I've met more than a few angry radiator guys upset because someone had tried to fix things with epoxy. Food for thought.
Radiator
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Senior User
Joined: Oct 2004
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From: Northern Virginia
Radiator
I have a leak in my radiator of my 65 f250.Can I get one locally or will I need to order from Macs?More importantly,should I get the old one rebuilt or go for new?I wont have time for a couple of days to check the local auto parts places so any info will help.I love my "new" 1965.Filled her up with gas Sunday and took her for a short spin.Those 4:11 gears really wind her up fast.Great forum here,cant wait till I have a little time to read more.
Joe
Joe
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Joined: Sep 2004
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From: Lincoln, NE
Take 'er to a radiator shop and see what they tell you. In my experiance, don't go to the guy with the biggest/cleanest shop becuase they usually charge an arm and a leg for their work. The guy working out of his garage or down a side street usually does just as good if not better work for less money. On a similar note, my first car was a 1965 Grand Prix--needed the radiator recored and the owner of the shop just charged me for the parts, not the labor, because he was a Pontiac guy, too. He also boiled out and repaired a few leaks on my gas tank for free. Just a thought.
Elder User
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 938
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From: North Carolina
Just take it down to the radiaoor shop and have it fixed then can fix pinholes and recore it aswell. Itll proably run you around $50 give or take a few dollars. Its "uneconomcial" to waste $200 on a new one when its not needed.
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jun 1999
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From: Creedmoor, North Carolina
Joe, If you are planning to keep the truck, I think I would spring for a new radiator. You should be able to pickup one at your favorite parts house in the hundred fifty range. If you aren't sure on keeping it I might see if it could be repaired. my 2
John
John
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From: Elizabethtown, PA
Replace it.
The guts of these 'wear out' due to corrosion over time, get clogged, etc. I think it's probably counter-productive spending money on a fix you can only hope works.
Quality of radiators varies, so I discourage shopping based simply on price.
I went to the local radiator specialist shop with mine, which was deemed terminal (wasn't surprised). They did not have a direct fit listing, but were able to use one from a slightly newer model truck. Had to transfer my '65 brackets over to it. Truck runs totally cool now. Cost me $175 for a non-Taiwan unit.
The guts of these 'wear out' due to corrosion over time, get clogged, etc. I think it's probably counter-productive spending money on a fix you can only hope works.
Quality of radiators varies, so I discourage shopping based simply on price.
I went to the local radiator specialist shop with mine, which was deemed terminal (wasn't surprised). They did not have a direct fit listing, but were able to use one from a slightly newer model truck. Had to transfer my '65 brackets over to it. Truck runs totally cool now. Cost me $175 for a non-Taiwan unit.
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Senior User
Joined: Oct 2004
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From: Northern Virginia
Thanx for the replies
Had a few minutes to check around today locally.Same questions as usual..1965? hmmmmwhat motor?...352?sure its not a 351?Anyway,I found a repiar shop that will look at it and try to match it up.I want to go with new.I plan on being burried in this truck.I'm still kicking myself for selling my 1978 a few years ago.Not gonna make that mistake again.
Lead Driver
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 8,062
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From: Central Oregon
Not all the radiators from these will, the 4x4 that I have and one of the 2wd trucks have the brackets backwards, the others are what most trucks have. These 2 have "wings" on the core support that most do not. When I got the new radiator for the 4x4 had to turn the brackets around, then no problem.
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Senior User
Joined: Oct 2004
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From: Northern Virginia
Got it today
and put it in the truck.Still waiting for the new hoses.Started replacing vacuum lines and windshield washer lines.My reseviour was cracked and the pump had one of the nipples broken off.I installed a pump and reseviour from a 280 z.My bud restores old z cars and had a few laying around.The price was free and that was exactly what I was lookin to pay.I'll be looking for an orig set up but this will do until I get there.So much other stuff to get to.Thanx for all of the help...I'm sure I'll need more.
Joe
Joe
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From: North Carolina
When I rebuilt my 352 I took my radiaotor down to the radiotor shop and they hot tanked it and pressure tested it for about $25, turns out it was so clogged it was bareley cooling the motor. Dont replace it unless its nessary, they dont "wear out" like a motor does becasue theres no moving parts, if youve knocked a huge hole in it, or if your trying to get it to 100 point show car condition, then replace it, otherwise save your money and have the pinhole(s) fixed.
Posting Guru
Joined: Nov 2004
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From: Turlock CA
not all radiators are the same
Recently a 1995 Z28 decided to push the front of my 65 F100 about 18" to the right, after he ran a stop sign. Well in the process of putting it back together I found out several things First the radiator was destroyed so I went to a local alley kind of shop and he was able to get me a new identical replacement that matched perfectly mounting brackets hose layout the works. Well the new front end was donated by a 1966 F-100. While putting it back together I asked a friend with a 1966 F-100 if I could get some demensions off of the brackets I thought did not come with the front end. After taking a look, the 66 and 65 have totaly differant mounting brackets, so I was forced to make some new brackets out of Stainless Steel.
Postmaster
Joined: Nov 2000
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From: Texas
Originally Posted by FORD352V8
When I rebuilt my 352 I took my radiaotor down to the radiotor shop and they hot tanked it and pressure tested it for about $25, turns out it was so clogged it was bareley cooling the motor. Dont replace it unless its nessary, they dont "wear out" like a motor does becasue theres no moving parts, if youve knocked a huge hole in it, or if your trying to get it to 100 point show car condition, then replace it, otherwise save your money and have the pinhole(s) fixed.
Radiators tend to get clogged with minerals and rust from folks running straight water or low antifreeze mixes in the engine. When these blockages occour, chemical reactions take place and will corrode the radiator from the inside out. Thus leaving the impression of a good radiator that is hot tanked and reinstalled that could potentially leak further down the road.
This is why most, if not all, newer vehicles now have composite radiators in them to reduce the risk of corrosion.
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