oldford Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 I tried to find a recent post on this forum about this, but most were over 2 years old. I may have to have the radiator repaired or re-cored on my 1910 EMF. The tanks look good, but it looks like the radiator core is giving out. I hesitate to call BrassWorks, since I'm familiar with their early T radiators. It looks like they have a fairly high failure rate. When you get a good one, it's good, but there are many that seem to fail early... Just anecdotal info, but that's my experience. Can anyone out there recommend a good shop to do the recore? Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EMF-Owner Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 Frank, I am preparing to have the radiator for my 1912 E-M-F redone and I have similar feelings to you. Here is the place i am considering. They have been recommended to me by others. I have not talked to them yet, nor can I speak personally of the work they do, but you could look into them, or maybe someone else reading will have information. Bills Antique Radtr RestorationBills Antique Radiator Restoration1134 West Walnut StChillicothe, IL 61523 - View MapPhone: (309) 645-0606 I am hoping to have radiator out for work by the end of the year if I can get the funds together. Have one more child to sell before I can make it happen. Let us know what you decided. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 Try Universal Carnegie, Carnegie Pa. They have a great reputation, and I know of work they've done that has been excellent. I'm sure they're not inexpensive, but high quality radiator work is getting very difficult to find. http://ucvintagerad.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldford Posted July 18, 2015 Author Share Posted July 18, 2015 On a recommendation, I called Powell's Radiator in Wilmington, OH. We had a lengthy discussion about the core. It appears to be original with in-line round tubes about 1" apart. It is over 3" thick and would be a custom core. He said the only ones making round tube cores to his knowledge was Brassworks. He also said that Brassworks makes a good core, but uses high lead solder and it is mechanically weak. He would first remove all of the high lead solder and then solder it again with the correct low-lead solder. Assuming the original brass tanks were good, (a bad assumption) the core alone would be about $4,000. A call to Brassworks confirmed the high cost. On a chance, I drained the water from the radiator and filled it with straight white vinegar. I then got it up to temperature and let it cook for over an hour. Then drained it and flushed with clear water. Not too much sediment came out, but merely a very green colored vinegar solution. After this, I ran it and the car ran about 20 degrees cooler, MUCH improved. I'm going to try a run on a 90 degree day to see if the improvement stands. I guess I'll pray a little too.... Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldford Posted July 18, 2015 Author Share Posted July 18, 2015 Thanks for the tip on Carnegie. They are only 3 hours from Hershey and I would be able to take a road trip one of the days of the meet. Powell's told me a horror story of a Maxwell radiator that was damaged in shipping beyond repair. he had to remake the $7,000 radiator. Luckily, UPS picked up the tab. If I can avoid shipping this radiator, all the better. Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 Try Vintage Wings and Radiators in England for the core. They have a nice web site. Any competent radiator shop should be able to install it if the tanks are ok. We have ordered maybe 10 cores from Vintage over the years and installed them ourselves or had a local shop do the work. We determined that most shops in the US claiming to build their own cores actually source them from Vintage. A well known shop quoted us a price on a core. We contacted Vintage and their price was exactly 1/2 to the penny of what we were quoted here. Coincidence? I think not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldford Posted July 20, 2015 Author Share Posted July 20, 2015 Update, good & bad. Good news: The car now runs at 180 degrees in both highway conditions and in stop and go.... I think the core is doing its job. Bad news: The vinegar flush caused a small leak in the core near the junction of one tube and bottom tank. I threw in a can of Bars Leaks, even though I really did not want to... Leak stopped and the radiator holds water.... It's 90 degrees in the shade today and if the car runs at 180 on a day like today, I'm satisfied. I may have dodged a bullet for now... Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now