The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Looking for a new radiator

Hello everybody! I haven't been here a while. My poor old truck has been sitting for decades and I realize it is now or never if I want to get it on the road.

The radiator is needed for a 50 Chevy 3100. It has a newer mid 50's 235 6 cylinder. I want a copper and brass one. I understand they make one with special brackets for the longer 235 for the fan to clear (?)

Any info for a reputable supplier would by appreciated.

Thanks! Chuck

Hey Freebird,
I took a couple of my good brass radiators to the shop for cleaning and check. They both came back bad. To recore them was between $300-$400. For a replacement Aluminum was $160. I saved my dime and went with Aluminum.

US Radiator:
http://www.usradiator.com/chevrolet-truck-1948-54-6-cyl-radiator.html

Don't squawk about the price, it's copper and brass and you
really do get what you pay for at US Radiator.
And....they are made right here in the good old USA, in
downtown California.
dg

Maybe it'll help Freebird, but I know it'd help me understand-

On the link Denny just provided to US Radiator, some of the '55-'59 radiators have "crossflow conversion radiator" listed.

Can someone explain what this means? I assume the literal translation, but would just like to know if there's any benefit to a "crossflow" design. I did look at the pictures. Thx.

Brad

There are two types of cores, crossflow and downflow. Downflow is standard in trucks of this age. The coolant enters the top tank and drops down through the core and exits the bottom tank. In a crossflow core, the coolant enters the top of one side, flows across the length of the core and exits the bottom of the opposite side. Some crossflow cores make several passes across byway of blocks in the side tanks. Think of a "S" pattern, the coolant gets to cross the air flow three times instead of just once.

I went with a overseas aluminum radiator to save money. Coming from a drag racing background I seen first hand how well the aluminum cooled. Mine has 2 rows of 1" tubes. I had to reroute the lower hose since the outlet was pointed a different direction, but in the end, the system held 1 gallon more of coolant the old stock radiator did. I suspect half was from the core and half from the new longer hose. Since the swap, the temp runs dead on the thermostat temp. On the plus side, its now a full pressure system that came with a 22 psi cap.

Joe

Appreciate the explanation, Joe.

Brad

US radiator all the way, yes they are expensive, but it is an American company, and will last forever. A brass radiator actually rejects heat better than aluminum, there are several reasons manufacturers use aluminum, it is cheaper, lighter, and will withstand pressure better. But in this application, a brass radiator would be the best choice, as the weight savings will have little or no effect on the horrid fuel consumption these trucks have, and as most of them have either no pressure or very little, that isn't usually a concern either. The cost however might scare some away. As a side note, they will polish the top tank to a mirror shine for $50, and they take special care to make really pretty solder lines on the polished units.

Gonna go with the US Radiator. Gotta call them with some questions about stock fitment and the special brackets.

Freebird,
I went with a radiator from US Radiator but I got it through Patrick's.

HIGHLY recommend Patrick's.

Give him a call and see what he can do for you.

Patrick's

Bread
.

Thanks. I needed to find a dealer that sold them.