING? 5. WITH A/C====WITHOUT A/C?? my car HAS a/c, but it DOESNT work. not sure if it ever did. do i replace it with a radiator that "With a/c....or...With Out a/c"? does it matter? there is a condensor in front of the radiator now. Please help me! im lost again! thanks in advance!! Chris
Harrison usually means it is a GM product so why not the one form your donor chassis? There should be a part number next to the Harrison name.
Go to the junk yard and look around. you might get lucky and find one that is that size... My guess is that it is out of an early '60s VW.
from the pictures i have seen...looks like its from a GM....like impala or something. the donor car radiator wont work cause the power steering pump is in the way. its only 24" wide. sits right next to pump on one side....tons of room on the other. thanks everyone, had did people do this before the HAMB??....i will look into local rad shop.
man, if You live in HOTlanta, You may want to consider an aluminum aftermarket one. seriously. they are less than 200 bucks these days for a good one.
Hey, Given that that radiator is over thirty years old, I'd be lookin' for a new replacement. If it's jus' the .250 hole in the bottom tank, you could solder that with alittle 50/50 and flux. You probably have some ''iffy'' tubes in there, as well making this a little bit like pissin in the wind, and wondering why you got wet! A NAPA auto parts store, or another ''real'' parts store ''should be able to match up your core by outer measurements. You'll want a three row replacement, at minium. Swankey Devils C.C. "Spending A Nation Into Generational Debt Is Not An Act Of Compassion!"
Nice! I used to work at a parts store and during slow times i would call canadain tire and ask for 1960 vw rad hoses . sometimes they said they could order it. always wondered from where?
check your local chicken racer shop, or drop me a pm if you dont have one, I'll get you a deal on it!
circle track, most of the time it looks like you turned a bunch of panic stricken roosters loose in a small pen.
any decent rad/exh shop should be able to take those number you have and find it in a book in about 2 minutes. i would tend to agree its outta whatever the donor frame is.
thats to funny thanks i was a drag racer till i was 30 and then i got my first real race car and did some scca then imca kart ascs swra wka and never heard that in all my years ,i like it .thanks
ok so if i understand.....i COULD fix the old one....but ya'll dont think thats a great idea. leaves us with the 2 options.... 1. buy a new version of whatever i already have**easy mounting/cheap/easy to come by at NAPA 2. buy a aluminum. my question on this option is this... A. any reason for me to pay $500.00 some odd dollars for a aluminum version shaped like my current radiator other then mounting ease?? if no........... B. i should be able to get one for around $200.00 but from where? and what do i get? C. i know you cant tell me size, and i know a 3 core, but what else do i need to know? does size matter? D.with a/c or w/o a/c? i plan on having a/c and its already mounted to a point. thanks again guys!! how did people do this BEFORE the hamb?? Chris
take it out, go to the radiator shop and see what they say. that's the first thing. prolly better off buying a new one once you know what it is if it is still available. how did people do this BEFORE the hamb?? we just made shit up as we went along... messing a few things up as we went. HAMB rocks!
Its just a radiator not the holy grail, just go to a junkyard and find one like it. Nothing like getting down and dirty hunting for parts.
i bought my aluminum radiator for my 63 off ebay. 3 row, made in america for $200 free shipping. bought it a year ago and still happy with it!!
The same way I do now, research it. If neither my friends nor I can figure it out we do some foot work and ask around with some of the other locals. If all else fails I fix/make it work within the parameters of what I have on hand or can afford. Places like the H.A.M.B. are great but all to often people are looking for the quick fix and the quick answer and really don't care about LEARNING about cars. Guess that's why some people build and some people buy......
Save yourself a pile of grief and go talk to someone at a rad shop.They can tell you if it's fixable,and i would bet that it is. In any event they can tell you what it is,and the cost to repair or replace it.Once you decide which,either buy a new rad,or get it fixed. If the price is a real problem,try calling an auto wrecker,they may have one. But check with a rad shop first. Should be an easy fix, good luck.
thats true. problem for me is i dont know very much(all though i am trying to learn) and dont have any friends near my home with anywhere near the knowledge of "some" of the people on this board!! really i was just kidding anyway. but i do want to thank everyone for their opinion, based on their knowledge!! it does help people trying to learn!! heading to rad shop monday. thanks again everyone!
