TR2/3/3A To Recore or not to Recore 60 TR3 post 60000

[Tinkerman]

Evening all:
Took my radiator to a radiator rebuild shop, recommended by a friend of mine, mind you I live in Central Tennessee and not in a big city so there are not many options on shops. Got the estimate yesterday $560 drive out price!
I can buy an alloy radiator from TRF for $500 and a new regular radiator from Moss for $400. Haven't checked TRF or VB for the price on a standard.
Any thoughts on the best way to go? I might be able to get the radiator shop to shave his price but I really don't know. Are the original tanks better than the repro ones and should that be a factor?
Any thoughts on this one would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Tinkerman

 

[PeterK]

If they take it out, then $560 is probably a decent price. They would have to take off the front apron, bumpers, etc to get to it.

But if you carry it in, too much money. Should run around $250 to have a new core installed and tested.

 

[Scott_Hower]

I debated this recently too, but with my MG. The new ones from Moss are made in China and I have heard mixed reviews. Dunno about TRF. In the end, I had it recored with the original brass tanks; I think I paid about $365 (4 row core, hot tanked, pressure tested, 3yr warranty). It came back absolutely perfect, the soldering/brazing guy was an artist in a former life:

(sorry, it's an MG /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/blush.gif I did just buy my first Triumph this weekend)

 

[jessebogan]

For a decent core, I pay 350.00 and up. My Rad man has the cores made to order in Canada. There used to be some decent US suppliers, but as with many businesses, there has been a lot of "consolidation" in recent years. Given the amount of work to install a rad in a TR3, I would buy the best you can get. Ask them about how many fins per inch, are the fins louvered, and so on. The Factory tanks will be better than any of the "stuff" made today. Even if cracked they are stout enough to be repaired.It seems like a lot of money, but as the wise man said,"Buy the best, you only cry once"

 

[YankeeTR]

I'd stay away from the new ones...as was stated earlier they are Chinese and pretty thin material. You want a good quality piece.

I, too, have an expensive shop near me. I paid over $400.00 four years ago to have my TR3A rad recored. I found another guy 40 miles away that can save me a little on that price but both are good quality cores...

A new aluminum unit might be what you should look at if originality is not your cup of tea. However, if you sell the car, the next buyer may not agree with you.

 

[mrv8q]

FWIW, are you sure you need a recore? I took my radiator from my '3, to the closest place near me in the San Fernando Valley. Definitely an "old-school" shop, the guy praised the quality of the original radiator; filled the hole, boiled it out, for only $60, and the car has run steady-state since then. Whether 45º, or 100º outside, just a tick over 185º... I run a Smith's thermostat.

That being said, removing the apron isn't all that difficult, and opens up the chance to easily check your front end, refresh motor mounts, etc. At that price, I know I'd be looking at that Griffin aluminum radiator!

 

[AweMan]

If you live in a state like Utah, where they use a lot of salt on the roads during the winter Aluminum isn`t a good option, reason being the corrosion factor. Although I don`t drive my Tr-3 during the winter here the salt remains for some time after the snow is long gone. Even if you don`t live in a "cold state" aluminum radiators require more maintenance IE. frequent antifreeze replacement and constant exterior cleaning to ensure a good lifespan. I myself would go with the best radiator you can lay your hands on even if it cost more money for several reasons. A Tr engine isn`t cheap to rebuild. Tr`s are prone to overheating anyway. I hate bieng stranded waiting for help to arrive. Pay the extra $ and replace the old core with good quality Guarenteed core.
Aluminum and steel equals electrolisis, electrolisis equals corrosion.
K. Steed
{Ret. Aircraft welder}
Retirement isn`t an occupation, it`s bieng obsessed with where, when, what, and with whom you are occupied.
----------------------------
1957 Tr-3 smallmouth
1973 Ford Bronco
What I drive daily is of no signicifance Hahahahaha

 

[Keoke]

AweMan ! doesn't Copper and Steel also equal electrolisis too! But with a copper radiator installed and isolated with rubber hoses you don't see any corrosion do you?---Keoke

 

[Guest]

Hey Tink,
Give Ron Davis Racing Products a call. They built the aluminum radiator for my TR6. I know they have patterns for all TR6s and TR4s. I paid $560 for mine, very happy with the results.

