Shortening a radiator?

[Fat Hack]

Having always just used some OEM radiator that just happened to FIT whatever monstrosity I was building in the past, I never had to monkey around having a radiator custom sized before.

I stopped by DirtyT's place of employment this afternoon after swinging by Denise's to scoop up our little 'care package' she prepared for our trip to Missouri tomorrow...and his buddy Kirk saved me a nearly mint three core S10 V6 radiator with the trans cooling lines in the tank. It's in EXCELLENT shape...but a bit too wide to fit a 49 Chevy!

Can a crossflow GM radiator be shortened, and is it practical/cost effective to do so?

It needs six inches taken out of the width of the core and the tank resoldered to one end.

(The odds of finding a 23"wide x 17"tall OEM radiator don't seem too promising!)

[Unkl Ian]

If it has metal tanks,and soldered construction,I'm sure it is POSSIBLE.
Cost effective is another question,,if you have to pay someone to do it.

Maybe we can get someone to do a "how to shorten your radiator at home" piece for Tech Week. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif



Some of the latemodel rads have plastic tanks,
with aluminum cores,and are glued together at the factory.

[Paul]

[ QUOTE ]
(The odds of finding a 23"wide x 17"tall OEM radiator don't seem too promising!)

[/ QUOTE ]

I think I just heard the hook hit the water http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Paul

[Unkl Ian]

What size do they use in all those front wheel drive Shit Boxes out there?

[Kevin Lee]

Uhhh...I'll take one that's 17x20" http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Why do people call it a "chopped radiator or chopping a radiator"? You can't shorten a core and reuse it can you? You always have to install a new core, correct?

I'd sure like to see some in progress shots of a chop or recore or whatever. This is something that needs a full on tech post by someone who knows their business. Any radiator guys lurking out there?

[Unkl Ian]

Your not going to take a peice out of the middle.
I THINK you would have to remove one tank,then remove the plate that forms the end of the core.
Of course all the tubes are soldered to the plate.
Once the plate is off,shorten all the tubes,and the fins to suit.
Then reassemble.

I knew a guy that used to make his own rads for race cars.
He would buy the cores,and make his own plates and tanks.

Phone an old fashioned rad shop,talk to one of the old guys,see what they say.

[Rocky]

When I first bought the Rocky33, it came with a rotted 16"X16" flathead radiator for a shortened shell...have no idea if it was a shortened original or what but it had original 33-34 ford PU tanks on it. I took it to my local radiator shoppe for recore-ing and they sent it to a company in Denver who built a new core [again, 16"X16"] for it and soldered the old tanks and mounts on it,,,,ran me $325 delivered. The height was perfect for my 5" channel job.

[Kevin Lee]

Nice... and that little 16x16 radiator cooled your flathead all day during KCSP didn't it? Did you ever have a temp. gauge hooked to that motor? Sorry, I'm kind of jacking this post.

[NealinCA]

Let me squeeze in here also http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[ QUOTE ]
and they sent it to a company in Denver who built a new core [again, 16"X16"] for it and soldered the old tanks and mounts on it,,,,ran me $325 delivered.

[/ QUOTE ]

Any idea who this shop in Denver is? I have an original 32 V8 radiator with good tanks and side rails. My local shop says the core is junk. I dont want to (and can't) spend $600 on a new radiator. I could spend half of that though...

Neal

[DrJ]

What are the dimensoins of a '65 Mustang radiator?
They're around $160 everywhere...

