Aluminum Radiator

[CharlieCarpenter]

Anyone tried an aluminum radiator for a Big Healey? I've had my stock radiator re-cored by two different sources and I still overheat. I have an auxiliary fan and I've tried "water wetter" and "radiator relief" with no success. AH Spares, Denis Welsh and Cape International all sell the aluminum replacements but are they worth it? American source?

 

[Keoke]

Hi Charlie, is your Auxiliary fan a puller or a pusher. Also when you rebuilt your original did they add rows to the core and use a serpentine distribution.---Keoke

 

[CharlieCarpenter]

Hi Keoke: I guess you'd call it a pusher. It's in front of the radiator. They added a row to the core but I don't know anything about serpentine distribution. That was not mentioned. Paul Tsikuris did my restoration and he sent the radiator out to the same shop he always uses.
Charlie

 

[Keoke]

Well Paul certainly knows what he is doing. Some cars seem to benefit from auxiliary fans as pushers and Some do mot. It is suggested that the fan blocks the cooling air at speed causing heating.You might make sure your timing is correct and then remove the fan then take a drive to see if it still heats. Also The Texas cooler fan is available again get one and put it on. OH! I think them Ali radiators are for folks with a lot of $$$$$$--Fwiw--Keoke- :laugh:

 

[stevebn2bj7]

I have heard that the aluminum radiators are very good and effective at cooling. A frind hd one made for a TR6 and is very happy with it. I do not remember who did it but they made it to his spec's. Just did a Google search and there are quite a few custom fabricators that should be able to build on emuch cheaper than getting one from England.

 

[Cottontop]

The Texas cooler fan is available again get one and put it on.

To get your Texas Kooler, go to www.ntahc.org and scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and click on the link.

Tim

 

[dougie]

You might try giving Griffin Thermal Products a call. They do a lot of race and custom stuff including LBC's. They're in SC.

https://www.griffinrad.com/index.cfm

Dougie

 

[Ed_K]

I was also given their name and I called them before I had my stock radiator recored. I think they wanted $850. for one of their radiators that will fit in our cars. Instead of $850.
I got my original recored with a serpentine core for $450 locally.
That and installing the missing air dams in front of the radiator fixed my cooling problems once and for all.
Before doing this I had tried a new fan and the proper thermostat from BCS in California.
Ed

 

[Patrick67BJ8]

I had a radiator shop in Dallas, Tx by the name of "Mac's Radiator Service" on Harry Himes Blvd. do my radiator a couple of years ago for about $240.00. The shop added a core that was abour 25 to 30% more cores. It cools really well and no problems with the heat in Texas with the AC on in July and in traffic. Also have a Texas Kooler too.
Patrick

 

[Lin]

I use an aluminum radiator from Cape International. I am very satisfied with the functionality and appearance of the radiator. With the improved exchange rate right now, I think the radiator is about $650.

Lin

 

[CharlieCarpenter]

Thanks for all the replies and advice. History: During restoration I had a local shop re-core my original radiator for $275. I installed a Texas Cooler and an external fan during restoration. On day one the car overheated. Paul pulled the radiator out and sent it to his recommended shop for re-core. $450 later for the 2nd re-core plus all of Paul's labor and there was still no noticeable improvement. Obviously Paul was disappointed too. I tried Water wetter & Radiator Relief but no help from either. The external fan does help but not enough in this Florida heat. My dilemma is that at this point I've got a ton of money in this radiator and a bleak outlook. I'm desperate for a solution so was looking at the Aluminum option. I know AH Spares, Cape International and Denis Welsh all offer Aluminum, all in the $600 - $1000 range. I just wondered if anyone knew of a comparable option stateside.

 

[Healeysince59]

Ron Davis makes an aluminum radiator for Healeys but I've never seen one. He gets a lot of good press in the Jag world. Located in the Phoenix area.

https://www.rondavisradiators.com

Marv J

 

[stevebn2bj7]

Just do a Google search for Aluminum Radiators and at least a page full of fabrication companies appear. I am sure none of them have a Healey radiator in stock but any of them would be able to fab one for you. I have not used any of them so cannot provide a referral.

 

[Keoke]

Well Charlie I still say some cars will not run with an external fan that does not take a Alternator to run it and yours may indeed heed a fan for cooling. However, it may be that you have a defective water pump. Let me splain. :laugh: Clearance between the impeller vanes and the pump body must not exceed 0.030". I have seen new aftermarket pumps with clearances ---> 0.050" which failed to provide adequate cooling until the impeller was readjusted Just a thought, When I run across one I set it at 0.020"--Fwiw--Keoke

 

[CharlieCarpenter]

Keoke: I'll pass that on to Paul and see what he can do. I do have an aftermarket water pump. New, of course, but what does that mean? Thanks for your help

Charlie

 

[RonMacPherson]

Keoke hit on a very good possibility. One that I was going to mention, until I saw his post. Let me expand on it though.

See if you can find a radiator shop with flowmeters or gauges. There used to be available flowgauges for use by radiator shops. They would install them in the upper and lower radiator hoses and measure the actual flow(volume and pressure) in the cooling system. We used a couple(can't remember they might have been Stant) when we were setting up racecars in Northern California about 30 years ago. Also a good temperature diagnosis(localized pinpointing) may help.

After what you've done to the radiator, first I would suspect the water pump; impeller clearance to back plate, tightness on shaft, etc. Then go after air pockets or restrictions. Something, somewhere other than the radiator is causing your problem...

 

[Ed_K]

If your radiator has been recored with a serpentine core and it still is getting too hot, then the radiator is not the problem.
.... F.Y.I., an aluminum radiator is not as efficient at
transferring engine heat as a brass radiator. Folks like them because they are very light weight as compared to brass. They also look good and may be a good choice if you don't have an original radiator to work with. They are not as good as brass cores at transferring heat. Since you car is running hot, it would be a little worse if you installed an aluminum radiator.

Ed

 

[Keoke]

Yep :laugh:


But would it not be funny if all was wrong was a bad temperature gauge. I haven't heard "It Spits up". Or it might even be the thermostat where for this car a Sleeved one may be required to blank off the bypass port??-Keoke

 

[bt7tricarb]

My radiator was double cored. I thought of the aluminum radiator as an option, as the cost was close (double core was a bit cheaper), but in the end I wanted to keep the original "look" while improving functionality.

Along with the double core, and a six blade fan, I never (knock wood) overheat. It had an ultimate test last summer when I drove from Maryland to Rhode Island in August. On a day well in the 90s, I got stuck in some good ol' NYC traffic around the GW bridge. I never went above 160 while moving and 170/180 at idle.

 

[bt7tricarb]

Oh, a quick addition to my above post: I do have an aluminum sump pan, so that could help with the dissipation of heat...