rogerpete Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 Our 1930 DC8 radiator is flowing water in places it isn't suppose to... We took it to 5 local radiator shops, (not just fly by night, but established old time jobbers). All have said they can't repair it, and only 1 said it could be recored, but they were not interested in doing it. What options do we have & what kind of price should we expect to pay for an aluminum recore that needs painted... Thanks- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Lawson Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 Why do you want to replace it with an aluminium one ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thirtyfourdodge Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 I had an old tractor radiator recored at a shop in Belair Ohio. They work on a lot of old radiators. I think it is Belair Radiator Shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerpete Posted August 9, 2013 Author Share Posted August 9, 2013 Why do you want to replace it with an aluminium one ?Cost. We can't drop $2k-$3k on a radiator. We're simple blue collar car folks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerpete Posted August 9, 2013 Author Share Posted August 9, 2013 I had an old tractor radiator recored at a shop in Belair Ohio. They work on a lot of old radiators. I think it is Belair Radiator Shop. All I can find on Google is "All American Radiator Shop" in Belair. Could this be the place? All American Radiator THANKS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thirtyfourdodge Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 All I can find on Google is "All American Radiator Shop" in Belair. Could this be the place? All American Radiator THANKS!Come to think of it that would be the one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 You can get an aluminum radiator out of Summit racing .com for a couple of hundred bucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerpete Posted August 9, 2013 Author Share Posted August 9, 2013 You can get an aluminum radiator out of Summit racing .com for a couple of hundred bucks.Hi Jack- Are you suggesting getting a thin radiator & fitting it behind the honey comb until a good replacement that we can afford comes available? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cahartley Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Is this thing leaking like a screen or is it confined to a small area?If it's only a small area, clean that area with muriatic acid, flush well, dry it and fill it with lead.Any other minor leaks can be sealed with KW Block Sealer........we never found anything else that came even close to KW Block Sealer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 If you want to keep your car original then ignore this and get yours fixed.If you are more wanting function the you could probably replace it with aluminum, You may have to do a bit of fabrication to get an aluminum one in there but you would have to take your old one out.Do some measuring and look in www.summitracing.com . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Any idea if a 1931 DG8 radiator would work for you. I have this one without the side brackets and has the hole for the thermostatically controlled shutters..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cahartley Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 JACK M.......the guy said he doesn't have a bottomless pit of money.......and an aluminum replacement is hardly original.Leading is hardly new technology.I leaded a corner of the radiator in my 18-36 Hart Parr tractor 15 years ago, it's still dry as a bone, and the leaded corner is barely visible.I don't think this fella is out to win trophies.......he wants to drive his car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerpete Posted August 11, 2013 Author Share Posted August 11, 2013 So I cleaned it with Muratic Acid, washed it, dried it, packed the front honey comb with play dough, and leaded from the rear. I have the leak down to a fast drip. No leak from the leaded part, but the leak was higher than I thought so I need to re pour... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 JACK M.......the guy said he doesn't have a bottomless pit of money.......and an aluminum replacement is hardly original.Leading is hardly new technology.I leaded a corner of the radiator in my 18-36 Hart Parr tractor 15 years ago, it's still dry as a bone, and the leaded corner is barely visible.I don't think this fella is out to win trophies.......he wants to drive his car.You kind of contradict yourself in this statement.Just suggestions, An aluminum radiator is a cheap alternative is all.As your last sentence states, no trophies, just dependability.rogerpete, Sounds like you are making progress. I hope you get er done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cahartley Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 I'm not raggin' on you Jack....... .......but I think a honeycomb radiator is worth saving if possible. The '20 Model T coupe I had had the original honeycomb radiator........I really loved the look of the thing.......it just looked "olde"....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 I'm not raggin' on you Jack....... .......but I think a honeycomb radiator is worth saving if possible. The '20 Model T coupe I had had the original honeycomb radiator........I really loved the look of the thing.......it just looked "olde"....... I agree with that. I was thinking that 80 plus year old copper would be hard to work with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cahartley Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 Unless old copper or brass has been subjected to extreme conditions they are no different than working with new, off of the shelf, material.That's why you see so many original shiny brass radiators and headlights........the material keeps going and going and................. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerpete Posted August 13, 2013 Author Share Posted August 13, 2013 (edited) Couple items I forgot to mention... It seems obvious to some folks, but you never know who is reading the posts...1. Never follow any of this advice on repair. It is dangerous. 2. That being said, If you go against #1, please be 100% careful, especially with acid and molten lead. Carefully read up on how to use acid, know what to expect, use a full face shield, splash protection, good ventilation and know what your gonna do with the used acid before you use any. At $4.50 a gallon, you get a lot of crazy dangerous stuff that can effectively ruin your day for pretty cheap. 3. Lead is dangerous stuff, it causes cancer & lead poisoning. If you're around melted lead, use local ventilation or a respirator. Wash your hands well.4. pour quickly so the hot lead gets to the "bottom" without cooling 1/2 way through.5. Learn from your mistakes, share your knowledge & pass it on. Remember, this is "fun" Edited August 13, 2013 by rogerpete (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cahartley Posted August 13, 2013 Share Posted August 13, 2013 Um........did you miss the part about dry?....... .......I shouldn't laugh.......but I am (as long as you're OK)........maybe 1/2 way is enough....... :confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC5 Posted August 13, 2013 Share Posted August 13, 2013 Why straight lead? Would a lead alloy solder not be better? