This was interesting.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post14275079





I have never heard of this or seen it. I don't understand why a hose didn't fail first....

 

I can tell you why it happened, I've seen it several times. When they built that radiator, it has a tank design called a bucket tank, it had a pan saldered tothe top of the bottom half of the tank, then the top tank is soldered to that pan. Some half-assed radiator shop threw the pan away when they recored it, without the pan it has no strength and every time it builds up a little pressure it weakens the solder joint, until it can no longer hold. If you are going to have that recored, you'll need to find the pan, or have a GOOD radiator guy make some connectors for between the tanks.

 

Wow first time for me

 

Good thing I replaced my hoses

 

Hmmm interesting, either way that thing is going on my garage wall and I will get an aluminum rad, cheaper than a re-core anyway.

 

Yep, been there myself. Years ago I was driving a '79 F-600 tanker truck loaded with gasoline. Running down the highway about 60 mph when there was a loud 'boom' and the windshield turned green. Mine didn't come apart exactly where yours did; it blew the entire top tank off the radiator.

 

and the underpants turned brown

 

Actually it didn't surprise me as much as shorting out the battery leads earlier.

 

As Bill Cosby said, first you say it, then you do it.

 

I have never seen it happen, but would suspect a radiator cap that didn't vent like it was supposed to.

 

I saw it happen when a friend didn't have enough ethylene glycol in the system. It got cold and the core froze. When the motor got warm, the tank lifted off half the cores.

Luckily when I did the same thing on my Chevy last year, the top hose just popped off.