New Radiator

C

Colonel

Senior Member
Looking to buy a new 30/31 radiator. Need an original type with dimpled and number of fins and flat tubes. Not sure if 2 or 3 rows are needed. Fit is important. What would folks recommend based upon their experience?
 
Colonel said:
Looking to buy a new 30/31 radiator. Need an original type with dimpled and number of fins and flat tubes. Not sure if 2 or 3 rows are needed. Fit is important. What would folks recommend based upon their experience?
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Brassworks advertises a dimpled Model A radiator for $665..
 
Three rows of tubes is essential especially if driving in hilly areas. The additional cooling is very necessary. The heavy duty three row radiators are best. I agree with barnstuf.
 
Some people have had problems with BrassWorks radiators (including myself) in the past. Never heard a bad word about Berg's. If I ever need
a new radiator that is where I'm going.:)

Bob-A:D
 
I looked at Berg's radiators at Hershey this year. A thing of beauty.

Do a search here for Brassworks and then Berg's. FWIW
Paul in CT
 
In the 80's I shaped the jaws on a pair of pliers to reshape the dimples in my Studebaker radiator.
A person could do the same for the Berg's radiator.
 
My Cabriolet has a Brassworks, and my Roadster has a Berg's. They both work well, but I like Berg's better (it fit better).


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I recently saw an article on dimpling the radiator fins. It is in the Tiny Tips book on page 170
 
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Bergs are top shelf. Excellent packaging, fit and look. Performance with T -stat in the northeast is excellent. Well worth the money.
 
brito36 said:
Berg's radiators are very well made.
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skinnyfjoe said:
I have a bergs. Good fit
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Brian in Wheeling said:
Bergs for me. I'm not going to Hershey. Very nice quality and no problems.

Brian
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Pete / MA said:
Bergs are top shelf. Excellent packaging, fit and look. Performance with T -stat in the northeast is excellent. Well worth the money.
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He is looking for an original type with dimpled and number of fins and flat tubes, Bergs does not have such radiators.
 
Avoid the temptation of buying "cheap" and getting a two-row radiator. They're "cheap" for a reason, as is most junk. They won't cool a Model A engine in the upper part of Michigan in January during an ice storm - at midnight. Worthless, worthless, worthless! Maybe - and I mean a BIG maybe - a two-row radiator might have kept a Model A engine somewhat cool when the car was new and the passageways inside the engine block had not yet been coated with crud to reduce cooling ability. But 80 years later, even after boiling out the block, there will still be cooling problems.
J.C. Whitney used to offer the two-row radiator in the 1970's for a very reasonable price. I made the mistake of shopping with my wallet instead of my brains, and bought one. I couldn't keep my engine cool except during the winter, and even then it would occasionally boil over. There is nothing that will sour your overall Model A experience more than continually fighting a poor radiator and overheating. This is one area in restoring an antique car where one should not play it cheap. Bite the bullet and buy the absolute best radiator you can find, dimpled fins or not. That's only for show cars, anyway. You'll drive the car more than you will ever will show it. And a cheap-*ssed two-row radiator will be nothing but misery for you and your defenseless Model A.
Marshall
 
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