After market 1929 radiator sheel question.

Fred K-OR

Fred K-OR

Well-known member
The question I have if I need to purchase a new aftermarket radiator sheel for my 1929 coupe, who makes a good aftermarket shell? Are the Howell's shells good? Are there others out there any good?

Would appreciate some ideas on your experience.
 
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All the repro 28/29 shells that I have ever seen are absolute rubbish. None fit properly and they are expensive. My advise. Try around for an original. Use the repro as a last gasp effort.
 
All of the reproduction 28-29 radiator shells that I've had experience with needed some work to be able to use. The opening where the threaded neck that the cap screws on sticks up too far and needs to be ground or filed way down. A touch of silver paint in the ground or filed area will help slow the rust. Usually this is not enough and the bottom of the radiator cap below the threads neads to be ground or filed to give enough clearance for the threads to catch and hold the cap on. Of course mine are all drivers that I did myself and the caps were also repro. When you use repro parts like we often need to do, mods of some type are usually needed. If you opt for a new shell I would try Berts. Steve will tell you how well the parts fit. They may have a rechromed original. Sometimes if the radiator is a repro an original shell will need mods to fit.
 
Thanks guys.

I may have to gamble on a repro. But Purdy your idea of calling Steve at Berts is a good on. He has always do well with me.

Fred
 
For what it's worth I recently bought a repro '28/'29 shell from Bratton's and the fit was right on. No adjustments were required to fit to my original radiator.
Maybe they're improving?
 
Good to know that the repro shells are imnproving. They may still not fit a repro radiator that is not exactly up to specs. I had to do lots of work to make an old original 29 radiator shell fit the repro radiator thats on one of mine. I've had the radiator shell since I was 13, all of the old plateing was long gone . I had to weld and smooth up a few spots to patch it up and painted it silver, so I didn't mind making a few mods so that I could use it with A repro radiator that I had on hand .
 
No one makes a 29 reproduction shell. All of the reproductions are 28 with the round boss on the crank hole. The 29s have a bell shaped boss around the crank hole.
 
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