[TR] do it yourself radiator fixin'

[Biedermann, Frank (SSABSA)]

Paul,

As people are saying it's not really rocket science, but it does take a bit of
experience in the radiator repair discipline. Why not get a pro to do it? It'd
be a heap quicker and easier, and it's not really expensive at all. If I
remember correctly, I had a high efficiency core installed in an old TR6
radiator I had (my TR6 had some other Australian car radiator bodged into it
at some point, which kinda worked but wasn't ideal), and all I did was give
the shop the old radiator (which had good top and bottom tanks) and the shop
desoldered all that, put the new core in, pressure tested it, painted it
black, and generally made it look brand new. That all ran to less than AU$300,
which included the new core. I certainly couldn't have done such a good job,
or pressure tested the results, let alone do it in a couple of days like they
did. In my opinion, stuff like that just isn't worth attempting yourself...

HTH,

Frank Biedermann
69 Triumph TR6 PI
Adelaide, Australia

>
> Paul Dorsey wrote:
> > I've never done this before, but, why shouldn't I 'recore'
> a radiator myself?
> > Posibly, using a $100 radiator from NAPA?  If need be, I
> can use the top and
> > bottom tanks from spare TR3 radiators.  Is the 'coring'
> "just the right size"
> > for our cars?  Or is there some other thing I'm likely to
> mess up?  I work
> > with an expert soldering guy- he wouldn't mind!  Please educate
> > me!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Paul Dorsey
> > 60 TR3
> >
> Paul,
> One thing for sure is that it is not rocket science, but it
> is a learned
> skill.  If you have a safe work area, the right sized torch-
> type of gas
> - eye for temperature control and ability to clean and bend things to
> fit together properly and understand how to make the metal joint take
> solder over 100% of the joint without it flowing suddenly into the
> radiator tanks and clogging up some core tubes, it should not
> be an issue.
>
> However there is always that one thing you can not account
> for, and that
> is years of experience of doing thousands of radiator repairs, and
> knowing what works and what does not.  Maybe that experience only
> provides for better shortcuts, or lack of experience provides
> for taking
> too much precaution and performing a superior repair you may
> not get at
> a radiator shop.
>
> So it your are a detail oriented person, you will probably
> end up with a
> better looking job once you break the learning curve.
>
> --
> Glenn A. Merrell
> Chairman, Triumph Stag Club USA (2007-2009)
> The best trophies are miles on the odometer, stone chips in
> the paint, dead bugs on the windshield!
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