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerpete Posted August 14, 2013 Author Share Posted August 14, 2013 (edited) Radiator is done. We did our second pour tonight, and what started out as a "very leaky" radiator that 5 shops refused to touch ended up as a repaired honey comb radiator, ready to go in the car, AND it turned out pretty nice & clean if I do say so myself. I will post some photos of the process at some point, but I am thankful that someone on this forum reached out & shared their knowledge with me. Sometimes the easiest thing to do is toss money at your car problems. However, if your a regular working stiff without money...The high light of the experience...We had to use my sons orange play dough. After the pour Dad got a little aggressive with the hose while washing it out, and I ended up with orange play dough spots all over my shirt. I came in the house & my wife asks me "What were you doing that you have mustard all over your entire shirt?!?!?":confused: Edited August 14, 2013 by rogerpete (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cahartley Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 Let's see Roger........an $8 tee shirt or a $6000 radiator....... :confused: ........right now you couldn't wipe the grin off my face with a 2 × 4 ....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodgenz Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 I'd be keen to see some photos of your process, as I too have a pretty leaky radiator. I'm not quite sure how this is done, I assume you are blocking the front of the rad up, then laying it face down you pour the lead in the back - do you just pour it into one or two honeycomb tubes (ie the damaged ones) or it is a more general pour? I'm just wondering how much of the airflow you end up having to block? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerpete Posted August 25, 2013 Author Share Posted August 25, 2013 Let me gather up the photos & I will put up a play by play detail of the fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerpete Posted August 25, 2013 Author Share Posted August 25, 2013 This is the lead from the first pour. We washed the area with muratic acid, rinsed very thoroughly, and placed a fan on it for about an hour. The dry area is the result of the fan. This is the back of the radiator. After it dried, I rolled out a pancake size of play dough, (or if you don't have kids, Hobby Lobby sells modeling clay for $7 per 10 pounds.) about 3/8"-1/2" thick, and pressed this into the front of the radiator. This acted like a plug, and kept the lead from flowing through.This is the actual fan we used to dry the area. If there was any moisture at all, when the 600 degree lead hits it, it becomes steam and pops back at you.Later today I will post photos of the front as well as measurements, to show you the percentage of radiator that now has blocked airflow, I would guess it is less than 5%. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerpete Posted August 25, 2013 Author Share Posted August 25, 2013 You can see that once you remove the play dough or clay, it is almost undetectable, (the repair). We misted the repair with a little black paint, to cover up the shiny lead. This repair blocks <5% of the radiator air flow. Dad is bringing his other radiator over for us to fix.I don't know if I mentioned before, but I used my grandfathers ladel & lead for the radiator repair. I found it in the basement of his home, on the workbench he worked on his fishing tackle. Mom said he often poured his own sinkers & jib heads, so that makes the experience that much more special. Grandpa passed in 1985, and this lead & ladel hasn't been used in 30+ years.In another thread, I will post how I fixed his Dodge Emblem for the radiator shell. It was missing quite a bit of the original enamel, and now it looks almost new. We are both quite pleased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cahartley Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 That looks really good Rog....... I had mentioned leading the radiator for my 18-36 Hart Parr which I did umpteen years ago........1989 to be exact.It leaked BAD and I couldn't afford to throw megabucks at a new core. It seeped a bit after leading it but a couple containers of Bar's Stop Leak (lots of gallons in that one) fixed that in no time flat.......permanently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodgenz Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 Looks great - I have small children, so should be able to steal some playdough and will rob some lead from a local church roof ;)and we're in business! I was going to ask what muriatic acid was, but my friendly google tells me it is hydrochloric acid which is easy enough to get from a builders store. Thanks very much for the info and pics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerpete Posted August 28, 2013 Author Share Posted August 28, 2013 Looks great - I have small children, so should be able to steal some playdough and will rob some lead from a local church roof ;)and we're in business! I was going to ask what muriatic acid was, but my friendly google tells me it is hydrochloric acid which is easy enough to get from a builders store. Thanks very much for the info and pics!Good luck & keep us posted...getting ready to fix another honeycomb radiator as we speak! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.White Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 Another cheap and effective repair, rogerpete.Well done!Ray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerpete Posted October 22, 2013 Author Share Posted October 22, 2013 Hey Dad! Get the Lead out!!No really, get the lead out! We had so much success patching the spare radiator for dads DC-8, we poured lead & patched his other radiator, the one that he intends on using. Continued to learn more pointers...1- On the first radiator, we used Play Dough.2- On this radiator I used modeling clay. I packed the clay 3 days ago and let it air dry. We still had a considerable amount of 'popping' when we poured the lead because of the moisture content of the clay. On my next job, I will use play dough again. The play dough straight from the can has less then half the popping of the clay after 3 days. 3- I can't stress the importance of personal protection equipment. Leather work shoes, heavy trousers or leather chaps, heavy gloves, long sleeves, a half respirator to protect from the lead fumes, and a full face shield, (not just glasses).I learned one more lesson. If you think you can't tackle the issue, research it or talk to the right people until you can. These cars are not rocket science, so once you learn a skill you have never used before, pass it on to someone else. Because someone reached out & took the time to talk me through the radiator leading process, I was able to perform it without killing myself. I'm not an expert, but I have saved two copper honey comb radiators from the scrap baler.In an unrelated note, I have also found a really nice chrome shop in the Cleveland Ohio area that did wonders for our radiator shell & Dodge 8 emblem. If anyone wants their contact info, I am happy to provide a positive reference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1930 Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 Amen too that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cahartley Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 Hey rogerpete.......I was wondering what you've been doing!The only thing better than a lesson learned is a lesson learned well....... .......well........and a willingness TO learn.I wish you had a contact for a silver plater who worked "cheap"....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
platt-deutsch Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 When working on radiator or any soldering job and using Muriatic Acid, It is a good idea to use "Cut Acid". A tinner in the local plumbing shop taught me as a kid to dissolve pieces of zink fruit jar lids in the acid and then it tins much better and don't burn so bad when you get it on your skin. 50-50 is good alloy for solder. 50% tin and 50% Lead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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