punctured aluminum radiator fixable

[sbc10guy]

Hey guys i just finished breaking in my new motor in my truck. I rebuilt the old tired 454 to a 496 stroker. On the first test drive i put a hole in my brand new aluminum radiator. My fan hit my fan shroud bent towards the radiator and put 2 holes in it. it doesnt look that bad but it drained out fast. Its the same setup i ran with the old motor with no problem. It must be the torque of the new rebuild that shifted it that much to hit. Anyway is it really a good idea to try to fix it or am i looking at more problems than just buying another new one and changing my fan setup. I really hate to spend more after this engine rebuild but if i have to thats what will have to happen. Thanks.

[66clow]

I fixed mine with some JB weld. Won't hurt to try.

[davepl]

Hope it doesn't come to it, but worst case you could re-use the tanks and have it recored.

[sbc10guy]

I pulled the radiator today and it looks much worse than i had thought. There is no way it is going to be repairable. Im now looking at a champion 3 core with dual 14" electric fans. Has anyone used one of these and had good?bad experiences. They look like good quality units but im wondering how good the fans are. If anyone has one please let me know if you liked it. Thanks

[Overdriven]

My dad used a Champion rad in a Nova but he didn't get their electric fan. The rad was a nice unit, I forget how many rows but they rated it to 650hp and it had no trouble keeping the mild small block cool.