HanksB3B Posted January 29, 2014 Report Posted January 29, 2014 . Replacing my Old Radiator I guess what happened to the radiator of my 1951 B3B was that a previous owner(s) might have ran a pressure cap in excess of 4lbs and seriously overheated the truck. Up close, it’s evident that steam pressure caused the tank to expand and split the rear tank seam. It makes me feel good to know I’ve owned my truck for 35 years but in the 28 years I was not her owner, I guess no one could step up to the plate, remove the tank and re-solder the seam. The repair (s) made resulted in an uneven solder joint all along the back seam and certainly not the workmanship you’d expect from a good steamfitter. In person, it looks even worse especially if you hang around long enough to see the edge drip. What this means is I’m getting one step closer to being able to drive on a long trip. As most know, Dan Babb installed a Hemi in his Pilothouse and most Hemi-men have found a thinner modern profile radiator helps with the 4” of extra room it takes to install that 5.7 Monster. I asked Dan if he’d part with it and he agreed and when he did I said “Yes” to myself and pulled my hand down train conductors style…Yes woo hoo ! I’ve wanted a new radiator for a very long time. Look at the thin straight edge of the rear tank seam and compare it to the photo of mine. (above) Thank you Dan for being one of the forum members that have been so generous and made things possible for me. The box was well thought out and put together. It might not have been pretty but it made it from North Carolina to California in cherry condition. Also, being from California, I thought the “Recycling” was environmentally spot-on. Thanks Dan ! My current radiator probably has 1” less of a pipe extension along with a “jagged uneven” edge. I plan on PB blasting the drain cock cleaning it up before reinstalling it into the cast iron pipe. Anyone have a good idea of what to treat/coat the cast iron pipe with? (thanks in advance) To be continued.... Hank Quote
HanksB3B Posted January 29, 2014 Author Report Posted January 29, 2014 (edited) I’ve never even seen the correct steel elbow till I noticed it on a few of your trucks out there. There was nothing other than a couple of honeycomb cells a bit out of whack but nothing a magnifying glass and a cheap Panda chop stick couldn’t fix . (note the telephone pole in the reflection) A tiny bit more tweaking and once it’s painted it’ll be hardly unnoticeable. (even to Jeff) The Full Monty And now for something different: Some people get very irritated when people say “You never use your truck”…well here’s proof I do How dare they say that ? Hank Edited January 30, 2014 by HanksB3B Quote
HanksB3B Posted January 29, 2014 Author Report Posted January 29, 2014 (edited) Restoration: Today is spray painting day. The Eastwood Radiator Paint works & smells like paint used to smell like when I was a kid. (o.k. bring it on) I've got progress pictures but I have to get back to it. 1:05 Stay tuned.. Hank Edited January 31, 2014 by HanksB3B Quote
HanksB3B Posted January 29, 2014 Author Report Posted January 29, 2014 (edited) Reserved for Installation Edited January 29, 2014 by HanksB3B Quote
HanksB3B Posted January 29, 2014 Author Report Posted January 29, 2014 Hope I don't need this one, Hank Quote
Desotodav Posted January 29, 2014 Report Posted January 29, 2014 So the secret is out of the box Hank?... so to speak! ...and you've made so many people happy in the process: Dan for using his old parts, Paul for no longer hijacking his thread, and the many others who were waiting with baited breath for you to finally reveal what you were up to! Well done my friend! Quote
Jeff Balazs Posted January 30, 2014 Report Posted January 30, 2014 (edited) x I’ve never even seen the correct steel elbow till I noticed it on a few of your trucks out there. There was nothing other than a couple of honeycomb cells a bit out of whack but nothing a magnifying glass and a cheap Panda chop stick couldn’t fix . (note the telephone pole in the reflection) A tiny bit more tweaking and once it’s painted it’ll be hardly unnoticeable. (even to Jeff) The Full Monty And now for something different: Some people get very irritated when people say “You never use your truck”…well here’s proof I do How dare they say that ? Hank So you are using as a storage container? Or are you making deliveries for a chinese laundry? After you so successfully highjacked Paul's Transmission thread.......and then started talking about hosing things off...people starving in the Donner pass.....etc...the thought occurred to me that you might be turning your truck into a vegetable garden. Glad to see this is not the case. Do yourself a favor and buy a new drain cock and install it instead of trying to reuse the old one. These things get kinda fragile over time and the last thing you want to have to do is replace a leaker after you have gone to all this trouble. I made this exact mistake and already found out the hard way. Jeff Edited January 31, 2014 by Jeff Balazs Quote
NiftyFifty Posted January 30, 2014 Report Posted January 30, 2014 Those honeycomb rads are a ticking time bomb IMO , when I first started my truck I finished everything and the day I went to take it for safety inspection the rad sprung a leak like it all of a sudden was hit with an axe, and I had heated the engine up a few times previous and never a drop.... Just goes to show you to always be prepared Quote
HanksB3B Posted January 30, 2014 Author Report Posted January 30, 2014 (edited) I sure hope you are wrong 4mula-dlx. Everything is relative and has a life expectancy. There is a certain crap shoot involved in life and 60 year old metal is 60 year old metal. Dans radiator was originally owned by little old lady that only drove the truck to church, the general store and back. Yours might have been used on a logging truck. I heard Clem never told Bubba about the time he got drunk and they were playing horseshoes and threw one into your grille back in 53. Hank P.S. My original radiator was never a good candidate for the triple core $$$ rebuild it received. There is nothing other than the tank leak and the rotten cast iron return there's nothing wrong with it cools very well. Edited January 30, 2014 by HanksB3B Quote
