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New Radiator choice

2K views 15 replies 6 participants last post by  LMJD 
#1 ·
A mount broke on my Ac condenser & caused it to hit the fins on my radiator.
The auto parts stores sell a Spectra radiator for $225 but I found the same brand online for $180 with free shipping. Is that a decent radiator?
Or any other recommendations in that price range?
Or you think better to just repair mine? Don't know if mine is a factory radiator or not as I haven't replaced it in the 5 years I have owned my 1990 F250 7.3 4wd Manual Tranny. Thanks.
 
#2 ·
Depending on what damage was done, replacement may be cheaper than repair. I have put Spectra radiators in numerous customers vehicles with no failures.
 
#3 ·
Don't know if it's still standard practice today or not, but any truck shop I worked in would send the damaged radiator out to a local radiator shop and they would do a complete recore using the old top and bottom tanks. I was talking to a radiator shop owner a couple years ago and he said you had to really watch what you buy as a replacement nowadays. He said many of the aftermarket radiators have extremely thin brass used to form the top and bottom tanks.
 
#4 ·
As chuckster said, Spectra radiators are as good as any aftermarket. They are poorly packaged, if buying one, be sure and check for damage, especially the mounting ears, if there bent, check for cracked tube. Champion radiators are the same way, poorly packaged.
 
#5 ·
It might be cheaper to re-core it I would check both ways before I spent money. Any radiator shop that rebuilds stuff for trucks, farm equipment, or oil field equipment will be able to get a replacement core.
 
#6 ·
Right, evidently it's cheaper and better quality-wise otherwise shops wouldn't go that route over the years. I've used nothing but the same Fleetguard for over 20 years so the tubes show no signs of crud or corrosion although I had a leak at the top tank seam a few years back which seems to be the most common radiator ailment.
 
#7 ·
Re core may be the way to go depending on the amount of damage. I know in this great state the environmentalists have made it very expensive to do much of anything that involves "hazardous" materials, like the solder and such.
 
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#9 ·
in this great state the environmentalists have made it very expensive
An alternative view is that with a huge and growing population, allowing people to just take their hazardous material and "just throw it in the crick" kills people, little children, etc. You should be thanking environmentalists.

Can we stop with the politics please?

GeoB
 
#8 ·
I bet. And over the years I was in and out of a lot of them since everywhere I worked we seemed to send out a lot of radiator work, very toxic places by the nature of what they do. Lots of acid core solder, the dip tank, etc.
 
#11 ·
Can we stop with the politics please?
I don't think we were discussing politics at all, just saying a lot of things were done decades ago before we (shops, etc.) finally became aware that it was harmful. Good Gawd, when I was 21 I used to bench rest shoot a 7MM magnum plus run my ex-FIL's D4 Cat dozer with the straight stack 2 ft. in front of my face for hours on end, ear protection, what's that? We didn't have a clue back then. Now I wear earplugs using a riding lawnmower. We also breathed a LOT of asbestos when using the brake machine to arc shoes to fit the drums we turned, didn't have a clue back then about that either.
 
#13 ·
Ear plugs OR eye protection (unless welding). Confined space one you couldn't fit into very well. Not what they call them now days...bunch of sissies
 
#12 ·
Thanks for the input. Going to take it to a repair shop for a more specific quote but from over the phone it sounds like around $45 to repair, clean, and pressure test it. Environmentally it is probably a wash either way as a repair shop is using toxic materials but better to repair what you've got vs. throwing out or recycling.
 
#14 ·
Just make sure the Rad shop is aware that OEM Ford radiators have dimpled tubes and are not to be rodded out.
 
#15 ·
Last time I had one done, they removed the top tank, soaked it a while (not very long either) and then power flushed it from the bottom. The way the OP talked, he was going to need to re-core it anyway.
 
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