Give the guy a break, if he's going to go out to the junkyard he is going to have to really get lucky on that, it should be pointed out early to mid-60s Chevrolet Corvair models offer the same unit.
the search function is your friend.. if like me you've notice that a new Walker radiator is about 475 or so for your street rod, you're going, there has to be a cheaper way man. luckly there is. Stock radiators. Yep, stock radiators from you can still order through JC Whitney or whoever at about half the cost of a new Walker radiator. I recommend buying new ones or if you must buy a used radiator because its such a steal, get it re-cored. i copied this from Chester Greenhalgh's How To Build A T-Bucket Roadster on a Budget and since i've had so many responses to send out the chart, i've posted it here. VOTE FOR IT FOR TECH TIP OF THE WEEK! Core measurements/make and model top hose bottom hose transmission cooler 18 3/4 x 18 ½ x 1 1/4 in 1 ½ (L) 1 3/4 R 12 -1974-75 Dodge Dart 318 V8 -1975-76 Plymouth Valiant, Duster, Scamp 318 18 3/4 x 18 ½ x 1 1/4 in 1 ½ R 1 1/2 R 12 -1980-82 Plymouth Fury 6 -1978-80 Plymouth Volare 6 -1980-82 Chrysler Cordoba 6 -1979-82 Chrysler New Yorker, Newport 6 -1978-81 Chrysler LeBaron 6 -1978-82 Dodge Diplomat 6 -1980-82 Dodge Miranda 6 -1979-81 Dodge St. Regis 6 -1978-80 Dodge Aspen 6 -1977 Chrysler LeBaron 318 18 3/4 x 18 ½ x 1 1/4 in 1 ½ L 1 1/2 R 10 -1976-78 Dodge Aspen 318 -1977-78 Dodge Diplomat 318 V8 -1978-80 Plymouth Volare 318 V8 -1969-71 Plymouth Fury 6 -1969-71 Dodge Monoco, Polara 6 17 7/8 x 18 ½ x 1 1/4 in 1 ½ (L) 1 3/4 R 10 -1979-72 Dodge Monoco, Polara 318 V8 -1970-73 Plymouth Fury 318 V8 -1970-73 Dodge Charger, Coronet, Challenger 318 -1970-73 Plymouth Barracuda 318 V8 -1971-73 Plymouth Satelitte,Sebring, Road Runner 318 V-8 -1970-72 Plymouth Belvedere 318 V8 17 7/8 x 18 ½ x 1 1/4 in 1 ½ R 1 1/2 R 10 -1970-72 Plymouth Barracuda 6 -1971-72 Plymouth Satelitte,Sebring, Road Runner 6 -1968-70 Plymouth Belvedere,Satelitte 6 -1966-73 Dodge Charger, Coronet 6 17 7/8 x 18 ½ x 1 1/4 in 1 ½ R 1 3/4 R 10 -1970-73 Plymouth Valiant, Duster, Scamp 318 V8 -1970-73 Dodge Dart 318 V8 17 3/8 x 18 ½ x 1 1/4 in 1 ½ R 1 1/2 R 6 -1968-73 Dodge Dart 6 -1971-73 Plymouth Valiant, Duster 6 -1968-69 Plymouth Barracuda 6 -1967-68 Plymouth Valiant 6 16 3/8 x17 1/4 x 1 1/4 -1975-77 Mercury Bobcat 1 1/4 L 1 1/4 R 6 16 3/8 x17 1/4 x 1 1/4 -1965 Mercury Comet 289 V8 1 1/4 L 1 3/4 R 6 -1965-66 Ford Mustang 289 V8 15 1/8 x17 1/4 x 1 1/4 -1971-73 Ford Pinto 1 1/4 L 1 1/4 R 8
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