Radiator sprung a leak

[garold99]

How much do these things cost to replace? Its for a 71 Chevy with a 350 4 barrel.

Should I just go to the junk yard and look around? Get a rebuilt one? Have this one fixed?

This is one thing I've never had to ever replace in any vehicle I've had, so I dont know the best route to take. Also money is an issue, so I need the cheapest route also.

Anyone recently had to replace or repair their Radiator and want offer up some advice?

Thanks

[Americanrider]

A location for you would be helpful, the deals I know about are not good deals when you have to travel or ship an item as big as a radiator. For starters I'd get into the yellow pages and start checking prices of local shops to get a starting point to work from. Ask about leak repair vs full replacement cost.

[garold99]

Woops, sorry.

I live in Moore Oklahoma. Which is a suburb of Oklahoma City.

[garold99]

I will be doing the yellow pages in the morning when places open. I was really just trying to get an idea of whether its best to get a rebuilt one or have the one I have repaired, providing it can be repaired.

I also wasnt sure if it was a good idea to go the junk yard route with a radiator.

Thanks

[garold99]

I just checked Autozone through their website.

$140 for a 2 row
$175 for a 3 row

Whats the difference. Dont know what the rows stand for.

The radiator I have on it now has a tow package on it. I had it put on when I had the tranny rebuilt in 99. By tow package I mean tranny cooler I guess. Will this factor in to my requirments, or would it be hard to pull that off and put onto the replacement radiator.

Thanks

[Fred T]

I bought a new 4 row for my 69 for $150 last fall at my local auto parts store. The number of rows determines the cooling capacity. 2 row was for the small 6 without AC, 3 row for the 350. With AC and towing, you really need a 4 row, but it also requires larger mounts. To check what you have, look in the cap. From front to back you should be able to see the holes that the coolant runs through, I would guess you now have a 3 row. Don't know what a junkyard radiator would cost, but have found that buying new is usually cheaper than getting one fixed anymore. No one likes to patch them like they used to.

[70c10]

I just picked up a new 4 row off ebay for $138 plus 15 to ship. The guy sells them everyday on there. Like Fred said, you will need the bigger mounts with a 4 row.

[garold99]

Thanks for the help. I will be shopping around before I actually replace it. Never thought about checking on Ebay. Guess I'll head over there.

I dont really do any towing with the truck. I just had the tranny rebuilt back in 99 and was thinking about getting a trailer so I went ahead and had the tow package put on. I have never even towed anything with the truck since I had this done.

[garold99]

70c10,

I found the radiator you was talking about on Ebay. $138 plus $15 for shipping. Sounded like a good price.

One question though. It says its a 4 row and is for the 350 engine without heater hose. How do you get around that, I would need a heater hose since I do like heat in the winter.

As you can tell, Im not knowledgable on radiators at all.

[70c10]

garold99, I called the 800 number in the ad and bought it over the phone for the same price. They will ask you what your truck has and order accordingly. Nice people to deal with and got it in 2 business days. So far so good!

[garold99]

Thanks, If I buy from them I think thats a good idea to call them instead of buying off Ebay. At least that way they can answer some questions for me.

I was thinking about maybe just trying some J B Weld for now to see if it will hold. First things first though, I do need to pull the fan shroud and see exactly where it is leaking. It may be a spot where JB Weld would work fine, or it may not. I'm thinking its a seam though.

[dallas71]

4 core Radiator Lifetime warranty $139.00

www.radiator.com

[KEH]

So, where do I find the larger mounts for the 4 core??

Thanks

[garold99]

dallas71,

I found that website while doing a search in google. But I couldnt find any prices or my specific truck. How did you do that without actually calling them? I would kinda like to see what they charge for a 3 core radiator. I dont know if I really need to upgrade to a 4 core unless the price is not that much of a difference.

[OhioDan]

$165.00 shipped to your door. Radiator Doc. !-888-252-0333. Takes about 2 days. That's the cost for a 4 core, "Modine", radiator. Local radiator shop we deal with at work couldn't get it for less than $250.00. Hope this helps?

[garold99]

Thanks for the info everyone. It is much appreciated

[4x4Poet]

The heater hose option on the radiators means that you have A/C, or that you have an A/C radiator. On A/C truck radiators, one heater hose goes from the intake to the heater core and the other from the heater core to the radiator just below the fill neck.

The non-A/C trucks have heater hose connections at the intake and water pump. So, if your truck's heater hoses attach only to the intake and water pump with no heater hose going to the rad, then you should ask for a rad without the heater hose fitting. If you have A/C which means the compressor blocks heater hose access to the water pump, you should have a heater hose fitting on the radiator, so order a rad with the heater hose fitting.

Does that make sense? My way of saying it, that is?

[KEH]

So if I upgrade from 3 to a 4 row do I need different brackets or is it just the rubber that needs to be changed? Thanks...

[matthufham]

i went to about 5 junkyards this weekend. i couldn't find any radiators that were worth taking since all the cars and trucks are wrecked in the front, or dead (too many miles.)