Aluminum radiators for Model A

D

David L. Holloway

Junior Member
I am in need of new radiator for my 1930 Tudor. Since I am replacing an old two core type, I want to up grade to one that will be an improved design and minimize overheating potential. I am finding many ads for aluminum radiators on line for the A ( at considerable lower price than the original style). But reading many post that say the aluminum ones are a poor fit. Can anyone reccommend a reasonably priced aluminum radiator brand that is a perfect original fit with no needed adjustments and also of improved cooling capacity over the original?
 
I've seen pictures where they don't quite fill up the sides of the radiator shell. Make some strips to fill the gaps and paint the whole thing black. You'll save about $500 if the experiment works. But over the years I've found the "buy once cry once" adage to be accurate when trying to save money on car parts. Inferior products are just that and every time you look at that $200 ChiCom radiator that didn't work sitting in the corner you'll remember buy once cry once.
 
I bought a Champion and it took a bit of fiddling around to get it in the correct position before drilling holes for the mounting bolts. I have done some banger mods to hop up my car though. If I were keeping a stock setup, I would go with the improved brass radiators from several sources out there. More rows are available, number of fins per inch, shape of tubes, etc. Seems like the middle of the pack for those is in the $600-$800 zone but should last as long as you keep your car.
I do not see where you are located but the guys at Bert's (or a few of the suppliers) can help you choose a level of radiator that will work for your car and your budget.
 
No matter which brand of radiator you buy, I find that all of them need some tweaking to fit well, especially getting a decent hood fit (uniform / equal gaps). Also, the fit of the radiator shell to the new radiator may be a test of your patience. On some some replacement radiators, the filler neck may not center in the hole of the radiator shell. Be sure you have some extra rubber shims for the mounting bolts. Have a rat tail file handy to elongate holes in the radiator's mounting brackets. If you have an original radiator to start with, consider having a shop re-core it.
While the radiator is out of the car, do a thorough inspection of the car's front cross-member checking for cracks and loose rivets.
 
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My original radiator blew out on the way home and I ended up buying one of those aluminum radiators off Ebay. As far as cooling goes, it was almost too efficient. Really, it was too efficient. I drove it several times in temperatures ranging from 85f to 100f over the summer and the engine never got above 130f.

Besides that, the fitment was AWFUL. I fabricated multiple different spacers/shims for it, ended up having to slot out the mounting holes to slide it forward, and still never got the thing to really sit right. One of the mounting tabs broke off and I fabricated a new bracket to get it to mount.

I finally ended up taking my old radiator to my local radiator shop and they cut it open and soldered up where it blew out for $129. I really wish I had just done that from the start and never messed with that junk aluminum radiator. Not worth the headache nor the time I spent trying to get it right
 
I strongly recommend having an original radiator re-cored or purchasing a quality reproduction copper core radiator.

If cared for properly, it will last a LONG time. As stated before... "buy once, cry once" or "The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten"
 
Such a shame Gary Bergbower retired (Berg's Radiator). I do wish someone out near him could take over his business. I've had excellent results with one of his cores about 8 years ago, still going strong.
 
There is nothing wrong with aluminum as a metal and when used in modern radiators and welded correctly they work well. The problem is the fit for the Model A.

Radiator black is a paint that is used on radiators. It puts a thin coat on which does not inhibit heat transfer.

Aluminum radiators need the use of an appropriate anticorrosion antifreeze as aluminum can be corroded in preference to other metals.

I bought one of the last of the Berg radiators and I love it.
 
mass A man said:
Such a shame Gary Bergbower retired (Berg's Radiator). I do wish someone out near him could take over his business. I've had excellent results with one of his cores about 8 years ago, still going strong.
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I suspect EPA (which can, or can not be a good thing), business insurance, and property taxes add up to not a lot of profit for the risk.

Has anyone noticed that things made in the USA and Canada seem to be better quality? I for one think I see that we get what we pay for most of the time. BTW; I try my best to avoid buying anything made in VietNam.
 
mass A man said:
Such a shame Gary Bergbower retired (Berg's Radiator). I do wish someone out near him could take over his business. I've had excellent results with one of his cores about 8 years ago, still going strong.
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Larry Shepard (goes by Larrys40 here) is a good friend of Gery, and as I understood it, I think the bottom line was that Gerry was not really a manufacturer but more of a good assembly person, ...and his suppliers were having difficulty making the radiator parts he needed, so it was more lucrative for him to help his wife in her business and shut the radiator business down. Maybe one day things can return to normal in the supply chain. :rolleyes: Likely won't be in our lifetimes, but one can always hope it will.
 
Has anyone noticed that things made in the USA and Canada seem to be better quality?

yeah, 30 years ago........
 
Blessed and thankful I still have the original radiator on our ‘30 Coupe. At 69,236 original miles and my Dad purchasing it from the original owner back in 1958, I would say that was $50.00 well spent. I would be hard pressed to figure out what to do if replacement was necessary.
 
Chevrolet tried alum. radiator on the '62 Chevy 2. We had one new. It worked well until the weather got warm. The thermostat would warp and stay open all the time. We didn't find out until the next fall when you called for heat. We learned to take the unit out at the end of heating season. I often wonderded what we would have d one if we had gotten a leak from a rock. The car lasted for 100K with two teanage boys at the wheel.
 
I bought aluminum for my 29. It needed bracket trimming and the stock A hoses didn't fit like they should. The core was 6 inches too narrow and folks around here said get some expanded metal to hide the gap. I went one better and bought a new Brass Works from Berts. A no nonsense install and looks proper. M 29 is too nice to cut corners. Just my opinion.
 
With the bad fit on the sides, I have seen one that was painted black, then installed a stone guard, and no one knew the difference.
 
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