Recored radiator now leaking again

One of the first things I did when I started to restore my 246 back in 1997 was to pull my radiator and have a new core soldered in. The OEM core was in bad shape and the radiator shop recommended a new core which worked very well these last 27 years---about the same length of time as the OEM.

Last month it began to leak along the right side tank so I have to pull it out and either install a new core or buy a new radiator.

Years back Jon recommended having Ron Davis Racing fabricate a new aluminum radiator because they have the correct pattern.

Jon, do you still use and recommend the Ron Davis radiator or have you moved on to another fabricator for your restorations?

 

Sergiio- I saw that on eBay along with many like it at the same low price. Almost too good to be true at that price which makes me worried that you get what you pay for.

For the price, it may be worth a try if it actually fits. It looks like it has the bung hole for the fan thermo switch but I could not see clearly if it had a plug in it or if you had to drill and tap it for the switch.

 

With your and Jon's strong recommendation, I believe that having Ron fabricate one for me will be the way I will go.

The aluminum ones offered on eBay are 10x less money, but if they do not fit, have porous welds, or are fabricated with thin aluminum, I would be throwing money into a hole.

They seem to have flooded eBay which is strange since the market does not seem large enough to have a Chinese factory churn them out.

Has anyone actually used one of the eBay radiators?

 

Having the radiator re-cored or repaired was my first thought. When I lived in DC there were many good radiator shops so I had my OEM re-cored to keep the OEM look. Now that I live up in the mountains in NC it is harder to find a radiator shop I can trust. There is one about an hour plus from me that I will call tomorrow and see if they work on more than just US radiators and if they can get the correct core. I believe that the correct core is 12 fins per inch.

The first time I had the radiator re-cored I was all about OEM look. I have owned her since '74 so that was my state of mind. But as I got deeper into my restoration I decided that I was going to restore it to Euro specifications since I did/do not see selling it for a long time. This is why I am not as strident about keeping an OEM-look radiator and am strongly considering going with a good aftermarket radiator.

Yesterday I confirmed that the radiator was actually leaking from the core and not the bleeder screw as I had hoped.

Two months ago after a drive, I noticed that the bleeder was weeping so I replaced the copper washer under the knurled bleeder screw with an O-ring/ aluminum washer. This stopped the obvious leakage but a lot of antifreeze had pored out onto the right side of the radiator core so it was still wet.


I took her for a drive and when I saw puffs of steam I thought it was from the remaining antifreeze coating the radiator from the bleeder leakage.

This month, after a few drive cycles, I kept seeing dripping from the metal body seam under the radiators which I would dry out by stuffing paper towels under the radiator. The bleeder was not leaking so I knew I may have a real leak.

Yesterday after a drive cycle, I put her on the rack and it was again dripping fresh antifreeze and I saw fresh green wet on the right side of the core along the header.

Today I am going to perform a pressure test to confirm if it is the core or the header seam that is leaking.

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FBB-

Yes, I performed a pressure test this morning and it lost 1 psi every 5 minutes starting at 13.5 psi (.9 bar). No big drips on the right side head/core seam since the motor was cool but I did see a wet sheen. So it leaks at the right side by the header tank.

I agree and am concerned about how much cooling capacity I could lose going to an aluminum core if it is dimensionally duplicated and has the same fins per square inch as the OEM. My re-core worked very well for many years even in traffic, holding about 185-190 F and not kicking the fan on. My OEM used to kick the fan on quickly at a light even with its truck's hi-density core.

I am checking with GTO Engineering and Mark 7 to see if they are still making OEM design reproductions. If they are I will have another option retaining the OEM cooling capacity.

I trusted the shop in DC that re-cored my rad and I had no issues installing it. They are long gone so I am stuck finding one with experience. My fear of having it re-cored by a shop that I do not have experience with is that a fraction of an inch too wide and I will not be able to install it. Concerns either way I go.

From Jon's photo comparing the two, it looks like the RD he installed had the same core dimensions as the OEM.

I am not sure if Jon still uses the RD radiator. The photo I saw may be the only one he fitted and now uses only re-cored OEM radiators to keep the BTU capacity. I was hoping Jon could jump in and let us know his experience with the RD radiator.

 

I think I am coming to that conclusion but I do not have a local radiator shop I know I can trust just yet. On Monday I am contacting one located about an hour or so from me to get a feel of how they approach a job like this. If they sound professional I will pull the radiator and bring it down to them for a hands-on discussion. I. have nothing to lose. I am sure that most shops can find the core I have in it now. Even back then the radiator shop could not find the OEM style core so I went with the best they had.

 

One looks pretty good but I would have to assume that it was removed because it was leaking --"30 years on his shelf". Even if it passes a pressure test it still could be an iffy buy. I have heard that old solder hardens and can crack with stress making it a bit of a time bomb if I do not install a new core.

The other radiator for less money looks a bit caved in by the mounting bracket.

 

Well if had access to that technician I would go for a re-core. Does anyone have the part number of a core they used for their re-core?

I did a deep dive into the debates between aluminum and copper radiators. Many debates end in a draw because even though copper conducts heat better than aluminum, the use of solder to mate to the tanks reduces its superiority. Others just take sides and cannot convince the other side. No real-world data- just opinions.

The only real-world data on aluminum radiators I have are from guys on the Landcruiser forum who have replaced OEM radiators with aluminum replicas and have had no overheating issues going overland.

When I started this thread asking about the currently available DR radiator, I was looking to get around the hassle of having to find a radiator shop that I could trust. Buy a new one and install it- easy way to go. Unless GTO starts making FIM reproductions again, the DR Al radiators were my only option if buying new. The Mr Fiat version does not look correct.

 

Thanks Jon