Aluminum Radiator Install $250

[JZSlenker]

My TT radiator had more JB weld on it than Brass and was leaking like a sieve. It was totally shot. A brassworks rad would be nice but honestly I don't have the money right now. I needed to buy four tires and replace every bushing, kingpin etc to get this thing moving so a period correct rad will have to wait. This is what I came up with for a temporary radiator for my TT. Nothing original needs to be modified so when I can afford to get a brassworks, I will. In the mean time I'm driving this thing as I continue working on it. Total cost was $250 in materials. I realize that not everyone can tig weld themselves so there would certainly be more cost if you had to pay a welder. I started with a $190 Chinese aluminum radiator for a Jeep CJ3. The filler neck was cut off and the hole filled in. A new tube of aluminum was welded in the center for the original fill neck top to mount on. The stock brackets were cut off the side of the rad and new bottom mounting tabs were welded on. A cross piece was welded on the top to attach the upper radiator rod to. A new rod had to be made as the stock one is now too short. Tabs were also welded on to hold an overflow tank. I chose to make a new steel water outlet because the new setup is 1-1/2". I'm using a water pump for now so there is plenty of circulation. I've been on several drives now and had it up to temperature and everything seems to be working quite well and staying cool. If I were to do it again I would use a slightly larger overflow tank. I used a 2" ($26) and probably should have gone with the 3" version for slightly more capacity. I got a 1-1/2" molded radiator hose from Napa ($24) to cut up and use. Some paint and we have a temporary working solution.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09QZPSVXD
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09X9XNZGL

[TXGOAT2]

Neat solution.

[Bryant]

Very nice job!
Do you have a tall or short radiator?

Bryant

[Charlie B in N.J.]

Start a business. Now.

[JZSlenker]

It’s a 24 high hood.

[Craig Leach]

Hi Jason,
I doff my hat to you. I tried this with a Speedway T bucket radiator but gave up because of the labor involved in making it fit in a low shell.
It would have been a pretty EZ operation for a tall The Speedway radiator has a large tank, it's a two core but the cores are 1" long making
it = to a three or four core. both inlet & outlet need to be move & they sell aluminum hose connectors in 1 3/4" & 2" that can be cut & welded
in place but a curved hose will be needed on top like you did. Or make the inlet to line up correctly? They have a fitting on the bottom of the
top tank that can be used for a over flow using a pass threw compression fitting. They have aluminum T style neck ( is a dummy that can be
drilled out to use as a fill.) You would have to make a rod mount also. I gave up & returned it to Speedway rather than spend hours making the
bottom tank clear the crossmember & pan nose. I ended up making a radiator from a brass forklift radiator. Saved about $1,100.
Side note this is on my speedster so that might be a little more acceptable to the serious collectors, they are usually appalled that it's speedster!
Craig.

[John kuehn]

There are some of the older tractor radiators (40’s -70’s) that are close to the same dimensions of a T radiator. You may have to rework the neck and inlets to get them to work but it’s been done.

It’s been on the forum before about the aluminum bucket T radiators and why the company that makes them couldn’t build them with the same outlet locations. They definitely would sell in my opinion. But who am I to say.

[JZSlenker]

I did a ton of research into which rad to use that would fit well and require the minimum amount of work. I looked at pretty much every aluminum aftermarket radiator that is made for cars, trucks, tractors, machinery, etc. I read all the old posts on here as well before deciding on this particular rad. Labor hours wasn’t too bad actually. I did a lot of planning, measuring and sketching before actually starting construction.

[JTT3]

Jason how many rows does the radiator have?

[babychadwick]

I did the same with my speedster. Biggest problem was they painted the radiator with aluminum paint but advertised it as "natural" mine was listed as a 32 lowboy if memory serves. It was fit into a cut down Minneapolis Moline radiator shell so might work for a low radiator?

[JZSlenker]

Three rows.

My criteria was 1. Must have inlet in outlet in correct position already. 2. Must fit within frame. 3. Only modifications would need to be in non water contact areas. (no cutting into internal areas of rad) 4. Look OK from 10' away


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09QZPSVXD

[Tim Williams]

I love my brassworks radiator, but we need a less expensive alternative especially for speedster people.

