Should I Replace Or Rebuild My Original Radiator?

By Jefferson Bryant

In today’s disposable economy, most broken and worn-out parts are replaced without much thought. Instead of rebuilding that master cylinder, it is thrown away and replaced with new. When your starter goes out, it is exchanged as a core for a replacement instead of rewinding the motor. While that is acceptable for modern vehicles and appliances that were not made to be rebuilt, your classic car is not the same. There is a reason a 70-year-old 283 can still fire up and run like a champ, they were well-built with quality components and designed to be maintained and rebuilt as needed. Your factory radiator is no different.

This crusty radiator core is beyond hopeless, so the owner sent it to U.S. Radiator for a recore.

Are Modern Radiators Better?

Don’t misunderstand, modern radiator technology far exceeds what cars from the 1970s used and is wildly better than what a car from the 30s had. It was in the 1980s that radiator technology took a leap from copper-brass to aluminum with new tube and fin designs. What modern radiators don’t have is the originality. An aftermarket radiator isn’t going to have the original number stampings, patina, etc., all things that matter when it comes to originality. Most cars built through the 1950s had serial number plates on the radiator tanks. So, what are you to do when your radiator is clogged up and there is no hope of clearing it? That is where U.S. Radiator comes to the rescue.

In most cases, a new radiator is not a big issue and solves real problems. If you have engine-swapped a 1964 Chevy C10 with an LS, that original top-flow radiator that cooled the original 250 straight 6 is just not going to cut it. Originality doesn’t matter here, no issue with swapping in a larger, more efficient radiator. But what if you are working on a numbers-matching 1940 Packard 160 with the Super 8 straight-8? The radiator has plugged up and the core is damaged beyond repair. You could replace the radiator with a new unit, but then it won’t have the original number plate attached, the car is no longer 100% original. That’s a bummer.

U.S. Radiator makes everything in house. A punch press stamps each core end plate to match the required design. Unlike most aftermarket plates which are cut, U.S. Radiator core plates are stamped, which gives them deeper flanges around the tube holes, providing more support and soldering area to seal the tubes to the plate.

How Can I Replace My Original Radiator Without Losing Originality?

You are not stuck with losing that originality. You can always have your original radiator recored at U.S. Radiator. Simply call them at 800-421-5975, set up the service with their techs, and then ship them the radiator. The skilled team at U.S. Radiator will take your original radiator, clean it, disassemble it, and then build a new core that looks exactly like the original, and then reuse your original tanks to complete the rebuild. This is not just a standard core, either. You will get new, modern engineered tubing and materials that exceed the quality of old. Heavier fins that resist damage from debris so they don’t fold over, thinner walls on the tubing so the heat transfer happens faster, cooling your engine more efficiently, all while maintaining the originality of the car.

Comparing the original core to the new core, you can see that the new core has the same number of tubes, but the tubes are wider with a thinner cross section. This means more coolant is in in direct contact with the tube itself, making the core more efficient at transferring heat.

Are There Different Types Of Radiator Cores?

U.S. Radiator offers 4 styles of cores, three of which are available in the TripleFlow style, which changes the flow path from a single pass through the core to a 3-way flow path. This forces all of the coolant to pass through three separate sets of tubes from the inlet to the outlet. In testing, the Tripleflow core has proven to reduce engine temperatures by 15-20%, which means your engine could go from 200 degrees to 160. For the older heat-sensitive iron block and head engines, that is a massive difference that could mean years of added service without overheating issues.

The standard automotive core is based on the 1960s designs with 1/2” tubes on 9/16” centers. These are direct drop-in replacement cores, and is not available in Tripleflow. The others are the high efficiency (HE) “Desert Cooler”, HE copper-brass 1980s style core, and the Optima core, which is most efficient core in the market with 40% mor heat transfer points.

Saving your car’s originality doesn’t always matter, in fact most of the time it doesn’t, but when it does matter and you need repairs, consider the best in the business. U.S. Radiator is 100% US owned and operated, so you know you are getting the best possible equipment and service. Check out www.USRadiator.com for more information on their rebuilding services and replacement radiators.