42ford half ton radiator
- Thread starter michael a
- Start date
Kube
Super Moderator
x2 for certain.
D. Jones
Well-known member
Chances are a radiator from a 42 vintage vehicle will be beyond repair. I took the one from my 45 truck to a local shop and the guy took one look and said, "you need a new one" and walked back in his shop. Turned out he was right. I priced a new brass and copper radiator and opted for an aluminum one which has worked well for the past four years. While I would have rather had a brass and copper one the difference in cost was huge. If it fails I can still buy three or four more for the price of one brass and copper one.
chap52
Well-known member
If you end up having to go with a new one check out Champion Cooling. They produce a beautiful (shiny chrome top) product with an even greater lifetime warranty. The price even included shipping. For a 1922 it is $235. Here's the link.
https://shop.championcooling.com/1941-Ford-Truck-SKU-41FH
Sorry the photo is sideways..
https://shop.championcooling.com/1941-Ford-Truck-SKU-41FH
Sorry the photo is sideways..
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drolston
Well-known member
I went for the shiny Champion radiator, rated for 500 HP, for my '41 coupe. I have been fighting overheating at idle ever since. They have plenty of tube and fin surface area which gives them great cooling capacity, but only if you get enough air through them. And that is a problem because the air passages are so restricted. At idle, my stock fan would not even hold a sheet of notebook paper to the front of the radiator. I added a shroud around the fan and now the air flow is improved at idle, but it still gets over 210 at idle on a hot day. No problem at speed.
My advice would be to restore the stock radiator.
My advice would be to restore the stock radiator.
41LjH
Senior Member
For me it's about the money. The original was not leaking. When I pulled it out at the beginning of the rebuild project I took it to a local shop. Getting my 41 1/2 ton radiator checked and cleaned was $175.00. A new aluminum Chinese one was $225.00 delivered. This was a no brainier. I bought the aluminum unit and have had NO cooling problems.
FRANK PKNY
Well-known member
ON MY 39 PU I purchased a new one from Walker radiator, extremely pleased with the quality and function. They are very good people to deal with. JMHO I would go back to them for any other Radiator needs.
rotorwrench
Well-known member
Labor rates are common around the 85 + bucks per hour here in the US. If it takes 4 or 5 hours to do a re-core job, the labor alone can get up there in a hurry. New copper & brass cores are high now due to the fact that there is less and less need for them over time. When you add in over head costs and the EPA regulated disposal fees it's no wonder there are few radiator repair shops these days. The only way a brass and copper radiator can be made for less is if it is made in an unregulated country by low wage workers. Most of the aluminum stuff is made off shore too or it would be higher in price. Most aluminum stuff is very difficult to repair when it goes bad. You basically get what you pay for just like it's always been. Higher quality components and coolant with good service intervals gets you a farther down the road than lower quality stuff.
chap52
Well-known member
My Champion radiator works great and I have an a/c condenser mounted in front of it. I do have an electric thermostat operated cooling fan also. I drive it in the summer with the a/c going and have never had my truck overheat. I live in the Tucson Area, and we know heat...
Fibber Mcgee
Well-known member
How is it possible the original radiators last so long (70 plus years) and I'm lucky if I make it through my 5 year warranty without a new car radiator cracking.
JSeery
Member Emeritus
Not much different than any other aftermarket parts made then vs now. It's not that you can not purchase quality parts now, most people just don't want to pay for them. As an example, Brass Works makes quality radiators (they are what I use) but most folks don't want to pay for them.