fix for upper radiator inlet seam

Ed Saniewski

Ed Saniewski

Well-known member
My 29 CCPU radiator is about two years old and the seam at the bottom of the upper inlet pipe to radiator is leaking. Has anyone had any luck with using Permatex to seal a seam or do I have to pull the radiator to solder the seam? I was thinking the silicone might last a few months until winter, then I can pull it and fix it right. Thanks Ed Saniewski
 
Hi Ed
we fix alot of radiator tanks on auction cars using this... clean the area with brake kleen blow it dry.. it seems a little flimsy going on but once it hardens its stuck good
 

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My friend had the exact same leak on a trip over the north cascades two weeks ago. He fixed it as Mitch just suggested. He's only got 50 plus miles on it so far, but it's holding fine.
By the way, it would cause an erratic miss, as the water would be blown onto the distributor and wires by the fan.once the leak was fixed, no more miss.
 
Another option. Cut a piece of cotton cloth such as an old T-shirt to form a patch just a bit bigger than the area that is leaking. Rub / saturate the cloth completely with silicone caulk and smear a thin layer of silicone over the area to be repaired. Then cover with the saturated cloth. Press and smooth well and you will be good to go for many, many years. If you use black cloth and black silicone no one will ever see it.
I've used this technique to fix many things that hold water (including a spot on my AA radiator) and have found it to work quite well.
 
I would drain the coolant and remove the radiator, solder the connection and reinstall. It should take less than one day, even if you have to run it to a radiator shop.

I haven't tried the stick that Mitch shows, but if Mitch says it works I'd believe it.
I just feel solder would be the best lonest lasting fix.
Make sure you don't have the tall radiator outlet on your engine if you have the 28-9 radiator. It will put undue stress on the radiator inlet pipe.
 
Any chance you could use a piece of radiator hose held on with hose clamps? The shape of the radiator inlet probably wouldn't allow this approach but I am not that familiar with the '29 and I don't know exactly where the leak is located.

Charlie Stephens
 
Tom Wesenberg said:
I would drain the coolant and remove the radiator, solder the connection and reinstall. It should take less than one day, even if you have to run it to a radiator shop.

I haven't tried the stick that Mitch shows, but if Mitch says it works I'd believe it.
I just feel solder would be the best lonest lasting fix.
Make sure you don't have the tall radiator outlet on your engine if you have the 28-9 radiator. It will put undue stress on the radiator inlet pipe.
Click to expand...

Good comment Tom. You probably identified why the inlet cracked.

Charlie Stephens
 
Bars Leak makes a product called Liquid Copper, item #1109, works with anti freeze, this stuff will make an almost a permante repair, fixs pretty large holes and cracks, ive used it to repair cracked heads and radiators, it does work, just follow the directions
 
Thanks for the response everyone. I would like to remove the radiator and fix it reight, but my radiator shop closed up early this year and I am looking for another good shop. Things are busy here, getting ready for Hersey, getting a 1923 Model T canopy express on the road, and a few other things. I think I will try Dave's idea of the silicone and cloth patch for now. That will be the easiest to remove and clean off when I pull the radiator this winter. If I cant find a shop, I may try fixing it my self with the epoxy or solder. For now I just want to get it back on the road.
I don't know why the seam around the inlet is opening up. Tom, I have the correct outlet on the engine, and the hose clamps are in the correct place. The radiator has about 3000 miles on it. Thanks again, Ed Saniewski
 
If you have an original radiator, the upper inlet is a one-piece funnel that is riveted to the upper tank then soldered around the entire connection. They are pretty tough but you might want to remove the radiator, strip it, and see if the brass funnel has any cracks. If so, it can be removed, silver soldered, and then re-riveted.
 
I would agree with Mitch on the jbweld I repair leaks on a oil pan that lasted for years I sold the car but would think its still good. Plus have used it for many applications its great stuff.
 
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