48Dodger Posted January 30, 2014 Report Posted January 30, 2014 Reserved for Restoration and Installation of humor about thread with references to another thread that led to this thread. Quote
Don Coatney Posted January 30, 2014 Report Posted January 30, 2014 Reserved for Restoration and Installation of humor about thread with references to another thread that led to this thread. I was hoping to see a George Forman grill but guess I will have to settle for a nice radiator. I posted this earlier but my posting must have disappeared in the forum crash. Quote
Jeff Balazs Posted January 30, 2014 Report Posted January 30, 2014 Those honeycomb rads are a ticking time bomb IMO , when I first started my truck I finished everything and the day I went to take it for safety inspection the rad sprung a leak like it all of a sudden was hit with an axe, and I had heated the engine up a few times previous and never a drop.... Just goes to show you to always be prepared I wasn't going to bring this up.....but since it has already been broached. My radiator was one of the first things I got into. I was fortunate to finally find a fellow that has been at it a long time and had a wealth of experience with older vehicles. My truck had the factory core in it still and I had thought that it would be neat to save it. No one I took it to would touch it. I figured it was from lack of experience with honeycomb cores on their part. When I finally found Bob he took the time to explain his experiences with these radiators. He even had 3 or 4 old ones around that he used to illustrate his points. And he was totally familiar with Dodge flatheads. The bottom line according to him was that they can be repaired and test out just fine one day........and then have a catastrophic failure shortly thereafter due to metal fatigue and long term corrosion loss. We looked at putting in a new honey comb core but the cost was prohibitive. I ended up having him put in a conventional core which he tested to 18# and warrantied it to 12#. I am not running it as a pressurized system but he assured me that the radiator as repaired will handle it. Jeff Quote
HanksB3B Posted January 30, 2014 Author Report Posted January 30, 2014 (edited) I wasn't going to bring this up.....but since it has already been broached. It’s o.k. I would have considered it "got your back" I’m not one to shoot the messenger. I appreciate your input and you have changed the marching orders for my day some what. My radiator was one of the first things I got into. I was fortunate to finally find a fellow that has been at it a long time and had a wealth of experience with older vehicles. My truck had the factory core in it still and I had thought that it would be neat to save it. The “core” is secondary to me. The condition of the tank and the rotten cast iron return (one of my clues was and it is the further-most cast iron part on the truck) is the issue. My old radiator was a poor candidate to have re-cored at $$$+. Because of you (and I thank you) I am going to stop by an old dilapidated radiator shop I’ve passed by and hopefully there is an old dilapidated person, or his son that knows his trade and can tell me what options I have. Best case scenario: Most likely re-core the replacement unit with my old radiators new core (if possible maybe?) No one I took it to would touch it. I figured it was from lack of experience with honeycomb cores on their part. When I finally found Bob he took the time to explain his experiences with these radiators. He even had 3 or 4 old ones around that he used to illustrate his points. And he was totally familiar with Dodge flatheads . The bottom line according to him was that they can be repaired and test out just fine one day........and then have a catastrophic failure shortly thereafter due to metal fatigue and long term corrosion loss. I’ll see what he says We looked at putting in a new honey comb core but the cost was prohibitive. I went through that route and it was like $600 and I’m glad I just made-do with my old radiator I ended up having him put in a conventional core which he tested to 18# and warrantied it to 12#. I am not running it as a pressurized system but he assured me that the radiator as repaired will handle it. Sounds good Thanks for the help Jeff, Hank Edited January 30, 2014 by HanksB3B Quote
Young Ed Posted January 30, 2014 Report Posted January 30, 2014 Hank as you said everything is relative. Certainly have it checked out but I wouldn't replace the core just because others have had issues. I am running stock radiators/cores in both my 46 and 48. I had them tested and they both passed. In fact the 48 had one that was working fine until I crashed it and the replacement also tested just fine. If mine can handle MN weather yours should have it easy out there. Quote
Jeff Balazs Posted January 31, 2014 Report Posted January 31, 2014 Hank as you said everything is relative. Certainly have it checked out but I wouldn't replace the core just because others have had issues. I am running stock radiators/cores in both my 46 and 48. I had them tested and they both passed. In fact the 48 had one that was working fine until I crashed it and the replacement also tested just fine. If mine can handle MN weather yours should have it easy out there. There is certainly a good point in what Ed has said. It may be just fine and have several more years of service in it. I suppose there is only one way to find out. You might as well go for it ....save the money you would spend on a recore....and see what happens. Just stay away from the Donner Pass with it...Ok? Jeff Quote
NiftyFifty Posted January 31, 2014 Report Posted January 31, 2014 #1 tip of advice..... Heat up the engine and rad to test before you put the hood back on!! I put the hood on and off 3 times in one day once.... Scratches galore Quote
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