Hot Rods Walker Radiator Update

That's good news to see. I'd say that there a reasonable chance that he may get some of the skilled workers to move to the new location.

 

This is great news for our sport and for US manufacturing.

 

Or maybe Johnson-Walker Radiator....?

 

All of the Walker workers are too old for Allen to recute. That was the major problem that caused them to close Walker Radiator Works.

 

Beware the "Walker" brand name showing up on cheap Chinese radiators down the road too, so not surprised he wanted to keep it... Walker reputation worth a few bucks to offshore suppliers...

 

Three years ago I towed my Johnson JX400 snowmobile up to Minnesota to participate in a vintage snowmobile event with some friends. They'd never seen my sled before, and when I got there they made a big deal about my Johnson being smaller than they thought it would be.

@Ebbspeed is one of those guys.....

 

Be careful. Some of the newer Johnson's are now fuel injected with EFI. Definitely off topic here.

 

Regardless, I’d assume the Walkers would have to sign off on using the name. Even after selling the equipment it seems they want to protect the Family name and reputation.

 

The Walker was good but not inexpensive. There probably will be debt to be served so I would expect a price increase. There are some applications that a brass radiator is the best, not withstanding the fitment on something as a 32 which the whole front end is aligned with the radiator. Best wishes for Mr. Johnson. I'm glad there is hope for the company.

 

Thank you Mr. Johnson for stepping up. Tough to do these days.

 

I'm thinking that advertising that Johnson bought Walker rad, Same or Better Quality now, now located & mfgr'd in Gasden Al., etc, should do the trick. Absolute truth, not implying that Walker still has anything to do w/those rads.
Marcus...

 

Good news!!! But I need it now for my 35 Ford pickup flathead! Hope they make them for Ford Flathead V8s. This Chinese aluminum junk doesn’t fit! And I want the original, no aluminum for my traditional hotrod!!! Thanks

 

If by "original" then you mean brass, that's fine. But the original said Ford, not Walker, on the badge. 2021 technology is better,too.

 

First off, I want to thank everyone for the kind words and support about the purchase of Walker Radiator Works as well as apologize for such a long post. When I first heard the news of Walker closing up shop I was shocked like I’m sure many of you hot rodders were and was trying to figure out where will I go to for radiators. After a few days my thoughts changed to how can I save this iconic product line that is so important to the hobby. I started conversations with the Walker family to purchase the tooling, equipment and proprietary manufacturing techniques and finally was able to do so in May.

My experiences with Walker Radiator started in the late 80’s. While building my first real hot rod I used what was supposed to be the best aluminum radiator available and learned the hard way. It was not structured strong enough to support the front sheet metal and would not cool properly. After solving these problems by changing to a Walker I have used them in every build that has come out of the shop over the past 28 years. In all this time I have never had a single issue with the quality, cooling or reliability of their products.

My relationship with Vernon Walker started over 25 years ago with building the first of two 1939 Chevrolet Sedans. The pair have racked up over 350,000 miles combined as Vernon drove one of them to every NSRA event since 2001. While I am proud of the reliability each one of the cars has shown over the years, they served a greater purpose to Vernon as he used them as an R & D tool for Walker Radiator. He was known to spend a few days each year in Death Valley in route to and from the NSRA Bakersfield event testing new core designs. This extreme testing and pushing the radiator to its limits allowed him to keep refining the product to make it better.

While it will take some time to get set up and running at full capacity, the relocation of everything is complete. I can assure you that I am committed to continuing the same standard of excellence that Walker has been known for as a USA made product right here in Gadsden Alabama. The product line focus will be continuing on the legacy of what Walker Radiator Works was known for as well as developing into other markets for later model car and truck applications.

We are not taking orders at this time but please feel free to contact us at the shop or an event this year with any questions.

Thank you, Alan Johnson

 

Thanks for your sincere reply. I believe most users of the Walker Radiator lineup, will attest to their construction and longevity.

Good luck!

 

................Thanks for checking in and letting us know the information straight from the source. If the quality of your radiators is equal to that of your builds, all is good............Don.

 

I'm glad you are taking on the continuing legacy of a Walker radiator, the radiators were so nice looking and very well constructed. I definitely would have missed them as my choice. Thank you for the update.

 

Would Mr. Vernon Walker allow you to use the
name "Johnson-Walker" radiator as your brand name?

 

The beautiful thing here is not only the assured continuation of a great product line, but the open communication from the source, Mr. Johnson, about what is going on. Shouldn't be amazing, but it is.

 

I've never heard anyone say anything bad about a Walker Radiator and from the sounds of things the tradition and quality will continue under your stewardship.

 

Back when I started building hot rods, Mostly Model A's I would take the original radiators to a local radiator shop and have them re-cored, fill the top and add a pressurized filler neck and this worked fine for a number of years, over the last 50 years I have used all the aftermarket manufactures at one time or the other, even the aluminum radiators with mixed results.

For the last 40 years or so I have used Walker radiators because they just work and I never have problems, Henry Ford used copper/brass for a reason and they can be repaired most anywhere should it become necessary.

I also liked their 10 year warranty, I have never had to have any warranty work done but it does say something about the commencement to service, The Walker radiator in my old beater is getting close to 35 years old and I have never had a problem.

As far as the name on the radiator they can call it a Big Johnson for all I care as long as my next radiator is built with quality in mind. HRP

 

Henry also used brass/copper for radiators because 1-it was way cheaper than aluminum,especially early on and 2- aluminum was difficult to repair if something got damaged, while aluminum was difficult to fix.

 

Good to hear! I have had nothing but happy mile behind Walker radiators, very sad when they closed.

 

Can’t wait for you to start production Alan, need a good rad for my ‘37 Chevy Pickup! Good luck in the future.

 

It’s always good to hear from the source. Thanks for the update Mr. Johnson. Snowman

 

I'll wait. Needing a custom radiator for a 32 roadster project I'm doing this winter. Good Luck Alan

 

Just finished my 31 coupe, used a Walker Radiator. The SBC is not overheating at all. In Northern Virginia traffic ! Very impressive.
Thanks for continuing this high quality product !

 

Awesome