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TR2/3/3A TR3A Radiator pressure?

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CraigLandrum

CraigLandrum

Jedi Hopeful
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We are about to take our existing central-holed radiator into a shop for testing/cleaning/repair and I am concerned that they may try and put too much pressure into it during testing as I suspect that modern radiators operate under much higher pressures than these older units. What pressure should we have them test to? And also, any advice as to cleaning, refurbishment are welcome.

FYI, I want to try and keep the central-holed radiator so I can demonstrate hand-cranking to my kids and the curious. I recognize that I'm paying a penalty in cooling capacity.
 
My son has owned a radiator/air conditioning shop for 25 years. From his information, the radiator should be able to hold 15 lbs of pressure with no leaks. I use a 7 lb pressure cap on my older cars, which is plenty of pressure for an old classic car. High pressure systems as on newer cars are for higher temperatures and pressures to lower the boiling point.
To answer your question, my son uses up to 10 lbs of pressure while the radiator is in the tank. Some shops use more, some less. A good shop will not damage your radiator! They couldn't stay in business if they were that careless.

Just a little radiator info. He said "the hardest radiator to repair and make look original, is the old Dodge/Plymouth <span style="font-weight: bold">honeycomb</span> radiator of the 30s". But, discontinued because of it's complexity, to this day, it's one of the best radiators ever designed for cooling.
 
The 3A radiator is spec'd for just 4lbs. Later, they went to 7lbs in the TR4 which basically uses the same radiator. But caution in the TR3 if you are also pressure testing the heater core. They are very delicate and can blow out easily.
 
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