New Radiator for '55

Daves55Sedan

Daves55Sedan

Well-known member
I ordered a new replacement 55/56 Ford full size car radiator from Concours Parts. When I went to install the radiator in the car, I noticed that the top of the radiator sat lower on the support bracket when the top two bolts were screwed in and that the bottom tank of the radiator hit the back of the front splash pan while leaving a 1/2 inch space between the angle bracket and the radiator support.
I took it back out and compared the position of the side mounting brackets on the new radiator with my old one. The side brackets on the replacement radiator are two piece brackets rather than one piece. They have a separate angle bracket that is welded to the primary side piece which is tilted in the opposite direction it should be, and the angle bracket is slid upward by about 1-3/4 inches from where it should be.
I thought about just re-drilling all four mounting holes, but it would still be required to cut off the top 1-3/4 inches of the angle brackets, but that still does not solve the problem with the radiator tilting the wrong direction. This is horrible.
The easiest solution would be to burn off both side brackets from the top and bottom radiator tanks and replacing them with my original radiator brackets, but that will cost extra money I should not need to spend. After all, this new radiator costed $$$ 510.00 including shipping. AND, it will be extremely difficult to find a shop to solder my old brackets onto the new radiator, as all the radiator shops around here have been closed down for many years due to modern car radiators being made out of plastic now.
I did not order the wrong part number, it is for a V8, not a 6-cyl (they have the angle brackets backward).
Having the two piece side brackets is a bad idea. I am very disappointed.
 
... whew ...


I would take photos to show them it is a piece of CHINESEIUM crap and get on the horn first thing MON morning.


I just don't understand these so-called specialty parts vendors (well, I guess I do).


Have you considered a QUALITY re-core?
 
Check with Auto City Classic. Radiator is listed for $199.00 or $229.00 for polished. I ordered one for my 55 Crown a few years ago. Installed with no problem. It sits closer to fan than my old factory one but no clearance problems.
Ben
 
... hmmpf ...

It is pretty and the top tank looks OEM. And a trans cooler to boot.


1954-1956 Ford / Mercury Aluminum Radiator

sl-130-a-at.jpg


EDIT- 11 JUN 2018 1507 HRS

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM THEIR WEBSITE-

1954-1956 Ford / Mercury passenger car aluminum radiator. This is a direct bolt in replacement for your original factory radiator. The big improvement is in the cooling this aluminum radiator uses 2 high capacity 1 1/8" cores to give it a cooling capacity greater than an aftermarket 4 core with 3/8" standard cores. Has 1 1/2" inlet and 2" outlet. This radiator is often times the answer to cooling problems on cruise night.

Core size: 19 1/2" wide, 19 3/4" tall, 2 1/2" thick
Overall size (widest point): 23 1/4" wide, 25" tall, 4" thick
Click to expand...


That explains the greater core thickness. If it is USA made, it is perfect (supposedly).
 
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In response to post number three; if a fan gets too close, Ford has fan spacers in almost any length you could imagine. If you go to a scrap yard looking, be sure to keep the original bolts with each spacer you find. If they are too long, they will hit the water pump.
 
I'll remember to not buy from Concours Parts. Looks like they don't take the time to verify their inventory is correct for the customers. That's top dollar for a radiator that's not even close to being correct.


Sal
 
I would call them and tell them I wish to return the radiator. Might have to eat the shipping but a lesson learned, for all of our benefit.


CONCOURS QUALITY PARTS
Whether you are just out for a Sunday drive, or showing your T-Bird in a local or Club Concours d’ Elegance, it is important for you to have Concours Quality authentic parts on your Ford. After 40+ years of showing Fords and Thunderbirds as well as selling parts for them. We know the difference between just ‘parts’ and ‘Concours Quality Parts’!


GUARANTEE / RETURNS
We sell only the best parts available! All of our parts are guaranteed against defects in material or workmanship. Liability to Concours Parts & Accessories is limited to the replacement of the defective part only. If for any reason you are not completely satisfied with anything you have purchased from us, simply return it to us within 30 days of receipt for a “No Hassle” return.

Please enclose a copy of the invoice and a reason for the return. We will then send you a refund for the part(s) returned. There will be NO restocking charge! All parts returned must be in original packaging with all accessory parts included (i.e. attaching hardware, etc.). Merchandise must also be in re-salable condition to receive refund.
 
Actually that's not a terrible price for a copper radiator. I have purchased many parts from Concours and they seem good. Many of the parts vendors are selling come from Dennis Carpenter. I paid nearly $600.00 for a radiator in my 32 12 years ago. We the consumer of these aftermarket parts need to give feedback on these forums and also to the vendors about the quality and fitment of these aftermarket parts. We the fellow car enthusiast need to know what these inferior parts are supposed to go on. As many of you know I just went through this on a gas tank. Many customers give reviews about fitment issues but no clue what it don't fit. I feel that the reputable vendors may listen and research other suppliers if they are made aware of crappy parts that don't fit proper.
 
