32 B vs BB Radiator??

NealinCA

NealinCA

Well-known member
Is a 32 BB radiator physically bigger than a B or V8 passenger car radiator? I have a radiator off of a big truck that I junked out...was going to use it too mock up the front end on my sedan...I can't get a car shell to fit over it? I know people cay you can put a passenger car grille on a pickup with no modifications...but is that not true with a truck?

Thanks,

Neal
 
Don't know, never owned a BB 4 row radiator. The parts book allows a presumption that regular shells would fit (anything that is not listed in the truck section is supposed to be the same as passenger), BUT we all know that lots of low-volume or updated things never made the catalog in 1932. They were so frantic getting the V-8 debugged they probably pulled the catalog honcho and put him to work swapping pistons on recalled units...
How exactly did it not fit...neck, overall size, gap to hood??
Note we have an ongoing controversy about commercial shell/radiator fits...I think that one will turn out to be an altered radiator, but who knows. I can resolve that discussion right in my basement if I can get an hour off from real life, but do not own the bits to check BB.
So...details!
Do you have the '32 club book? That would call out any odd shell versions, and I do not think that it does. And...suspicion...do you have a '30-31 shell to try on the thing? I assume the shell was long gone when you stripped the truck, and back thenaways someone could have used an AA rad to keepitrunning.
 
Not going to look it all up right now, but there IS another 4cyl radiator listed in the parts books that has a thicker core. I have a NOS one up above the office,
buried, very dirty up there... My very vague recollection is that I once tried to fit a passenger grille/shell on it and it wouldn't. Apparently the (thicker) core
was toward the front (if to the rear, wouldn't have enough fan clearance?) that
interferes with the flange around the grille opening that protrudes rearward.
This may be what you have? (You said "BB" but didn't say if V8 or 4cyl?)

(Roy N. - have not forgot, just been REALLY busy... did you find one yet???)
 
Richard - It was a 4-cyl truck...and your description of the core being thicker to the front is what I found...along with the grille shell flange interfering as you describe.

Learn something new every day.

Neal
 
Now...was the interference with a passenger core or a commercial?? This is getting interesting.
HD radiator is BB-8005-b...that one is listed as also fitting passenger! 4-row, extra cooling description.
That is in the late book, 1948.
The late '32 book BB section lists only the BB-8005-A...is also 4-row. The existence of the -A in the part number suggests the existence of another model for BB...
I don't have either the earier '32 book or the '34 book here at work to look for evolutionary stuff.
Nothing I am aware of lists any special shells.
Mysteries everywhere...
 
I have posted on this topic a couple of times, here are some recent pics
The shell from my truck........nothing unusual?

326.jpg


The truck radiator, apart from having a recore the rest is unmistakeably 32


321.jpg



Here's one for those who thought it was a Model A radiator, as you can see it doesn't fit the Model A shell. holes don't line up neither does filler neck



325.jpg



Here is the same radiator in a 32 passenger car shell. does'nt fit either


323.jpg



here is the truck radiator alongside a 4cyl passenger car radiator the bracketry is clearly 32 but the truck radiator is 1/2" wider


328.jpg


The truck that it came from was a BB 4 cyl with a cab style that I have only ever seen one other. It may have came from Australia. It certainly wasn't a
New Zealand colonial cab
I am in the market for a cab back and roof at this stage, west coast would be good
 
NealinCA said:
Richard - It was a 4-cyl truck...and your description of the core being thicker to the front is what I found...along with the grille shell flange interfering as you describe.

Learn something new every day.

Neal
Click to expand...

Well that does make sense... the commercial shell, being a one-piece stamping, may fit fine as it has no flange to interfere.
 
32 tub,I'm still skeptical of a special radiator , from the pictures you posted where is the top view of the radiator to grill shell that show the offset on the tank necks.

I positioned a stock 30 commercial grill shell on a stock 32 radiator, because the 32 neck is positioned further forward than the Model A, the grille shell mounts to radiator holes missed alignment by about the same distance as your picture. So that would back up your position that it is not a Model A, your correct. Research of original parts USA books shows only one radiator for B and one shell for 32 commercials. There is a BB four row flat tube radiator listed in the December 20, 1932 parts price list book, but this would still bolt to the original shell. Because the holes do not align your rad in question maybe a 33 4 cyl commercial. I do not have one to measure Rich Lacey says he has a NOS one and maybe he could measure that one and give you an answer.
 
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DICK SPADARO said:
32 tub,I'm still skeptical of a special radiator , from the pictures you posted where is the top view of the radiator to grill shell that show the offset on the tank necks.