[Slag Kustom]

yes it can be done at home. i whish i had the pics of my radiator i did for my channeled and sectioned a pickup.

what you have to do is figure out the core with ad 1/2 for where the tubes gointo the end plates . cut the core with a fine tooth bandsaw. unsolder the tank from the cut off section. unsolder the plate removing as mush solder as you can (use stainless wire brush) remove the fins between the cooling tubes 3/4 of an inch. heat up the tubes and clean with stainless wire brush. test fit the plate. measure and square it up nice. coat the tubes and plate with flux. holding the core with the sectioned part down heat from the bottom in the middle tube solder in place.flip it over and fill alot of the end with solder making sure not to fill any tubes. it is ok to have solder where the tank mounts to it, it will be used to help solder the tank back on. this is not an quicky job to do and it is better left for a not so hot day you need to spend a lot of time with the torch

[loudpedal]

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yes it can be done at home...

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for the info on the radiator chop. You have inspired me. I've often wondered if I could chop one myself. I've walked myself through it several times in my head... pretty much how you just explained. I'm going to give it a shot this weekend. The club is building a channeled '27 T for one of our guys that has no money... just lots of parts. I guess we've got nothing to loose. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

LP

[TINGLER]

Hey hack,
I just measured the Fairlane radiator and came up with roughly 22" tall by 23" wide.

I think its similar to early mustang radiators....

Don't know if this helps or not, but there it is anyhow. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Unkl Ian]

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What are the dimensoins of a '65 Mustang radiator?

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'66 Mustang 3 row
Modine #2301
21" H x 19 1/2" W
1 1/2" In and 1 3/4" Out on Right
Fill on Left

you can find all the radiator dimensions for just about any car on napaonline.com

[Kevin Lee]

loudpedal - Take pictures....please. I have a '37 I might try to chop down for my track nose if yours goes well. Think it's too ambitious to think I can do it with a hand held propane torch? Wonder how the fins come off of the tubes after you get the tank off?

[TINGLER]

[ QUOTE ]
you can find all the radiator dimensions for just about any car on napaonline.com


[/ QUOTE ]

Ahhhhh....good stuff to know.

Hey hack,
Why wouldn't the mustang radiator work? You say you need 17" tall? The Mustang is 19"....so just overhang it a little on the top and the bottom...
As long as the hood clears and you don't drag the bottom tank off, then alls cool right? http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[loudpedal]

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Take pictures

[/ QUOTE ]

Will do...

I've done several radiator repairs with a propane torch. It may work for this also... if not, I'll use the big guns.

You can just pull the fins right off the tubes without any trouble. At least thats what I have done.

With enough heat, things that are soldered together usualy fall apart. I don't know if the tubes will fall right out of the end plate when removing them... guess I'll find out!

[TINGLER]

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21" H

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Ooops, I miss read that.

So you let 2" hang over the top and 2" hang lower on the bottom....problem solved. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

[cornfieldrodder]

Hack,
A Ford vertical flow will do just fine. A model A rad would work with a low pressure cap!!! There is an MG Midget in town, here, using a Vega unit with no overheating. As you already know, the iron head V-6 will not overtax its own cooling system at all, even with no working fan, in traffic on a hot Detroit summer day.

[DIRTYT]

so the basturd didnt fit eh? that sucks. well i have about 30 more in the parts room at work ill go thru it monday and get ya a diff one with a fan attached to it even! o yea and u cant shorten a core. that place that said they would for 120 would more then likley get a coustom one made from modine or heatex. a normal rad shop normaly does not have the shit to resolder all the tubes and cut down the fins nice. im sure if they tried it would look like an abortion gone wrong! see ya bright and early tommrow!

Bryan

[Slide]

FH- that's a V-6 yer puttin in that thing, right? Seems to me that you could mount that S-10 rad to the back of the Chevy's rad support? That short little motor would allow room, no? You could just bend up some strap steel for brackets that would kinda "pinch" the S-10 piece in place. If this didn't leave ya with enough room for a mechanical fan, you could mount one of those forbidden electric fans on the front.

I have seen a bunch of people use crossflows in these cars...with everything frm I-6's to BBC's.

[choprods]

put a heater core on each fender well[for cooling] and build one big 23"by17" scoop funneling into the ONE BARELL carb to http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gifsupersize that Lil Hummer!