 

[tdskip]

For what it is worth, I just paid $290 for a re-core. Here is the thread of the conversation.

https://www.britishcarforum.com/bcforum/u...true#Post223341

 

[Tomster]

https://www.narsa.org/consumer/locate_service.cfm
Locator for radiator and oil cooler mfg and repair shops

 

[AweMan]

Yes any dissimular metal causes electrolisis. Rubber mountings would help a bit, but the coolant is still a conductor. When aluminum oxidises it turns to a powder {aluminum oxied} which isn`t structualy sound at all. Living in costal South Texas I have seen many aluminum radiators fail due to corrosion caused by the salt in the air there. Copper or brass corrodes at a much slower rate than aluminum does, that is why I myself prefer copper or brass. However aluminum also has it`s advantages, heat disipation rates for aluminum are much better than copper or brass. It is also a much lighter material. Aluminum could be the way to go if one can and will do the maintenance. The coolant and radiator on cars are the most neglected thing on an automobile aside from plugwires and tuneups If you decide to go with aluminum I recomend a thourough exterior cleaning at least once a year or more often if you live in a costal area or a state that uses salt on the roads during the winter. And the coolant needs to be changed at regular intervals {manufacturers recomendations on this} And use a coolant specificaly designed for aluminum radiators. Aluminum radiators usualy fail from the outside in not the indise out. Keeping an aluminum radiator clean on the exterior is the key to the lifespan of the radiator.

K. Steed
{Ret. Aircraft welder}
Retirement isn`t an occupation, it`s bieng obsessed with where, when, what, and with whom you are occupied.
----------------------------
1957 Tr-3 smallmouth
1973 Ford Bronco
What I drive daily is of no signicifance Hahahahaha

 

[trfourtune]

with recores at those prices, i'd definitely go aluminum. there are many for the 4a-6 but fewer with the long neck. forget about the hole in the middle unless your going concorse show level. try jack drews for aluminum. if you send your original (with long neck)to davis, he will duplicate it (it will LOOK fabricated though), good quality.
I talked to him once about my long neck but i'm going to go with an off the shelf racing radiator and custom route hoses.

 

[roofman]

I think it all comes down to originality and how important is it to you, and your car.

 

[sp53]

I live in the Seattle area and I just paid 230.00 tax included (we pay 9%) I would suggest that you make sure you have the right radiator to begin with. Many of the tr3’ had after markets stuck in there in the 70’ or 80’ and you do not want to rebuild most of them because the top tank and the bottom tank are not very good quality often kinda generic and do not fit exactly proper. If that is the case, go on Ebay and buy a restorable virgin and have that one rebuilt. In addition, make sure they plug the crank hole. You will need all the tubes.
sp53

 

[AweMan]

I did see an O.E.M. Tr-3 radaitor on E-bay yesterday, the high bid on it was $75.00 as of then. No telling the condition without a through Personal inspection. But for $75.00 it may be worth investigating if one needs a radaitor badly enough.

K. Steed
{Ret. Aircraft welder}
Retirement isn`t an occupation, it`s bieng obsessed with where, when, what, and with whom you are occupied.
----------------------------
1957 Tr-3 smallmouth
1973 Ford Bronco
What I drive daily is of no signicifance Hahahahaha

 

[Jim Lee]

Hi Tinkerman,

I recently had my '59 tr3 radiator recored and am very happy with it. It cost alot more than I thought it would, about $500, but they did a real good job and I don't think that I'd really be saving that much money by buying a made in 'who knows where' new one. For myself after you added in shipping it was almost exactly the same as buying a new one from one of the big three. One benefit that I am hoping for is that since it is much more efficient now without the crank hole and larger tubes they were able to shave about an inch in front to back thickness off of it
so that I am hoping to be able to change fans from the original to a six bladed TR6 fan for the summer that can now be mounted in the correct direction WITHOUT removing the front apron. I have not actually done that yet but I am pretty sure I will be able to. Although it is winter time I am now more worried about it running too cool. It the temp needle has been just going up to the unnumbered halfway mark before the 6 o'clock 185 position that it used to always be at. It's probably about at the 7 to 7:30 postion now and only gets up to 185 after I shut it down.

One other thing, assuming you have a tr3 or earlier, I would advise removing the front apron and radiator yourself if at all possible as you can learn alot doing it and if necessary
replace the motor mounts and fan bushings (and/or fan) like I did. Also I cringe when I think of somebody else taking all that stuff apart who might not care as much about the car as me. I am far from an originality freak but I have replaced such crappy plasticized radiators on other cars through the years that I thought I would retain as much of the original as I could in keeping with the 'they don't make them like they used to' philosophy. The most important think if you go the recoring route to me is to find someone to do it who cares about old cars. They guys I found locally had a Morgan radiator in there they had just done and it was a thing of beauty. That is really what convinced me was seeing that when I first visited the place. Lastly you might be pleasantly surprised and not have to recore but
just have some repairs made. In any case I have not regretted going to recore route at all.

Thanks,
Jim Lee

 

[Keoke]

Well should one be undecided as to which type metal to choose for their radiator just remember that Copper has about "Twice" the thermal conductivity of Aluminum.---Keoke

 

[Tinkerman]

Hi Jim:
Thanks for your thoughts, and to all of you for input. I am doing a frame off restoration and originalty is paramount. As some one pointed out, I might think an alloy radiator is just wonderful but someone buying the car down the road might not.

The folks that quoted the recore are well thought of by people that I respect and I have seen some of their work and it is first class. So I guess I will just have to suck it up and spend the money!

Thanks to all of you for your thoughts and suggestions, gotta love the BCF!

Cheers, Tinkerman