One of the request from the customer on the Hudson project was to repair the original radiator. At first glace, it looked usable with a few areas of concern, but nothing major. Once we pressure tested it however, it was a different story. There were leaks everywhere ad it needed re-cored. So, it was decided to just go ahead and make/modify an aluminum one.
I usually start with the Summit Racing brand universal application radiators. They are actually Northern Radiators that are re-boxed in a Summit box. There a very cost effective and come in a variety of sizes. They are designed for cross flow application, so the filler neck has to be relocated. Also, in most cases, the top tank has to be modified. So, before I can get it out of the box, the top tank is usually laying on the floor...
The tank is fab'd up out of 0.05" thick aluminum and then welded on. In the past, I use to submerge the radiator in a barrel of water up to where I had to weld to keep everything cool while welding. However, with the brazing that is used to the hold the core in, this really isn't necessary. I simply weld where I need to and move on.
The original radiator mounted on the frame with 2 carriage bolts. We made a couple of these pieces to fully encapsulate the head and welded them on the bottom in the proper location and angle...
After making some grill shell mounts, we have a new radiator that will outperform the orignal...