Tim

[speedytinc]

I love my brassworks radiator, but we need a less expensive alternative especially for speedster people.

Tim

For everybody.

[Tim Williams]

So true john.

Tim

[Scott_Conger]

I'm quite impressed with the work Jason did on this radiator. It displays good design, excellent workmanship, and a willingness to make the effort of fabrication. And I especially applaud the plan to have this as a stop-gap solution until the stars align and a more authentic item can be fitted. As a fabricator myself, I really appreciate the effort that goes into this sort of thing.

I'm far less impressed with the inevitable responses to the effect of: "I sure wish someone would make a quality part for $xxx, and then proceed to do absolutely nothing toward making that happen. "Where oh, where are all of our suppliers going???" "Not that I plan to ever spend an extra Nickle with them!"

I'm quite sure there is some shop in India that will happily employ a bunch of under-age barefoot kids to cobble out a radiator for less than Brassworks, and then dump the scrap lead and brass in the river behind the shop. There are plenty of places like that there. You just have to ask around. With the prevailing mindset in the hobby, if I was a supplier looking to stay in business with a customer-base that chased the cheapest the farthest, I would most certainly be looking for a vendor of cheap crap just to fill that void. It only makes sense. There are several billion Chinamen and Indians willing to fight over those US dollars, so why keep those dollars in our own neighborhood? That would just be plain selfish!

Honestly, I cannot believe the number of people in this hobby who cannot stand to see their neighbor make a good enough living to pay for a home and take a vacation every 6-7 years!

Even when there IS a quality part made, Que the inevitable Old Crank who will declare "I wish they'd make the damn thing RIGHT!". "Henry never made it out of such flimsy material!!"

So, lets take a $300 core, purchase the brass and stamp out a dozen different embossed brass parts for $200 more, and then pay $125/hr shop rate for 6 hours of work and build a radiator. Oh, and then treat the water from the tank so that it is cleaner than spring water, pay a hazmat company to take away the lead and flux residue, pay city, county, state and Federal Taxes. Finally, let every Tom, Dick and Harry Model T supplier take a small chunk of the sale price to get the thing sold under their Banner, and finally end up with some bucks to put into your pocket to reimburse you for your trouble of keeping the lights on.

You don't want to fork out a grand or more for an American made quality radiator, but you expect someone to start a business that might cost them a million or so to set up just so they can produce cheap crap for you until they go broke and lose it all? If folks don't make enough money to purchase quality goods, maybe they might want to think why they're paid so little - perhaps because what they produce can be bought cheaper from China or India and they're just shite out of luck. What goes around does indeed comes around. I'd like to see cheaper, better goods, too, but I am also a realist who lives in the world as it exists, not the world as I wish it was.

$1200 for a radiator??? Those BASTARDS!

[A Whiteman]

"Weld" done!

Nice solution and neatly put together.
I like your thinking ahead for the day after you have replaced,tyres, kingpins etc.

All the best.

[A Whiteman]

purchase the brass and stamp out a dozen different embossed brass parts for $200 more, and then pay $125/hr shop rate for 6 hours of work and build a radiator. Oh, and then treat the water from the tank so that it is cleaner than spring water, pay a hazmat company to take away the lead and flux residue, pay city, county, state and Federal Taxes. Finally, let every Tom, Dick and Harry Model T supplier take a small chunk of the sale price to get the thing sold under their Banner, and finally end up with some bucks to put into your pocket to reimburse you for your trouble of keeping the lights on

When Henry made these things that's (relatively) just what he did.

He made millions of them - something called supply and demand.

Today the demand is probably less than 3 figures a year. Math works out the rest.

Is $1,200 too much for a 'new' American built replacement?? probably not.
Do you want to give your money overseas?? Probably not.

The real question is how much can you afford to keep your hobby going? Probably not a lot after all of your living costs are taken care of, grand kids given ice cream, wife taken to the lake for the weekend, new jeans to wear to work.....