New copper/brass rads, are they made like the old ones? Answer's inside.

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TylerW

TylerW

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Wow. So the first thread I read here after a long time was the Shady Dell thread. What a mistake that was. Also, I edited this post to remove those links to products that i didn't intend to be in this thread. If you pay me...I'll advertise stuff for you. Otherwise don't put them in my posts.

Anyway, for something much less dramatic, I had the opportunity recently to weigh two C-body, 26" 3-core radiators. One is a fairly recent unit made within the past 10 years, the other an original Chrysler radiator made in mid-1965. The aftermarket unit was used and not cleaned, the Chrysler unit was recently reworked by a shop and yet to be re-installed.

Newer radiator: 19.8 lbs
Chrysler radiator: 28.2 lbs
So, the answer is..NO. The Chrysler unit contains over 8lbs more material in it's construction(and works better too, as it turns out).
 
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Aftermarket radiators look so out of place too.

I have had to find two original versions for two of my cars that had aftermarket junk installed by prior owners.
 
Copper is in much more of a demand now than it was back then. You can thank electronics for that.
I wish there were a local radiator shop around here. I have a bunch of originals that need refurbing. Our local rad shop closed 15+ years ago.
 
The old ones were made from copper and brass, new ones are made from aluminum clad and done in vacuum furnaces with plastic tanks. I worked at Valeo Engine Cooling for many years as a Millwright and worked on all the mills, stackers, end welders and furnaces. They made radiators, both copper/brass and aluminum. They also made the charge air coolers for the Cummin diesels in the Dodge trucks, the Vipers, Neon SRT and many other turbo charged engines.
 
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Red63440 said:
The old ones were made from copper and brass, new ones are made from aluminum clad and done in vacuum furnaces with plastic tanks.
Click to expand...
That's certainly possible, but this one is brass and copper...it's just that everything is thinner. The fins are like paper. The side panels are simple sheetmetal without any of the molded-in reinforcements the Chrysler version has.
 
TylerW said:
That's certainly possible, but this one is brass and copper...it's just that everything is thinner. The fins are like paper. The side panels are simple sheetmetal without any of the molded-in reinforcements the Chrysler version has.
Click to expand...
I'm sure there are more than one manufacture and the company ordering the radiators set the specs they want. The company that built the plant where I worked was called "Blackstone", they built radiators for the Chrysler Corp. in the 60's and when I worked there they had a catalog showing what original radiators were still available and in stock.......that was about 20 years ago.
 
this doesn't apply directly, but I had ano oem copper/brass rad with plastic tanks in my 94 Cherokee. I never had a problem cooling until the plastic tank cracked. I bought a new rad from Oreillys for $100, and I thought that was righteous, but it was made from aluminum and plastic, and weighed just a fraction of the old oem rad. Also it barely cooled the engine when in stop/go traffic on an 80degree day, and I couldn't even think of running the AC. Almost exactly a year later the new rad started leaking, just past the warranty expiration. I broke down and spent $400 for an all copper/brass rad, which is better at cooling than my oem rad. The electric fans hardly ever come on, now. and I can run as much AC as I want.
 
TylerW said:
Wow. So the first thread I read here after a long time was the Shady Dell thread. What a mistake that was. Also, I edited this post to remove those links to products that i didn't intend to be in this thread. If you pay me...I'll advertise stuff for you. Otherwise don't put them in my posts.

Anyway, for something much less dramatic, I had the opportunity recently to weigh two C-body, 26" 3-core radiators. One is a fairly recent unit made within the past 10 years, the other an original Chrysler radiator made in mid-1965. The aftermarket unit was used and not cleaned, the Chrysler unit was recently reworked by a shop and yet to be re-installed.

Newer radiator: 19.8 lbs
Chrysler radiator: 28.2 lbs
So, the answer is..NO. The Chrysler unit contains over 8lbs more material in it's construction(and works better too, as it turns out).
Click to expand...

What did you expect to find? Did you really think the newer unit was going to be better?
 
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