Does anyone have a good vendor to recommend for a new radiator for my 1991 F250 XLT Lariat with the 7.3l IDI? It does have air conditioning.

 

The consences was Champion aluminum aftermarket radiators, available on ebay (radiatorgalaxay) but "akamacgyver" has had 2 leak in the past year. I've had one in mine for almost a year and haven't had any problems. So far he's the only one I've heard had any problems on here and over at oilburners. If you can find a Modine vendor you could try them.

 

Thanks, Airdale. I'll check them out.

 

We were discussing this recently, there is a stock style brass/copper radiator available, it's not cheap though:

 

thats the one i put in chip^ the ready rad copper/brass replacement.unfortunately it didn't last that long either.though i did get a free replacement thanks to advanced auto's lifetime warranty.i didn't pay attention though as they have a "limited" lifetime warranty.the limited meaning,they can replace it with whatever brand/type they get in latter on.they tried giving me a 2 core (oem was 4.the ready rad was 3) aluminum with plastic tanks......um nope.i told them try again lol.lucky the next one that came in (which they have no control over) was the ready rad........i dunno what i'll have to do when/if this ones goes.order the ready rad someplace else probably and have to pay.i wont put a little 2 core plastic tanked rad in my daily worker.my e-fans wouldn't ever turn off probably lmao.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...-radiator.html

^ that last post of mine there reminds me though,i did have to pay a 100 bucks to avoid being down with the truck to get it repaired.that didn't last though.that's when i went back to advance to try one more time before i bought a new one again.

it's a shame.not much being built with pride anymore.stamp 'em out cheap and ship 'em from China.it's so wasteful what a disposable society we've become.it's gunna get so bad the Chinese wont even be able to breath much longer,polluting their skies with their junk plants with disposable crap that wont last for a year..........ahh end rant/

 

Well crud, is there a good radiator even available for our trucks then? All the OEM stuff I see in the yards looks as weak and tired as what's in my trucks which makes sense as they're all 20+ years old now.

 

not that i know of.i know there are custom shops that will build radiators.but not many of us are going to shell out 7-900 for a custom built radiator.i know i sure wont.i think the best bet would be to find a vendor selling the ready rad (also known as vista pro) with lifetime warranty (with no strings attached.no limited bs.)..........if there is such a place.

who knows.maybe it was just a fluke.perhaps the replacement will outlast the truck like it should........knock on wood.

 

That's true, we are very disposable these days. People are too gullible and looking for a reason to get something new. And of course our government(s) (feds,state,local) push the idea as they score in the revenues generated by sales tax and fees. California is an excellent example of that, our smog check program has nothing to do with the environment, it's about the monies confiscated in the sales of new replacement vehicles. The environmental damage from the pollutants created by the manufacture of a new car, (plastics, rubber, glass, metal, e-waste, etc.), outweigh the pollutants of an old car. Someone truly concerned about the environment would preserve the older vehicle as the environmental "damage" via manufacturing is already done.

But then the sales tax revenue of a $30,000 car is much greater than that of a $2,000 car and there are public sector workers that need the tax payers to fund their gender change operations. Priorities you know.

 

According to the vista pro website they too are "limited warranty"

http://www.vistaproauto.com/uploads/...icy%209-11.pdf

 

Alternately, just find something close in size that will fit(potentially something newer from the JY) and make a couple of mounts.
As long as you've got a decent amount of flow and surface area, it'll work just fine.

 

The top tank on my 89 has a tiny leak and I'm trying to find a solution. The local NAPA store wants $500 for the "smaller" rad and $750+taxes for the "bigger" rad which seems crazy. Especially if all new rads are questionable made. For that price I might as well get a custom one.

What about having the original rebuilt by a rad shop? Is it not feasible? A buddy offered a 96 psd rad but can it be modified to work on my 89?

 

My 94 just bit the dust this morning, so I'm searching also. My local NAPA only has the plastic tank radiators. I'm guessing from everyone's post is that I should steer clear of these??

 

I just got the "original" replacement for my truck from my local carquest. Two core plastic crap. I was getting desperate, so I kept it and gonna try it. Its not my daily driver and only really tows my camper, so maybe. Took my original to a shop and they determined that it wasn't fixable.

 

This one is at AutoZone, it doesn't say anything about how many rows it has, but it is all aluminum.

Spectra Premium/Radiator (C1165) | 1994 Ford F250 3/4 ton P/U 2WD 8 Cylinders M 7.3L Diesel | AutoZone.com

 

The black one seems to be made just like my original. Looked at the specs, and everything checks out. I know that the guy at my carquest will make things right if and when the radiator I got gives trouble. Delt with him for 20+ years now and my dad delt with him. Brick and mortar guy that still likes to get the old books out. He does have computers but dislikes them very much.