Hello all,
I need a little help identifying a radiator on my Model T. I went out and did my best attempt at measuring the fins. It appears it is to be 18 1/2" high and 18 3/4" wide. Is this a standard "high" radiator? Something I am worried about is the car has a 26-27 transmission, so how can I tell if I have the dreaded "thin core" radiator. I am ready to purchase a new radiator and need a little help in determining what to order.
Rob,
Yep, that's a high radiator, don't know about the rest of the dimensions. The biggest problem with old radiators is a bad thermal connection between the tubes and the fins. Not visible (that I am aware of) and no known cure--I imagine that our modern radiators will develop the problem after 60 years too.
Rob, what year are you basing your car on? Over the years things get changed such as engines. Measure from the mounting ears to the top of the tank. Check again, I think those 18's should be 19. Unless you have a pre-1917 with a brass radiator is would be a low radiator car. Photos would help.
Just because the car has a 24 to 27 engine it may not be setup for the high radiator. What hood, cowl, radiator shell and body do you have? The low radiator fits more in the dimensions he has given. I just looked at his profile, he has a 23 roadster. Is that the car you are working on?
Yes the car I am working on is a 23 Roadster (I think) it does have the 26/27 transmission though. Attached is a picture.
I want to order a flat tube radiator to replace the old round core. The old one is seeping fluid and has some rusty/leaky places.
On a low radiator the open part of the shell, where you see the fins, measures just under 17" high and 18.5" wide. If the car is a '23 I'd expect it to have the low radiator unless maybe if it was made in July. Ford practice when parts were changed was to use up the old version before starting the new. Sometimes that means the earlier version was used after the official change date and sometimes a part may have started early. My roadster, a June car, has one smooth pedal and two ribbed. That could mean they ran out of ribbed low pedals but still had some ribbed brake and reverse pedals to use up. When it comes to fitting the radiator, I don't think the engine or transmission matter. The shell and the cowl do.
Guys, on a high radiator the core (finned area) between the top tank and bottom tank is 18.5" on a low radiator it is 17"
Let us not confuse these two types with the exposed tank, or Brass, radiator in use prior to the 1917 model. That core is close to 17" tall (On mine, it measures 16-7/8").
The term "Brass Radiator" is confusing to those unfamiliar with Ts because most radiators were made with brass tanks. In our case, it denotes a model with no shell around the radiator.
BTW Rolls Royce used no shells up to at least the 1930s--of course their tanks were made of "German Silver" and were considerably more substantial than a Ts--and MUCH harder to solder together too!
Oh, Rob, hard to tell from your photos, but if that's a '23, it's a late one!
It's hard to tell, but it looks like it has the 1925 door hinges.
yeah I'm not 100% on it being a 23', it was a Frankenstein creation by my granddad, he found several model t parts/chassis and assembled what you see. I'm going to pull the metal cover off the radiator and re-measure. My granddad died in 2008, but everyone in the family including him referred to it as a 1923....Maybe one of the wheels is a 23 or the majority of the parts are from a 23! hahaha, I will never know....I guess my granddad is getting a good laugh at me trying to figure all this out.
Rob,
Derek has a good point on the hinges, I hadn't noticed that. What's the windshield look like? A side view, and one showing the front fender/splash apron area would help. It may not be from as many parts as you have been led to believe!
No need to take the shell off, I'm 98% certain it's a high radiator. If you can measure 18" from just the front opening, It's gotta be a high radiator! That, plus the bottom apron, and the lips on the front fenders pretty much locks it in.
Another hint for the body timing is if there is wood in the cowl area, or all metal. (the area in front of the door).
I was measuring from the mounting ears to top. By the way you can have a low radiator, metal firewall in 23 along with the slanted windshield and one man top on the touring.
As an assembled car your best bet is to pull the radiator cover and take a good measurement. He could have used the 24-25 fenders and apron.
http://www.modeltford.com/item/3924F.aspx
http://www.modeltford.com/item/3924AR.aspx
It's a high radiator. The low one is 17 inches the high one is just over 18 inches.
The thick radiator will fit on the car. If it previously had a thin radiator on it, the fan pulley might need to be replaced.
Norm