Hello all : have a 78 f-250 XLT Ranger camper special in need of a radiator.has a 460 engine,automatic,air,trans cooler i think. am i better off getting it rebuilt or going new.has the patina green in spots of it.had to put a gallon of anti freeze in the other day.this truck is nickel and dimeing me to death and i've hardly driven it....arrrrrrrr !!! wife is hounding me too. what do i ask for when trying to look for one.anything special ??? have gotten prices from 254.00 dollars [autozone] and up.afraid to go to the salvage yard and get a crappy one.not real mech. but will give it a shot.in colorado area if someone has a very good one...hear about 3 and 4 core.not sure what that is...help...............advice needed,,,thanks..joe p.s. had to put in a power steering pump and a fuel pump 3 days ago,before that a trans.so much for a fairly new purchase. again thanks

 

hello fella, modine makes a good radiator. specify a replacement for your truck. one size fits all will not work in most cases. shop all the large parts houses. the nickel dime stuff is somewhat common on old trucks. this might sound strange but not driving an older vehicle seems to bring on more trouble than driving it on a regular basis. the radiator replacement is no big deal. a rule of thumb to use is try not to use old parts with new parts. replace the hoses and the coolant, inspect the clamps and replace as needed. when i mention the hoses i mean all the hoses. the heater hoses should be replaced as well as the thermostat. remember to contain the old coolant and take it to a recycle location.... advance auto/auto zone. i measure all the heater hose length i need and then take a length with me to make sure i get the proper diameter. i then lay it out under the hood using the existing old lines as a guide and then replace one line at a time. i don't go to the trouble of trying to pull the hoses from their fittings. i cut the hose at the fitting and then split the ends. i use a little grease on the hose ends to allow easlier fit and then tighten the clamps. fill the radiator with a 50/50 mix coolant and water. start the engine with the cap removed and allow the engine to come up to operating temp. the thermostat should begin to open and all the coolant to circulate. add more coolant as needed and replace the radiator cap and check for leaks at all the clamps. now go drive the truck and observe the temp. now after completing the task smile and remind yourself that this whole deal was cheaper then a truck payment. have fun

 

Owning old truck: Everytime something goes wrong, its like opening Pandora's box (no, not that box)..., & when you're suprised because you fixed something that cost next to nothing - you feel chosen.
Rows on a radiator refers to how many "sheets" (or columns) of heat exchanging fins are sandwhiched together...the more rows, the thicker the radiator- leads to more capacity and better cooling ability too. The question your asking is tough to answer, you should take the truck to a radiator shop and have some one take a quick look at it. Sometimes rad's can be fixed for cheap (recored)...but if it's original, you may be looking at another, costly investment. The rad is one place not to be cheap. Modine is a good brand. Take care of your investment.

 

When I went to buy my 76 f-250 camper special it was a non-starter. the guy wanted $500 for it, but i wasn't sure it was worth it until I opened the hood and saw the brand new heavy duty RAD. I figured that that alone was worth half the asking price, and if I ended up having to part it out, the new rad, alt, and decent interior would allow me to break even. I was ecstatic when I replaced the battery and she cranked right up. A little fresh gas and she was moving on her own again.
As far as the nickel and dimes are concerned, anybody who drives a truck that's 25 years old expects to replace parts but it comes to no where near what the payments would be on an equivelent new truck. Take a look at the new F-250s. besides i spend more on parts keeping my 12 year old car going than I do on the truck

Good luck and remember that when you replace some parts with new, the rest of the truck may get jealous and start acting up to get a little of your attention

 

Check with a local radiator shop, they can probably rebuild it cheaper and it will be as good as new!!