I positioned a stock 30 commercial grill shell on a stock 32 radiator, because the 32 neck is positioned further forward than the Model A, the grille shell mounts to radiator holes missed alignment by about the same distance as your picture. So that would back up your position that it is not a Model A, your correct. Research of original parts USA books shows only one radiator for B and one shell for 32 commercials. My next guess would be that this maybe a 33 4 cyl commercial. I do not have one to measure Rich Lacey says he has a NOS one and maybe he could measure that one and give you an answer.
Click to expand...

DICK!

There is, as someone posted, a "heavy duty" or some such designation, radiator for 32 4cyl with an extra row of tubes - toward the front. That is the one that is up in the attic and is NOS; got it from Don Thelen MANY years ago; might have come from the Secrest stuff? The part# is BB I think... That might be what he has?
The 33-34 4cyl "46" radiator which I also have a couple of, is nothing like a 32 and could not be confused with one... I will drag mine down and measure; take some photos and send them to someone who knows how to post...

Richard (U.T.B.A.D.) LACY (NO E!)

PS: I think I got it because the passenger shell would not fit; otherwise he would have probably used it with a SBC or SBF???
 
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The HD radiator...looked it up last night. V8 club book says it is HD service replacement only, released late in 1932, never used in production. In the LATER catalog '28-48, it has become the ONLY replacement radiator for ALL B and BB...this very strongly implies that it should fit all shells, doesn't it?
I did not have time to look in '34 -36-37 catalogs to see when it took over as the only radiator supplied.
Mystery continues. Maybe tonight I will have time to see how many rows the radiators in the B's have, and what the one in the spare commercial shell is.
All this stuff should interchange...everything in the catalogs points to that. My pickup supposedly has the radiator it came with and the last owner simply yanked its shell and put on the current passenger shell, another point of verification to the catalogs. Seems like Neal and maybe tub have churned up some questions...
 
Post what you see that positively ID's that HD radiator. I have a B roadster and pickup and some loose radiators and both types of shell...inquiring minds must get this settled!
 
I am running a 1932 (V8) commercial shell on my 1931 radiator. It fits nice and snug. The passenger car won't fit on a 1931 radiator. Therefore, I would assume that since the 32 commercial fits and the 32 passenger doesn't, the profile of the 32 radiator mounting holes and position of the neck is similar to a 1931 radiator. Yes, the tank on the engine side will be bigger...

But just a moment, I have the 32 commercial radiator that the commercial shell came off of, and the passenger shell fits on it. Uh.. I dunno. Now I'm confused! ha

I think the difference is the 4 cyl radiator VS the V8 radiator. I bet the measurements are different.
 
OK, LACY with no E, any way I went thru all my 32 grille shells they all are the same size, the BB radiator 4 tube design which was late late 32 still has to fit all the grille shells because there were not two grille shell depths. All the reference books I have validate the existence of a 4 row radiator but I have none to confirm the actual dimensions. Richard, since you said that you had one I thought that this might clear up the subject. Its easy to post pictures on this forum right off your computer on the "go advanced" section......The mystery continues, tune in later for more followup from inquiring minds and dont forget to follow the latest breaking news anytime 24-7 on americas network HAMB. Now over to Chet for the weather!
 
Here is the pic of the misalignment, truck radiator in the passenger car shell


329.jpg



But as you can see from this pic of a passenger car radiator it is the peak in the top tank which moves the filler neck out


32truck2.jpg



The truck top tank is flat on the front putting the filler neck further back in the shell




]
32truck.jpg
 
forever4 said:
Therein lies the clue. It may be a BBC-8005 radiator from a Canadian Model BBC truck Did it have the special BBC rear axle, unlike all other BB?

Can you post a pic of the cab or axle?
Click to expand...

forever4 I did not get the chassis of the truck. I got front guards, hood,
grill and radiator ( of course ) cab, diamond block B engine and 4 speed box,
headlights and bar. It had all been mounted on a 6 cyl Dodge chassis.

The cab is a god awful thing I have actually cut the roof and cab back off.
It is wooded out but looks semi factory, the doors are wooded also have a swage above the belt line. No indent around the window opening. I will try to get some pics. The cowl section is quite mint, this is why I am on the lookout for a roof and cab back.

Cheers
 
1932tub, Thanks for the additional shots, the more pictures the more this looks like a radiator shop repair gone bad. There is a large amount of solder on the upper tank mount and since this is the area in question this may be just a bunch of parts soldered together for a radiator an the assumption has been that this is an original part where as its a bunch of mismatched stuff.
 
I have the same problem as 1932 Tub.
I have a 32 BB truck rad and a passenger grill does not fit.
Exactly what he is showing on his pics.

Kelly
 
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