Well, in an effort to get my radiator really clean I pulled a good one. I let it sit full of vinegar over night. Yes, straight white vinegar. I can say it's really clean now. It actually works more like an engine sprinkler now. Not one of my brighter ideas. I should have diluted it for sure. I really don't have an extra $800 kicking around for a new one right now, but I was checking around and happened across this. Does anyone know if these are any good? Will they work? This set back really stinks because I have it running like a top now. Should have quit while I was ahead.. Hopefully this link will work.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Model-T-Ford-Aluminum-Radiator-Ford-Eng-Bucket-24-25-26- 27-1926-1927-3-Row-Core-/190673361168?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash =item2c65049910&vxp=mtr
Rick,
I don't see a neck for the rad cap. It may have a modern cap designed for a pressurized system.Adding a T neck would be a problem on an aluminum rad
Rick, don't soak cast Iron in vinegar either, it will destroy cast iron. KB
I was really hoping to spend my next $1000 on new tires. Might have to put it away until spring. I'm bumming big time. Guess I'll start looking around for a good used one.
Filler neck is no problem you just have to open the hood to top it up. The biggest problem might be that the top hose fitting might be tricky to connect. That and the mounts might need longer bolts and pieces of wood under them.
Rick, I have a used, low radiator. If you can use it and it's worth $50 plus the cost of shipping I can ship it from work where our 600 branch-strong corporation gets excellent contracted rates from all major carriers including UPS.
Danial,
That would be great! Is it useable? Are you sure you don't mind the hassle of packaging & shipping it? Any idea what the shipping cost would be to get it across the US. The low radiator is the on that has the 17" high core? Right? That's what I need.
Rick,
In any case vinegar doesn't hurt a good radiator. It does remove stuff like oatmeal and stop leak. Sounds like your car needed a new radiator long ago.
I have not noticed that vinegar ever destroyed my cast iron engine block.......
Rick
You could expect shipping to be $60 + on the radiator but looking at the big picture where else are you going to get one for $110- $120 bucks.... Plus the up side is you'll get your T on the road.
Rick, how many holes? Soldering these things up is not too hard. Maybe if you invest an hour or two it could be fixed? Like every thing else, success comes from the prep.
If its leaking at a seam that may be a bit more difficult.
I have soldered professionally for several years and still find old radiators can be difficult to repair.
We are fortunate in that our radiators are not pressurized and temps can't get too much higher than 250 or so.
JB weld has saved my T radiator. Clean the area, wire brush it, and wipe with acetone. Then apply the JB Weld. i haven't had a failure yet.
I have used the same method on cracked engine blocks (small cracks in water jacket) with the same success.
I imagine one of the aluminum radiators could have a T radiator neck JB welded to the top of the tank. It would certainly work for show, but I think it would also work if a hole was cut in the top of the radiator and the filler neck JB welded as a functional filler.
No points for original equipment though.
Does anyone know if these people have a "low radiator" model ??
Cheers
schuh
Royce, trick is to flush it out, if you leave it in there it will. I'm just letting folks know not to leave cast iron in vinegar to derust as you would steel unless you just want to see the results. Use soda to neutralize as with muratic acid. Have fun ,KB
Rick, kind of hard to see in the pic, but the tape measure reads 17" from top of core to bottom. I had posted pics of this last year and a few of the guys had indeed, identified it as a low radiator.
This came with a large pile of parts I got when I bought my T a couple years ago. The only thing I have done is put water through it checking for leaks. I found none. Other than that, I can't tell you much more. It does appear to be relatively clean on what parts of the inside I can see.
The company I work for has excellent negotiated rates with UPS because we have over 600 branches and do a lot of shipping. I can ship this for less than half of what it would cost if someone took it to a UPS Store.
Send me an email with your address and I can make sure it gets out within a day or two.<p>
Rick, here's detail of a couple spots that may or may not cause some soncern, I just noticed.
The top pic shows a small bit of corrosion. Although I ran water through this rad, I have not been able to test it under operating conditions.
The second pic shows where a couple of fins are split.
All in the interest of full disclosure of course...grin...
Keith;
You were saying to use soda to nautrlize vinegar. How long should the vinegar be left in the radiator and what should the mixture be. Also what kind of soda should be used?
Baking Soda neutralizes most acids including sulfuric on battery posts.
I went through 3 original original radiators. Patched,fixed,cleaned,JB weld,etc.
I finally spent the money and got a new Bergs radiator.
I guess I couldnt get lucky when repairing mine and keeping them going for any good lenght of time.
Sooner or later age catches up to the old copper and brass.
Good luck
My old one had been of, repaired by a pro, re-installed, leaked again, etc...... I hated to do it but I saved up and talked to the fine folks at Berg's. It was not cheap, but it was still a bargain. My Lizzy runs noticeably cooler and the quality is fantastic. It looks great and will last longer than I will perhaps. The money spent per mile is not much over the course of the life of the car and I will not have to R&R it again to fix it repeatedly.
But until you can do it, Danials offer is pretty sweet.
Well I got really lucky today. I met up with a guy that has a bunch of T parts that he's looking to get rid of. He had a very nice radiator that he gave me a heck of a deal on. I also got 4 coils, and a bunch of old spark plugs.
I just want to thank Danial for his offer to help me out. It was definitely a very good deal. I greatly appreciate his offer to mail me a radiator and trust that I'd square up with him, which I assure you I would have.
This other guy I met really was also more looking to help me out other then to turn a profit.
It's guys like these that make me honored to part of the Model T community.
Thanks very much guys. My boys and I are ON THE ROAD AGAIN!!
Glad to hear it Rick!
Richard, George got it, baking soda. As far as how long to leave it in the radiator(vinegar), I would not do it for more than a day or so if it has a cast iron inlet and outlet. What I'm saying is don't leave it for weeks like you would steel parts. No matter how weak some acids seem, they react differently with different metals. I usually clean a block out by just flushing out with clear water, be suprised at what will come out. This is one of those things you have to decide weather to experiment with, I tend to err on the side of caution. KB