$250 to recore a radiator?

my radiator finall bit it in a big way. it appears to be the original for the duantless v6 i have.

i took it to the only radiator shop we have here (american radiator) and he wants $250 to recore it. i split along the top tank seam but most of the tubes have corrosion on the bottom and i don't really trust the core anymore for back country.

does $250 sound a little high?

are there any radiators from other cars/engines that will fit without having to "adapt" the jeep. say from a 231 v6 or a short block 283 v8? i'd like to just slip another one in from the salvage yard to hold out for a little while if the price is cheap.

this thing went off 4 blocks from home. by the time i was one block the ignition shorted out and it stalled.

on the plus side, as long as the radiator is out (removed it this morning between meetings) i decided to install the hei dist i have. lots of room to grind, etc. until i get another radiator.

 

Sounds about right for my area for a radiator. Take lots of measurements and go to the wrecking yard. You may find something that'll fit. The bottom outlet is a major concern. On most V6's (Dauntless) the fan comes pretty close to it.

 

in the tacoma washington area they want 350.00 to recore the closest i found was a 64 or 65 ford gallaxie rad was the closest i think both top and bottom necks are on the pass side
keith

 

Remember that NOS-still-in-the-Willys-box Fhead radiator that M38A1diesel had for sale for $150? This is why I jumped on that like a horny chimp. I sold something I didn't wanna sell just to get that. No regrets.

 

I've been preaching the 65/66 mustang 289 radiator here for months now. nearly identical dimensions to an F head radiator (i dont know the V6 dimensions, but i bet its real close too). upper and lower hoses are on the passenger side - just like the buick motors. the lower outlet needs a reducer to mate it to the buick water pump, but the upper hose has the same O.D. as the buick thermostat housing. you can get them in 3 or 4 core versions, enough to cool a hopped up 289 and certainly enough for a buick v6. i got a brand new 3 core radiator delivered to my door for $120.00 with a warranty. i don't understand why people pay 3 times that to recore a 40 year old radiator - unless its an all original show jeep.... which few are.

 

I would do this.

Otherwise, I paid $210 last year to recore mine.

 

I paid $230 to get mine re-cored last march.

Linckeil the upper radiator hose on a v6 radiator is in the middle of the tank, not on the passenger side.

 

if you say so, i've never dealt with a stock v6 radiator. but what direction does the thermostat housing outlet point? one pointing straight up would be ideal for a center mounted inlet on the radiator tank. but all v6's i've seen have the thermostat housing outlet pointed to the passenger side, which makes more sense with a radiator inlet on the passenger side. maybe some did have a thermostat housing pointed up the center, but i haven't seen one.

 

they are all over ebay, anywhere from 100-150 brand new - some with warranties. from mustang and radiator specialty shops. thats where i got mine. another perk to this radiator is that they all come with a cooling tank that was used with automatic trans equipped mustangs. i'm gonna use is as an engine oil cooler.

 

Normally I'd agree with you, but there are a few drawbacks to the new ones. The new replacements (Modine, Transpro) are made in Mexico where labor is cheaper. Usually they are fine, but they are made from the lightest possible material and can have quality control problems. They are really inexpensive though. The demand for and price of copper is still going up, so you might find higher prices now and in the future.

With the radiator on my truck, only a 2-row version (std 6-cyl) was available new. I could get the 3-row core though the one radiator shop locally that would actually recore the radiator. The shop had to have the premade core sent from Maine and they added my tanks and pressure tested. Total cost was somewhere around $250 - if I was driving a V8 Wagoneer I could have spent a little more than half that on a new one.

 

To fit the mustang radiator to the F-head engine, does it need modifications like it would to fit the V-6? :?

Where do you get it for $120.00? :?

 

if there are three tube rows that lead down from the upper tank on the inside then that was $250 for a 3 core since mine is already a 3 core.

this is all great information. as usual this site and the people on it are the best on the net! I've been pointing anyone with an interest that i meet to this site.

 

I paid $225 to have mine recored to a 4 core about 5 or 6 years ago.

 

On this same form, there was a thread started by ca51flatty,( 225 odd-fire HEI troubles, help ) In the replys there were pictures that showed both types of thermostat housings.