The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Radiator shopping

Pulled the radiator today in my 51. I think I'm probably in the market for a new one. Mounting flange had rotted off one side. Cores showed some previous repair.

I remember reading folks here highly recommending the quality/price of the US radiator unit. Looked at their website a bit ago. Am I looking at something wrong? Price seems a bit high to me...,

US radiator

Nope, have you priced copper and brass lately????
And labor in the US, for got that one.

One thing bout US Radiator, they are made right here in the US
buy US workers, and they are a top quality radiator that you
know will fit and work as it's supposed to.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

I paid $410.00 in 2010 for my radiator from US Radiator

The new price does not seem out if line

Was the mention of a $200 radiator in this thread just a cruel joke?

https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1027953&page=1

Ouch...

Well, it's 2014, and the $100.00 Bill is "The New Twenty".

No cruel joke, I think you're reading the thread with blinders on, most
of the guys are talking around the $400 mark. If you think you
can build a copper brass radiator yourself for less, then I've
always said, try it.
Some of the vendors sell the cheaper ones that are made off
shore. But they have a history of paper thin materials, missed
fits and leaks right off the bat.
Like the ad used to say, You can pay me now or pay me later!
Better off spending your money on a good radiator now rather
than paying to get it patched up when your out on the road
somewhere.

DG

I understand, I'm just the type who has to work every conceivable angle to find the best option and price.

In that vein....
http://www.classicparts.com/1947-54-Radiator-Standard-Capacity/productinfo/78-011/#.U8PYxU1OXcs

Classic Parts was listed in that old thread as a US Radiator vendor. They are listing their standard radiator as "US made" @ $325. You don't suppose????

While I'm asking, what other goodies do I need to purchase? Draincock, I assume. Overflow tube? My truck didn't have an overflow tank...is that necessary?Mounting bolts?

The drain cock should come with the radiator but it may now be a way they cut cost? On these old trucks the top inch or inch and half of water will usually spit out and after that you are fine. No puke jug needed unless you want to add one.

I like US radiator to but shop around. You can find a deal on one but you have to dig. JimCarter USE to sell desert cooler radiators but I have not checked their lately.
Also, don't be afraid to at least ask for a discount. I did that on my 37 with aluminum radiator and got a 50 discount off a reasonable price to start with. Just saying.....

FWIW, Carter lists theirs as brass construction and US made for $370.

Who did you get the discount from, Alvin?

see the flyer top left corner, Carter currently has 10% off, which makes it $333 until July 31

Bill

They're giving them away! I wonder if they had a big stock of these things before prices got crazy, or if US radiator is pricing high for direct sales to avoid stepping on it's dealers.

commonly a mfgr will have arrangements with dealers to allow them to discount while the mfgr always charges full retail .... OTOH, the Carter rads might be offshore?

Bill

They at least advertise them as US made and brass construction.

Surely they wouldn't lie....

The proper US radiator offering is the $600 one. It uses newer technology and you wont have problems with cooling even if you add A/C. I have two issues with this awesome radiator. Worth every penny, but..

1) The top fill spout is at an angle. The same angle as the curvature of the radiator. It wouldn't have been that hard for them to solder the fill spout level. No big deal, just saying, its not original that way.

2) The bottom of the radiator on the 1950 original one had a hump in the bottom of it to accommodate the original CRANK. So, if you wanted to crank start the engine, there was an original crank and you could start it that way. This new radiator assumes you don't need that feature and has no hump. Since I have no plans EVER of hand cranking, I am fine with it. Just saying, its not original that way.

Look thru my bolt bucket (more pix in the bolt bucket) to see the comparison if you are bored.

If you are interested in an original Harrison radiator, call this place:

Alex Gerz Radiator Co
435 N Mulberry St, Lancaster, PA 17603
(717) 392-6283

He has quite a lot of NOS radiators.

jw51, JCarter gives, or did the last time I ordered, stovebolters a 10% discount IF you have made a contribution to the bolt...which I always do. The other good part is/was that JC use to always only charge the actual shipping charges so no inflation there. I need to check all this out....next week, as I need to order some stuff.

I did not mention but yes, my radiator is copper and I ordered it with the automatic cooler in the bottom. ME355A was the number back then and I knew a person who worked there for 15 years. He knew his stuff. I wish he was still there!!! Many of you may know who I'm talking about!

EDIT: the same radiator now is $425
http://www.oldchevytrucks.com/cart/product.asp?prodid=ME355A&i=|ME355A||||

JW, on the 37 aluminum radiator I purchased it through a shop in New York. It is truly a Griffin radiator but for what ever reason Griffin was a lot higher. Its been a while but even "back then" I only paid $250 for it delivered to my door but it had to go to NY then back to me.....when Griffin was only about 25 miles from my house. It was through Cap-A-Radiator (two years ago) and it was nice dealing with them.

All this may not mean anything in this day and time but it bears out the fact that if one will take the time....he can save the dough.

I just got a US radiator, they have three versions, standard, heavy duty, and desert duty, I got the middle model (I just wanted to make sure I had enough cooling for what ever modifications I may want to make in the future) They polished the top tank, (beautifully, I might add) for $50. After tax, shipping, and the aforementioned polishing, was around $625. There is also brassworks which is also US made. Which I would have considered if I had known about it at the time. There are cheaper ones, but I'm pretty sure they aren't US made. (but not absolutely positive)

I recently purchased a new radiator for my '52 from LMC Truck. The cost for the standard radiator was $280. The only problem was that it seemed the mounting brackets were installed upside down. Consequently, I had to drill new holes in the bracket in order to position the radiator at the proper height. So far so good and the radiator keeps the engine temp right around 180-190 in 95 degree outside temps. With the A/C on (including electric fan in front of condenser) the temp sometimes climbs to around 200 degrees or so (needle between the "0" of 180 and the "2" of 220).