radiator replacement

T

tjaybo

Member
I need a new radiator for my 1955 fairlane club sedan. I would like to hear about any experience you guys have had. Fit, mounting, hose hook up, ect. I would like to get a replacement that would bolt in like the original. I dont care if it is alum or brass but I would like to keep the cost down.
Thanks Jim
 
Just a side note...
IF the old radiator is an original and if it has a Date Code tag on it,
there's a good chance you can sell it to someone working on a 'correct' restoration.
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That's another thing I didn't like about the radiator they sent me. It had the transmission cooler installed in the bottom radiator tank. They offered versions with and without and I ordered the one WITHOUT it.
So, I laid the radiator down flat and filled the cooler with 90 wt gear oil and capped the two ports with metal plugs having the same thread (I had tried to get nylon plugs but nobody offers them around here). Just as I thought, the oil leaked out through the threads very slowly, leaving an oil slick for me to clean up. But worse than that, now with there being a void inside the cooler, condensation will occur everytime the engine heats up and cools off, eventually rusting out the cooler tube from the inside. Then all my new anti-freeze will leak out. It may take years for that to happen, but it is not right.
 
56yblock said:
i found it on ebay and i would like to know if someone have put it on his car and if it's not problem
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Just make sure the one you buy is for a V8. Do not order one for the 223 I-block 6 or a F100 pickup truck, because the side brackets and the inlet and outlet hose connection size and locations are different.
I highly recommend NOT getting one with the transmission cooler if your car still has the original air-cooled Ford-O-Matic or if it has a manual transmission.
I also highly recommend leaving your old radiator installed while doing a chemical cooling system flush thru your entire cooling system. Drain the chemical and perform a pressure flush with a garden hose. Then install your new radiator and see how your cooling system performs.
Don't rely on those old gauges for accurate readings (fuel or temperature). I tested mine by taping a cooking thermometer to the upper radiator hose.
I think my thermometer has a range of 30-450 degrees farenheit which is way more than plenty. Turns out, my cooling system runs right at 180 degrees (F) which is exactly what the engine thermostat is rated at when it opens, but the guage leans toward hot.
 
I took my original radiator to a local builder that's been in business for years. They shipped my core out to dallas to have a new core made while they attempted to remove dings and dents from the copper radiator tanks then reassembled it for me. Mine being a '56 is an odd ball as it still has a air cooled Ford-O-Matic and I didn't want to get one with a cooler even though one could simply just plug it. There were some made without the cooler for sale but at the time they were on a 6 month back order for $300. I had the local shop do it for mine with brand new cores and only cost me $230.
 
I do what Rusty did, have the old ones recored ... no fitment problems then, but I also try to keep things OEM.

I have a dependable shop up here who did the rads on both cars and the Caddys heater core. He had to order in the heater core like Rustys guy did.
He strips the old paint, bangs out any dents in the tanks, checks the valve in the heater, pressure tests the finished unit and even puts a nice black paint job on it if you want.
 
as Jeff said Champion has a good reputation and has for awhile.as with any purchase due diligence is a must.the black on rad protected the rad from turning green and starting to corrode.not everyone will have the same opinion on products you will need to separate the wheat from the chafe
 
Daddio said:
I do what Rusty did, have the old ones recored ... no fitment problems then, but I also try to keep things OEM.

I have a dependable shop up here who did the rads on both cars and the Caddys heater core. He had to order in the heater core like Rustys guy did.
He strips the old paint, bangs out any dents in the tanks, checks the valve in the heater, pressure tests the finished unit and even puts a nice black paint job on it if you want.
Click to expand...

Yep, I am still how ever still on the hunt for a reasonably priced NOS unit as this rebuild is just to get by till the car is restored.

They did a great job of getting the dents out but you can see ripples though where the dent was its not perfect but its a lot better than a huge dent.
 
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