Technical How old is the radiator in your hot rod or custom?

When literally drug the Ranch Wagon out of the barn from it's long hibernation to start working on it on of the first things I did when stripping it down was to take the radiator to a local shop to have it vatted and repaired.

I had done the same thing with many of my past projects, the wagon got more and more involved after I joined the Hamb and I realized with the help I had received I could step up my game and learn things I had never tried.

So after a few years I dropped by the radiator shop to see if they had done anything with it, I originally told them I was not in a hurry and they took me at my word, nothing had been done.

I told the owner that I would like to get the radiator because I was ready to set the engine in place and needed the radiator for measurements, he ask me to come back tomorrow and he would get his son to dig through all the cores in the out building and retrieve mine.

I stopped by his shop on the way to work the next morning and was met by the owner and said they couldn't find my radiator, he went on to say they had sold a lot of old cores for s**** and some how mine might have been in with the sale, I was not amused but I had known Ed for many years and he had always treated me fair.

He told me he would make me a new aluminum radiator for free if that would work, I told him let me think about it, so instead of sticking the engine and transmission in the car I started replacing sheet metal which also drug out a long time.

The rod run season was upon us and we drive the '32 sedan to Knoxville,Tennessee for the Nat's South and I was fortunate enough to win a Super Prize and it was a Walker Radiator, I talked to the guys at the show and one of them knew me and ask which '32 radiator did I want since I had purchased several in the past.

That's when I said what I really need is a Radiator for a 1954 Ford, he smiled and said they had just recently start making them for 52-54 Fords, I was in luck and the radiator has served me well. HRP

 

Mine doesn’t see lots of miles but is original, as in I replaced the gasket in the cap. I drove it to a club meeting, 28 miles away. Kind of an endurance run... 1928. I’ve had more trouble w fan blades failing than anything else...



Rusty, Greasy, Noisy

 

One of the guys on the All Deuce Run lost a bolt in his fan, I put a hurt on his Radiator and he was a long way from home, fortunately he was able to call home and get a trailer to pick him and the car up.

These are the kind of things that happen when you drive old cars. HRP

 

In a strip down that's a lot of miles. HRP

 

The coupe I recently bought has a small leak at the seam and the shop I took the car to just want's to replace it with a new aluminum radiator. I don't think he knows how to repair it or don't want to.

 

59 in one truck
43 in another

 

My '55 F100 (SBC) had a '69 Dodge Diplomat radiator (near bolt-in)
Broken engine mounts introduced steel fan to the br*** fins, March 2010.
Bought an aluminum radiator ('Champion', $160) and never a heating problem or any issue with cooling.
Engine mounts are now Ford biscuit type with solid steel bracketry.
F100 will live happily ever after.

 

My ‘36 has the (original). New core and rebuilt 3 years ago so not much of the original remains.

 

My 36 has the original, recored twenty years ago, 50/50 mix antifreeze in it, 7 lb cap, been bone reliable.

 

John, if you can't get the radiator repaired in your area bring it to Anderson, Gerald runs a old school radiator shop and I will be happy to introduce you to him. HRP

 

Danny are they open on Saturday?

 

original in my ‘32, but not being the original owner I couldn’t tell you if it has been recored or had the tanks replaced.
Certainly not touched in the 16 years that I have owned it. Done several 1000km trips, and I don’t currently run a fan in the old flathead either.

 

My ‘51 Hudson’s is original as is everything else. Had it cleaned then it started leaking under pressure when I installed correct cap. So I reverted back to very old incorrect cap. Radiator has has deeper neck so the old cap is for a short one and doesn’t allow it to pressurize. Drive it a few thousand miles a year. The trip to the Hotrod Hillclimb and back is 1000 miles alone. It only want to heat up when I ask it to work a little harder climbing some mountain p***es. I’ve put 10,000+ miles on it virtually without issue.
My ‘29 A on the other hand hit the road in ‘03 with a used walker. I’ve lost track of how many leaks it’s had repaired.