Radiator guy says mine is shot,rotten ,etc . Wants $ 728 to replace with straight fins . Anyone out there do anything with honeycomb as far as fixing ?
I would check a Forum for old MoPars. When it was just a 20 year old car, my '39 Plymouth had a honeycomb rad that had been damaged from an accident where the "floating power six" had floated the fan into the rad. The fix was cauterizing with a soldering iron and lots of solder. It was fine after that.
For $700, I would buy the equipt and learn heavy soldering.
There are places that re-core those honeycomb, but it is expensive, less so if you aren't interested in keeping the exact same core.
http://www.classicradiator.com/
On my special bodied Ford, the radiator was special high size honeycomb, but cost to replace was too high, so had a great shop in PA re-core with a more modern core, but they sandwiched a veneer of the original honeycomb on the face to make it 'look' authentic, at least from a distance, and it does have some of the original core now
For a stock look, a new Berg's or Brassworks, while not cheap! would be at least new, a re-core of an old standaard Model T size honeycomb radiator would be much more costly. Most times the header tank or lower tank needs work too, that adds to the labor.
this is a neat video on youtube that shows just how difficult it really is!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsrvQqwZJPs
Keith,
As you probably already know, you can buy a new radiator for less than you were quoted for the re-core. I have tried honeycomb style radiators in the past and have never found them to work well. My dad, who drove Model T's for 70+ years, never had much use for them either and always fealt that they didn't cool well. Maybe he and I just never had a good one but, just the same, I think you would be much happier with new radiator.
Rob . Awesome video clip . Thanks ..
Forgot to mention this is on the TT and didn't know if was stock or not . I have couple other finned ones I've got to pull and have pressure checked and hopefully one will work for now . Could honeycomb have been what came from factory or strickly aftermarket ??
Thanks for info .
Keith,
I'm pretty sure that the honeycomb is strictly aftermarket. I don't think Henry ever produced a T or TT with anything other than the finned type radiator.
I would be very careful "pressure testing" any of your Model T radiators. They were not designed for a pressurized system, and you might destroy a good radiator trying to test it.
Keith, lot of good advice, I do my own radiator work and as Dan has said honey comb cores are very expensive. I don't think any one in the U.S. even makes it anymore. It was after market for ford, lots more efficient than a tube type IF in good shape but as they can't be rodded out about all you can do is solder up a leak. Good luck, KB
If you are talking a Model T radiator, I think your guy's estimate is about $300 or maybe more high.
Not going to be my guy at that price . Did find a good one on an old Hack I found about a year ago . Should get me by for now ..
I understand that "honeycomb" core is available and manufactured in Canada.