Radiator Replacement

[tucsonjwt]

The copper/brass Ready Rad radiator which has been in my 83 C20 454 for the past 8 years is leaking from both tanks, so I shopped for a replacement radiator.

It seems that copper/brass radiators are no longer available, even from Ready Rad (now Vista Pro) under the same part number - 433730. It also appears that the numbers "730" are part of the part numbers for all of the different vendors ,so I suspect that Ready Rad, or some other company, is making all of these generic replacement radiators now. I found one copper/brass radiator for $650.

So, even though I don't like the plastic/aluminum choice, I did find a "limited lifetime" warranty option at Autozone on the Spectra B730. The price was $143.99, but they currently have 20% off and free shipping to home until October 17, so the final price was $143.99 (-$28.80) = $115.19 + $9.33 AZ sales tax = $124.52 delivered to my door.

I am hoping that the lifetime warranty works because I suspect that I will be using it a lot. Autozone had the best delivered price and was the only source with a lifetime warranty. Rock Auto and Pep Boys were around the same price but had no lifetime warranty.

I have read a lot about this radiator not fitting properly in the top and bottom rubber cushions and the top bracket, but I hope I can make this one work. I will post installation details and pics when I get the radiator, assuming that I can stuff it in the old beast.

I hope the copper/brass scrap prices are up when I take the old radiator to the scrap yard. I might end up with a net sub $100 radiator replacement and a lifetime warranty too.

[solidaxel]

I think you get what you pay for.
Have you tried Performance Radiator on Ft Lowell Rd?

[tucsonjwt]

I took the existing copper/brass Ready Rad to Performance Radiator a couple years after I bought it and they repaired a small leak for about $35. That held for about 6 years. They do good repairs.

I have little faith in modern replacement parts. My neighbor has an expensive all aluminum radiator in his modified Land Cruiser and it has had multiple problems, so I don't believe in spending a lot of money to get better parts, since I think anything other than OEM is a crapshoot. I usually buy OEM GM or AC Delco for mechanical or electrical parts, but for passive parts like a radiator I think everything is mostly Asian import questionable quality now, even if the parts come with a big brand name.

I drive my truck less than 1,000 miles a year, so I can't see spending $400-$500 on a radiator which still won't have a lifetime warranty. My idea is that I can replace the radiator every year or two if necessary. as long as I can get it to fit. That Ready Rad copper/brass was less than $65 after the scrapping the original radiator and it lasted 8 years, so I can't complain about that investment. Considering that it gets very hot under the hood of my big block in 100+ degree desert heat, I think I got my use out of it.

[69heavychevy]

I purchased that same radiator through Oreilly auto parts. I didn't have any fitment issues but I did get a radiator that was bad out of the box...
The only reason I found out is because my trans fluid looked like pepto bismol, strange thing is my coolant was completely clean.
It did have a lifetime warranty so I swapped it out. That was about 6 months ago, and so far no issues.

[tucsonjwt]

Good information 69HeavyChevy. I almost went with Oreilly but the cost was $31 more and it they appear to have the Spectra two year warranty at best. As you discovered, the radiators are like a box of chocolates.

[Tucson38]

I've used Performance Radiator twice, once for my 85 GMC and once for my wife's Camry. Good product but still no brass. Still, been very happy with their radiators.

[tucsonjwt]

I got an email quote back from ABC Radiator which listed plastic/aluminum at $170 (I assume a Spectra) and a copper/brass at $400. I am beginning to think that the material doesn't matter as much as the quality of manufacture. I am hoping the Autozone lifetime warranty will help with the longevity concern I have. If your plastic/aluminum is holding up well here in HotZona then that is a good testament for plastic/aluminum. The radiator should be here Monday, so I will install soon (if the torrential rains stop.)

I will post some pics on the bargain radiator so others can see what you get for $125. My truck does not get much use, so my experience may not be a good test of long term durability. I am guessing that a truck sitting idle most of the time like mine does is not good for a cooling system, although the coolant was very clean when I drained the system.

[solidaxel]

I have used ABC for repairs on my copper/brass radiator in the past and all is well.
I like to use Tucson merchants first before I go out of town or on the internet. keep everything local and help the town

[tucsonjwt]

I thought about repairs, but with two leaks I did not think it would be worth the repair cost - my guess was about $85. I am thinking I can get a new plastic/aluminum radiator for about the same cost (net of scrap value for existing copper/brass radiator.)

I buy local when the price is within reason, but with $60 more for the radiator (about 48% more) at ABC plus no lifetime warranty, ABC is out of the picture for me. Ironically, the radiator I am replacing came from ABC. I bought it online from a discount seller. After I bought it online, I got a call from the seller telling me that they did not have it in stock, so they said they would ship it in a week or I could go to ABC radiator and pick one up there for the same price. At that time, about 8 years ago, I think the price was less than $120.

By buying online from Autozone I did pay local sales tax. Otherwise, it would have been $115.19. $9.33 sales tax will help keep Tucson streets in their excellent condition and give our local politicians more money to spend on arts and parks.

[tucsonjwt]

I installed the radiator and do not see any leaks. The coolant level remained constant overnight. I gave it a 5 mile run on the highway and the temp gauge was about where it was on the old radiator (about 160 degrees.)

The Spectra radiator seems to be about 1/4" taller and 1/4" wider than the stock radiator at the mounting frame, so the top rubber pads did not fit correctly. I had to attach the shroud to the top cover first, then attach the cover to the core support. It is a very tight fit but it works.

The radiator came with a lot of fins squashed (see pics), which I think happened prior to shipment because the packaging had no signs of damage. I straightened the bent fins with a small screwdriver. The radiator was secured with foam blocks inside the box which seemed to be adequate.

The upper and lower hose attachment nipples seemed a little flimsy, compared to brass, but the hoses went on OK. I did use radiator hose grease to ease the installation and likely removal in the future.

I got $29.98 for the old radiator, so the net cost was $96.15 (124.52 for the radiator + 1.61 for the hose grease - 29.98 for the scrap radiator.) You need to separate the brass tanks and steel top and bottom cross supports from the core to get the most scrap value. The scrap yard called the core "clean radiators" (16 lbs. x $1.30), the tanks are called "clean brass" (7 lbs. x $1.30), and the metal supports are called "sheet iron" (4 lbs. x $.02).

I think I got about $42 for the last radiator I scrapped, but that was several years ago.

In reading the paperwork that came with the radiator from Autozone, a failed radiator purchased online can be returned to any Autozone store, or shipped back and Autozone will pay return shipping.

Overall, I would say that the radiator met the goal of a sub $100 replacement (net after scrap sale). Time will tell if this is a reliable radiator. It sure is a lot lighter than the old copper/brass.

[tucsonjwt]

More pics.