Hey guys (and Gals!)


I didn't know this and please excuse my excitement, but I found a company selling aluminum radiators that appear to be exact replacements for our old copper/soldered radiators!


aluminum radiator picture gallery from Ron Davis aluminum radiators




It also appears that they will also supply electric fans if desired


Has anyone used this type of radiator?



Regards,


Rick

 

The only one I see has outlets for a Chev V8 -- BOOOO!

I would want to make real sure they provide a real solid frame (steel) for mounting.

 

The con's to the Aluminum Radiator is if you are away from home traveling in your Classic Truck and your radiator starts to leak. Not everyone in Western KS or Eastern CO will have the ability to fix the Aluminum as opposed to soldering a copper radiator.
Just my 2 cents.
Vern

 

From time to time they will have aluminum rads on Ebay just like the one you posted that is a direct bolt on for $205. I was thinking about getting one for my truck. They have them for chevy or ford. Where are you located in Washington?

 

Remember, Aluminum corrodes! Brass doesn't!

 

I wish that were true! I'd have saved $350 when the lower tank fell off my 78 F-150, every one of the tubes was dissolved an inch above.

That's one other consideration for aluminum; you have to stay on top of antifreeze quality, or you will get galvanic corrosion with an iron block. Probably need to use DexCool or GO-5. Also the radiator needs to be isolated from the frame with rubber mounts.

 

Well, it's all welded. I don't know if you would have to worry about leaks....

Just about ALL radiators are aluminum now.....

My 94 diesel Suburban (That I bought new, and is filled with Dexcool) has never had an aluminum radiator problem or a leak etc...

I had it off last year and it looked new inside.....


Buckley/Bonney Lake area.....

 

My aluminum radiator has been installed a couple of years now, and I have had no problems. Have about 6500 miles on it. I have it mounted to the stock radiator horseshoe with rubber bushings on the bolts. It has a shroud on the back and a SPAL 16" fan. This past summer it was 105' and with the AC on, it cooled just fine. I got it from PRC.

 

i wouldn't be scared of the aluminum radiator. add a bottle of motorcraft vc-8(i believe that is the number). it stops the electrolysis. that's what ford has used in their powerstrokes for years. diesel engines have more electrolysis issues than gas do. but i have seen numerous strokes with 300,000+ miles and still have the original radiator. a good friend that is a diesel tech told me about this stuff years ago.

 

Later model vehicles use aluminum radiators for weight savings, not for cooling efficiency. Lighter weight = better mpgs = meeting federal CAFE requirements. More often than not, the seals fail between the aluminum core and the plastic tanks before there's ever a problem with the aluminum part. The way they're all crimped together, there's no fixing them. Just like anything else though, as long as the radiator is properly maintained, be it aluminum or copper, it will give you good service.

Don, that's a mighty sweet looking setup you have there.

 

You might look into the heat transfer properties of aluminum vs. copper also. You can't believe every claim made by a company that wants to sell you something. Copper will transfer heat about twice as well as aluminum. In my opinion, aluminum radiators are all about the zoot. Kinda like that ridiculous "billet" craze in the late 80's/early 90's.

 

But......you have to admit though...It's a moot point.....

....they're all aluminum nowadays.....

 

Fooey! It is true. Metalurological properties are facts.

Are you sure it was a brass radiator Ross? or was it a low copper alloy? 78? Probably aluminum!

Well giving the benefit of the doubt, let me revise my statement: Brass will not corrode under normal use conditions and aluminum will. I've never seen any brass radiator rot off it's lower portion unless it was severly abused. So, corrected I state: alluminum is much more succeptible to corrosion than brass even with regular maintenance. And heres why:

Your engine is an electrical conductor. The block is used as a ground - it's iron, so it has electrical flow through it. It's like a big battery post.

Aluminum is a VERY good conductor - and in so being, tends to corrode from electrolosys, (as opposed to oxydation - which is electrolysis from oxogeyn exposure - as on iron) Aluminum doesn't need oxygen to corrode just electrical flow and exposure to dis similar, non inert metals-iron, sodium, potassium etc.

So, in the normal course of having an aluminum radiator you should EXPECT internal corrosion no matter how much maintenance you do. That corrosion is at a level that is EXPONENTIAL to a non conducting metal such as Brass.

So you ask -ok smarty, why do all the racing folks use aluminum radiators instead of brass? Easy two point answer....First they do it because aluminum radiators are lighter for racing - not better. And second, they have the time and money to repalce radiators regularly so long term corrosive effects are not a problem. Do you have the time and money?

If you really want to be "hip" and install an aluminum radiator, there's a couple of things you need to do. First when you fill it, you need to acid scower your engine block of any rust or iron oxide with an acid wash.

Then after rinsing, you need to fill it with a 50/50 mix of coolant and DISTILLED (not spring, fltered, drinking, or RO) water.

Despite the shortcomings (repair problems, corrision, damage succeptablilty), the are ABSOLUTELY NO advantages in using aluminum radiators unless you are racing and weight critical---none!

Edit note: I have a 2002 Ranger as well as my 51 F1. Recently, I had to replace the heater core (which is exactly the same as a little radiator) onthe Ranger because it was leaking.....It was aluminum and had corroded through......Cost me $1200 to replace at 7 years old (dash has to be removed - air bags-- etc). The heater core on my 51 Magic Aire is brass and original - no leaks at 59 yars of age.

 

Just to add my two cents worth.....

An aluminum radiator will work just fine if you keep up on maintenance. Flush the radiator every two years and use a 50/50 mix of distilled water and antifreeze. I also use a sacrificial anode in my aluminum radiator just to be on the safe side. The anode is made of zinc or magnesium and is a softer metal than the aluminum, so if there is a little bit of electrolysis, the anode will breakdown instead of the aluminum. (I use a raditor cap that has an anode attached to it. There is also an anode that can be installed in the radiator in place of the petcock and can be bought at any of the major online auto parts sites) I struggle when I see people making a big deal about aluminum radiators and iron blocks saying that the radiators will breakdown because of electrolysis. If you have properly grounded everything (and NEVER ground to the raditor or radiator housing), the amount of current in the system should be at a minimum. And besides, there's quite a few other components that are bolted to cast iron blocks that are made of aluminum.....aluminimum heads, water pumps, and intake manifolds. Just a thought.

And I know.....everyone has their own opinion on the subject so don't beat me up about this.

 

[quote=Julies Cool F1
Edit note: I have a 2002 Ranger as well as my 51 F1. Recently, I had to replace the heater core (which is exactly the same as a little radiator) onthe Ranger because it was leaking.....It was aluminum and had corroded through......Cost me $1200 to replace at 7 years old (dash has to be removed - air bags-- etc). The heater core on my 51 Magic Aire is brass and original - no leaks at 59 yars of age.[/quote]

Julie,
I drive a 2003 Ranger and hope that there was something unique about your heater core problem. I don't want to face replacing the heater core! Is your Ranger a 4.0 with heat/air? I know that replacing the right bank spark plugs requires going up thru the wheel well because the AC/heat is in the way. If it turns out that you can't service the heater core without pulling the dash etc, why did ford see fit to block engine access with the heat/AC if you have to service it from the cab side? Please tell me that your Ranger is somehow different than mine in that area!