Red radiator guard reattachment question

My guard fell off and JB weld didn't hold. What can I use to reattach it? Rick

They are soldered onto the brass header . Drill more holes in the lip of the guard and resolder it on the header . You will need to remove the rad to do it .

Thanks a lot for the advice. I used POR15 epoxy putty. It's a two part putty that you kneed together. Stuck it to the guard and to the radiator and it sticks very well.

It may fall off and into the moving fan when the tank gets really hot. I would leave it off until it can be attached properly.
Bob

hottvr said:

Thanks a lot for the advice. I used POR15 epoxy putty. It's a two part putty that you kneed together. Stuck it to the guard and to the radiator and it sticks very well.

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Catastrophy waiting to happen; the potential collateral damage isn't worth it.

British_Recovery said:

It may fall off and into the moving fan when the tank gets really hot. I would leave it off until it can be attached properly.
Bob

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What he said!

I witnessed the damage to another's Healey caused by a fan coming apart--the blade went into the radiator, destroyed it and then exited through the front shroud. Not pretty....

As the saying goes "pay me now or pay me later " later may cost a whole lot more though using the epoxy .
You asked how to reattach it and the way I said is the correct fix .
The epoxy is just prolonging the inevitable.

Usually, I'm a big believer in JBWeld. But, in this case, another solution may be better.

Unless you have worked on radiators before, it might be best to take it to a rad repair shop that has lots of experience with this type of repair. Too much heat in the soldering process can cause damage and leaks. Whoever fastens the pieces together should thoroughly clean both surfaces, down to bare metal, and then make sure that the repair job is done properly.

One can also come up with other solutions, but likely none as good as a proper repair. One could, for example, (I hesitate to mention it out of fear that someone might actually try it), use waterproof rivets - the type used to repair leaking aluminum boats - to attach the shield to the rad in case the JBWeld lets go.

blueskies said:

, (I hesitate to mention it out of fear that someone might actually try it), use waterproof rivets - the type used to repair leaking aluminum boats - to attach the shield to the rad in case the JBWeld lets go.

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This is as bad an idea as the JB weld if not worse ??

I rechecked the way I did mine . I did solder it back on but not with just regular soft solder (plumbing solder)
I did it with silver solder much harder and stronger for dissimilar metals .

Healey Nut said:

This is as bad an idea as the JB weld if not worse ??

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You probably are right about that, and I pretty much did point out that it's a bad idea. On the other hand, done right, it could work as a makeshift fix. My first choice still would be to take it to a pro - someone who repairs radiators for a living.