Radiator Rodding Out

U

ursus

Well-known member
I have an original radiator that is in great shape but needs to have the tubes rodded out. The radiator shops I checked with either no longer do this kind of work or simply aren't interested in it.

I understand that the top and bottom tanks are soldered in place and wonder how difficult it would be to separate them from the tube section, rod out the tubes, and reassemble the radiator in the same dimensions as before. Is this something that a reasonably skilled novice could undertake successfully?
 
Good grief, if they don't rod out radiators what do they do? Yes, I would say a reasonably skilled mechanic could do that. The most important thing is getting everything clean when going back together. Mark front so it goes back together the same way.
 
ursus said:
I have an original radiator that is in great shape but needs to have the tubes rodded out. The radiator shops I checked with either no longer do this kind of work or simply aren't interested in it.

I understand that the top and bottom tanks are soldered in place and wonder how difficult it would be to separate them from the tube section, rod out the tubes, and reassemble the radiator in the same dimensions as before. Is this something that a reasonably skilled novice could undertake successfully?
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I wouldn’t want to take it on a trip after an amateur resoldered it. In my opinion it’s worth the money to have a professional do it.
 
I have opened up a radiator and rodded the tubes. The trick to unsoldering the tanks is to use an air nozzle to blow the molten solder out of the seam after heating. Its a long seam so you have to push something like a screwdriver or putty knife into the seam to hold the joint open while the solder cools, and after it finally comes apart you have to straighten both sides which got distorted.
 
I would not discourage someone that wants to learn by doing. It is easy to verify quality when done.
 
40-A Twins said:
I have opened up a radiator and rodded the tubes. The trick to unsoldering the tanks is to use an air nozzle to blow the molten solder out of the seam after heating. Its a long seam so you have to push something like a screwdriver or putty knife into the seam to hold the joint open while the solder cools, and after it finally comes apart you have to straighten both sides which got distorted.
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Would sucking up the molten solder work better, electronic guys suck up their solder.
 
I was taught to set the radiator on it's side,and chase the solder out as I melted it with a wire brush.Takes less heat because you won't have the molten solder fetching up again.takes me a couple of passes,but the guy that taught me would do it in one.
 
I guess in this modern throw away world finding a radiator shop who knows how to REPAIR something instead of replace it is harder than 30 years ago. The old CAT equipment I worked on 35 years ago had removable top and bottom radiator pans. Spent many a rainy day in the shop rodding them out. Tedious work, but paid the bills...almost.
 
"Would sucking up the molten solder work better, electronic guys suck up their solder."

Blowing out solder when working on electronics would spread circuit shorting strands of solder all over and ruin the device.

Using compressed air to blow out molten solder was a tip from an old restorer and paint guy I knew long ago. Its still a tedious task because there can be quite a bit of solder sealing up a seam. The seam has to be de-soldered and held open until things cool down.
 
Tough job. You might find a shop that would do it. The problem with the A radiator is that a lot more wants to come apart when you are taking the top tank off.
If you still want to try it yourself, try just removing the bottom tank and rod it from there. A long transmission dip stick fits the large tubes. I used brazing rods to push through the junk.
On one core, I cut windows in the top tank and rodded out the tubes I could get to. I got most. Then took it to a shop and had the windows soldered back in place. Still using that one. Good luck.
 
Box it up and send it to another shop. My last one I had a minor fix, and the guy wanted to re-core it, or sell me a new one. Will it flow water at all? Maybe you can clean it up by stages on the car chemically?
 
An old cure for rusty gummy radiators was a product called SaniFlush. The problem is I think it can only be bought for professional use. It is a toilet cleaner. My auto shop teacher said you would know if your radiator had any weak spots or plugged holes you would soon find out!
 
J Franklin said:
An old cure for rusty gummy radiators was a product called SaniFlush. The problem is I think it can only be bought for professional use. It is a toilet cleaner. My auto shop teacher said you would know if your radiator had any weak spots or plugged holes you would soon find out!
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SaniFlush was taken off the market some years ago due some environmental restrictions. It worked by a chemical reaction in the presence of water to create an acidic foaming activity that dissolved and lifted away the deposits. I'll bet that the same effect could be achieved by filling the radiator with vinegar for a few hours then flushing with a strong solution of washing soda (sodium carbonate), followed by a rinse with a detergent solution.
 
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