1940 Ford Convertible Radiator?

FRITZ47

FRITZ47

Senior Member
Anyone have a good source for a radiator that will mount to my original 1940 Ford Convertible? Looking for one that is in stock if possible as mine sprung a leak and it is time to get it on the road!

Thanks, Fritz
 

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Which radiator do you have? Some flathead Ford V-8 radiators have two cores. One for the driver side cylinder bank,and one for the passenger side. I have one laying around in my shop somewhere I pulled out of a junker years ago.

I suspect this is a "early /late" thing,but it may just be different suppliers to different factories.

No big deal unless you are restoring a car for show.
 
Thanks for the reply. Car is at work, but I will look later today, but not sure how to tell the difference. I will try for some pictures of the radiator.
Fritz
 
The 'split core' radiators were made to accommodate the hand crank... Or so I've been told... Could be just another Ford oddity, as the liquid mixes together in the upper tank and, most likely, the lower tank as well... If your radiator is OEM, you should be able to have it repaired and keep it in the car. A re-core should cost about the same...
 
Fritz, I would give Steve Powell (Powell's Radiator Service) in Wilmington, OH a call. (937-382-2096). He specializes in repairing classic car radiators. He has repaired many Early Ford radiators for our Regional Group. He can also install a core with more rows for better cooling. Steve advertises in Hemmings and other publications. Good luck, Pat
 
The "split core" design was the one and only design utilized in 1940. I had just recently had two of them re-cored correctly. Cost was about $500 each. The cores will need to be custom made as they are no longer in any "standard" catalog.
 
FRITZ47 said:
Thanks for the reply. Car is at work, but I will look later today, but not sure how to tell the difference. I will try for some pictures of the radiator.
Fritz
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It's easy to tell the difference. It looks like two radiators side by side attached to the same top and bottom tanks,and with a noticeable vertical gap between the two.

If you are interested,I will sell you the top and bottom tanks for $50,plus shipping. Both cores are rotten and will need to be replaced so I will separate them to save you on shipping. I'm sure never going to do anything with them,so they need to find somebody that can use them.
 
Kube said:
The "split core" design was the one and only design utilized in 1940.
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I'm really surprised to hear that. I have owned several 40 Fords and parts of 40 Fords over the years,and pulled this radiator from a 39 Deluxe I pulled out of the woods. I had heard about these radiators,but this was the first one I ever saw. All the others had "regular" radiators in them.

I'm guessing that over the years all the ones I had seen had the radiators replaced,and somehow this 40 radiator ended up in a 39 Deluxe?
 
Like the photo that Coopman posted, I had the same radiator in my '39 CS however, when I had to have it re-cored, I went with a solid core as I had no intention of ever trying to hand crank the Flathead... and, I'm not concerned with originality on the '39 CS.
 
LazarusLong said:
I'm really surprised to hear that. I have owned several 40 Fords and parts of 40 Fords over the years,and pulled this radiator from a 39 Deluxe I pulled out of the woods. I had heard about these radiators,but this was the first one I ever saw. All the others had "regular" radiators in them.

I'm guessing that over the years all the ones I had seen had the radiators replaced,and somehow this 40 radiator ended up in a 39 Deluxe?
Click to expand...
39 Deluxe had the same radiator. It had 91A punched in the top tank where as the 40 had 01A.
 
'41 also had a split-core - I have an 11A-stamped one with the top-center fill tank that I plan on using in my '40 Tudor. I really would like to get a side-fill for my restoration project some day, though.
 
I have a split core radiator in my shop. Thirty years ago, both cores were replaced and the tanks are original. The radiator is essentially new. The only usage was to run in an engine about 28 years ago. It was drained then and been kept in the dry since then.

If you want it, the price is $300 FOB Shelbyville TN. You can pick it up or I will ship---you pay for shipping.

I need to begin to sell other stuff in the shop-----I just tend to keep it around for the memories.
 
Kube said:
The "split core" design was the one and only design utilized in 1940. I had just recently had two of them re-cored correctly. Cost was about $500 each. The cores will need to be custom made as they are no longer in any "standard" catalog.
Click to expand...

Interesting, but I'd beg to differ.

The stock '40 radiator in my coupe was a single core, with a crank hole, and the water neck in the center of the top tank, with an overflow tube in the neck. I recently traded the coupe's radiator, which I had blocked off for a SBC, for another stock single core, crank hole, top center filler.

The one in my '40 stake truck was a split core, with the water neck on the driver's side, and an overflow in the top center. I recently swapped it out for the single core that I traded for.

From the window glass bugs on the coupe, it shows 4/40, so that would indicate a production run in April.

The truck has 3/40 and 4/40 glass, which indicates an early April production.
 
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