radiator bracket problems

[chucky07]

My Radiator bracket on one side has fallen off...appears to have been JB welded ( i hate that stuff)....

Took to welding shop and he said the jb needed to be grinded off and cleaned up real good and soldered...whole job about 300 dollars *( I live in a very very small town and everything is usually 3 to 100 times higher than anywhere else).

Is it the same kind of solder you use to sweat copper pipes in plumbing?

If so I can handle that, or is it a special type of solder or is it really a weld?

Would appreciate any input from more experienced crowd.

thx

kevin

[bkahler]

Kevin, in my opinion the guys trying to screw you. No way soldering the side back on should cost that much. I've had radiators dismantled, cleaned and soldered back together for $75.

I think you're on the right track by doing it yourself. Do some googling for information on sodering on radiators and you'll probably find all the info you need.

Good luck.

Brad

[chucky07]

wish i still lived in arkansas Brad...I use to live in Ft. Smith..and I knew a guy there who had a radiator shop and his prices were very reasonable...

california desert towns are.very pricey..

[Tony WestOZ]

Is it the same kind of solder you use to sweat copper pipes in plumbing?

kevin[ATTACH]4214[/ATTACH]

Basicly YES.

Do it yourself. Just practice a bit.

[Thunder II]

Silver solder requires a higher heat, but produces a stronger bond. And it can be done with an ordinary propane torch. even an ordinary plumbing type solder should be sufficient. Just be sure to clean off ALL of the contaminates (sp?) use flux, and be careful not to contaminate the bond when re-soldering the bracket. By reading all of your posts, I'm confident that you can handle this. Now quit tearing that darn truck aprt, start putting it back together, and take it out for a drive!!!! Good luck. Keep us posted.

[grey beard]

Kevin

Here's what you need to do. Take your oxycetylene torch with the smallest tip - or if you have none, use your Bernzomatic propane job - and get the solder on the old joint hot enough to melt. Use an air gun to blow it off when uit melts. Clean both the side strap and the top tanjk this way. If you have no air blow gun, use a wire brush.

When both surfaces are clean, get a roll of acid core solder and get things warmed up. It helps to have someone else help at this point. Use a big old screwdriver to hold the strap in position, and heat up the joint until the solder will flow in and around the entire joint area. Keep holding the joint together with the screwdriver until the whole area has solder flowed around it, then pour a little cold water over it and it will cool and set up instantly. Presto! Your tank strap is reattached. Strange as this may sound, this is exactly how radiator shops everywhere do the same job. They might have a big screw clamp to hold the pieces together, but the way I just described will work just fine.

It will take you longer to read this thread than to do the whole job. LOL

[Don G 1947]

Hate to be disagreeable, but the radiators on the "Job Rated" trucks 1939-1947 had similiar (same?) radiators and the solder that was used to hold them together was VERY soft. Attempts to repair them frequently resulted in more leaks as the surrounding solder would melt and cause more damage. I would be VERY careful about applying heat. Get low temp solder, use heat sinks and apply very little heat. The alternative is to clean it thouroughly and use the hated JB Weld.

Don

[MBF]

Like Don says you're going to have to be very careful that you don't get the top tank too hot or you'll unseal it from the core and have leaks. If you're going to do it yourself, I'd fill the rad w water to a level just below where you're going to be reattaching the bracket (I think it attaches to just the top tank if memory serves me correctly) Be sure everything is very clean and the surfaces are roughed up to give the solder something to bind to, and watch the heat-you may want to have a damp rag to use as a heat sink if you get it too hot. I'd concentrate the heat on the bracket instead of the radiator to minimize damage to the radiator. I've had odd radiators ruined by reputable radiator shops that were in a hurry-nice incentive-I ruined it but I can get you a brand new one! I'd give it a shot myself. Good luck if you decide to tackle it-let us know how you make out. Mike

[grey beard]

One thing none of you have mentioned is the fact that many B series radiators have provisions for a thru bolt just behind and below the top tank. My own 48 B1B does not have this, but looking at 1 1/2 ton and larger trucks at my son's place I saw this feature. What it does is tie both side brackets together more solidly, so they do not depend only on the top tank soldered joint. Many trucks have this feature, but no thru bolt. You might wish to look at yours and see if it is an option. Wish mine had it . . . . . . JMHO

[MBF]

Never heard of that but I'll have to look at mine. Last year this time I replaced my radiator because the original had the same bracket problem, and was starting to leak around the neck. I'll check my parts truck. Something unrelated but still PH is that there are 2 different type of front fender brackets (supports the front of the fenders and front cowl/grill). It looks like the ones on my '52 parts truck are much more substantially made than the ones on my '49. Could this throughbolt also be a later update to the PH design? Mike

[grey beard]

Mikie,

If you have it, the thru bolt runs the width of the core and sits just behind and beneath the top tank. Really makes the whole assembly more solid. JMHO