I have a 1971 F250 and want to take my radiator in for repair as it leaks under pressure. I have a couple of questions for what I originally thought would be a quick and easy removal.

1.) I have a couple of lines that are full of transmission fluid that run from the transmission to the radiator (bottom). How do I remove these lines from the radiatior and not make a mess? Will all the fluid leak out?

2.) How much should I expect to pay to have my radiatior repaired or replaced once it is removed. Is a junk yard an option or would I be purchasing a problem there? I think my radiator is a heavy duty model if that matters.

Thanks guys / gals.

 

Have a can ready when you take the tranny lines off the radiator. A small amount of fluid will drip out...just what is in the lines.

I got a couple of holes in the core of my 2 core rad from my '72 302 fixed at a radiator shop for $90 Cdn. A new radiator for my truck would have been $350 Cdn.

The rad that I got fixed was only a couple of years old so it was worth fixing. If you have the original or old radiator then you should buy a new one or have your existing on recored since the passages are probably partially clogged up. A heavy duty rad will be more than my medium duty...probably $450 - $500 Cdn.

 

The trans lines you can either wrap a rag around the ends an elastic band them or find something rubber to slide over the fitting to seal them.

There are many ways to go with rads.


Radiators
First:
Let's see what condition your is in.

Take you index finger and lightly slide your finger down the vanes of the rad.

Did they bend right over or did they almost take your skin off ?

If they bent over ,,,the rad is toast (except for maybe the tank).

They can rebuild (re-tube or whatever THEY call it) it
or
if you are keeping the truck for a long time,just invest in a new one & ask for a lifetime warranty as long as you own the vehicle instead of having them screw around with something old.
Rads are like Denim jeans... they start off all crisp and end up after so may years of being worn,washed & dried turn thin and soft and may require patches after patches.

Have piece of mind and get the best bang for your buck.

 

Last time I priced out a re-core, it was about $350. The guy didn't even want to split the radiator and rod it out at either place I went to, a new radiator is cheaper most of the time anyways. Plus, you get a new radiator with a warranty.
I just priced out a new one for my 69 with a 300-6 and heavy duty cooling, $270 with a lifetime warranty from C/S/K, you can get a non-a/c, regular cooling for $212 from them.

 

Seems that every radiator that I take in is beyond repair.

Check out a 3 row Modine, you will come out ahead. IMHO

John

 

Radiators are made to, well, radiate. They radiate heat.
To effectively get rid of heat in the conditions which exist under the hood, they use metals which have a high heat transfer coefficient.
Which means copper, or alloys of copper, and it corrodes and weakens much more rapidly than steel ever does.
Which tranlates into this: If Dennis's little bend over test show you it is weak, then the inside of that radiator is almost certainly too weak to accept a repair.
And, to make it worse, even if you can find someone to repair that spot, you are in deep questionable areas - where else has the metal corroded to paper thinness, and on which next hot day will it pop?
Your best bet is to have it re-cored, or buy it new. The radiator shop can tell you when they check the upper tanks. The money is WELL worth the inconvenience you will save when it blows unexpectedly later on.
You especially don't want to deal with it on the side of the road, AND then also find out the excess heat cracked a head or blew a head gasket on a 40 year old engine just because you wanted to save $150 on a radiator repair.

Just my opinion, but I am really trying to save you a whole boatload of trouble - as are all the other folks here.

 

Take a piece of 3/8" fuel line and connect the two lines to stop the seepage.
Modine is the only way to go for the re-core. Pay once with a Modine core and it'll last years or pay each year for a new Indonesian made radiator. Stay away from anything from 1-800-radiator. USA built only for quality.

 

Jack,

You get what you pay for, remember this anytime you need to spend money on your cooling system! I paid $250 for a complete recore in Spain, and they guy did an excellent job. Plug those lines and remove the fan before you attempt to remove or install.

DD