So, now in an effort to get the job done (car should have been ready for the road yesterday), I found an actual radiator shop 30 miles away (there used to be TWO radiator shops in this town, but closed down now). I told the guy to remove the side mounting brackets off both new and original radiators, then put my old brackets on the new radiator. He said he could do it for about $70.00 and have it done in 2-3 days. And he is very busy now that there are no radiator shops left anymore.
I plan to immediately send an e-mail to Concours notifying them of the extra work needed to make this radiator fit, and send a subsequent PDF of the scanned receipt from the radiator shop so that I can attempt to get reimbursement from them. If they do not comply, this will have ended up costing me over $$$$ 580.00. That's ridiculous. Not to mention my extra time effort and mileage.
 
You should have taken pictures of the two together to show how the one they sent you is wrong


The problem with a lot of these vendors is when some one complains about a part that doesn't work or fit correctly they always say that no one ever complained about it.
 
paul2748 said:
You should have taken pictures of the two together to show how the one they sent you is wrong


The problem with a lot of these vendors is when some one complains about a part that doesn't work or fit correctly they always say that no one ever complained about

So true....That's why we need to inform each other.
Click to expand...
 
And so, I did send Concours a complete detailed description of the errors in U.S. Radiator Companys mismounting of the side brackets along with a recommendation for them to notify the company. I also indicated that I will be sending a PDF copy of the receipt from my radiator shop and will expect reimbursement.
 
KULTULZ, I hope that photo of the aluminum radiator is not an exact photo of the '54/55/56 radiator they offer. Just by looking at it, the side mounting brackets don't appear to be wide enough, and the four boltholes should be slotted to permit proper alignment like the original radiator had.
BTW, the new radiator I got also had the transmission cooler in it, but I did NOT want it. My car is an air-cooled Ford-O-Mastic. I worried about a hole eventually rusting thru in the cooler, causing all my radiator coolant to leak out. So, I went to the extra trouble of filling it up with 10W-30 motor oil and capping the inlet and outlet with metal pipe plugs (which were very hard to find). I finally found them at NAPA. I would have preferred it did not have the transmission cooler.
Returning the radiator would have been an option, but then what. I would have been back at square one hunting for someone to re-core my old radiator (which I would have done in the first place if there had been any radiator shops left in the world).
I decided doing the mounting bracket swap was my quickest option to getting back on the road again. The shipping cost on that radiator was $65.00. That is about what I am spending to do the bracket swap. So, if a reimbursement for the bracket swap does not come to fruition, at least I won't be spending more and I still have a new radiator.
 
I have seen those aluminum radiators before but have always been skeptical. Suppose you want to do a cooling system flush with chemicals such as blue devil radiator flush. Will the chemicals be harmful to the aluminum??? I want to keep that option open always (at least as long as I am alive).
 
Daves55Sedan said:
KULTULZ, I hope that photo of the aluminum radiator is not an exact photo of the '54/55/56 radiator they offer. Just by looking at it, the side mounting brackets don't appear to be wide enough, and the four boltholes should be slotted to permit proper alignment like the original radiator had.
Click to expand...

NOTE: PICTURES SHOWN MAY NOT BE EXACT PICTURE OF PRODUCT LISTED
Click to expand...


I was just impressed in that they make the top tank appear as OEM as most I have seen have a smooth top tank.

Glad you found a shop nearby. You are correct, most likely better to have it modified as it will cost about the same anyway.

As for the cooler. I am guessing it is cheaper to make all with. Maybe they can delete it on a SPECIAL ORDER basis?

U.S. RADIATOR seems to be a class act. I wonder if the radiator got substituted from some off-shore supplier by mistake?

http://www.usradiator.com/

There are still specialty shops still online.
 
KULTULZ said:
I was just impressed in that they make the top tank appear as OEM as most I have seen have a smooth top tank.
Click to expand...


Shown is an example of what I am trying to describe-

363101
363102



Have no idea of vendor, but do you see what I am describing? It has more of a resto-mod appearance.

This shot is of that ULTRA-RARE S-CODE 56 that has everyone fooled. The radiator is completely out of place (along with GM CORVETTE brake master cylinder) for a supposedly untouched and/or dedicated restoration.

And yes, I am CDO (correct alphabetical order) ... :rolleyes:
 

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Untouched restoration??? Notice that it is also missing a hood side bumper from the inside lip of the front fender, the factory air deflector extension is missing in front of the radiator, something else is mounted there, look at how the fuel hose is routed to the fuel filter way over on the fender apron. That could have been done nicely with tubing similar to factory except with fuel filter inserted. The bottom fan shroud/splash pans are also missing. That air cleaner is from a later model car. Appears to be clean and well kept. Maybe it's a trailer queen?
 
Notice also how he was unable to use the stock radiator hoses because the inlet and outlet connections on the aluminum radiator are in the top & bottom tanks rather than in the headers. Look how close the back of the radiator is to the fan blade. It looks like their side brackets are deeper than the factory by quite a bit which pushes the radiator back farther. I would not like that. But I wouldn't care if the top tank didn't have the strength impressions as long as the material was strong enough to permit not having them.
 
Been a while since I had mine in but isn’t that set back quite a ways from stock position? I assume that was done to make room for the a/c.
 
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