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By Rusty_S85 - 9 Years Ago
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I decided to just go ahead and replace my radiator as it would be a waste of time to check with local shops to find one that would recore it and remove the large dent out of the top of the tank.
This question how ever is being posted as I was talking to Tee-Bird Inc. and they told me the original radiator had a tag or the engineering number stamped into the radiator. That the new radiator wouldn't have this so it wouldn't be concours quality.
I wanted to ask if anyone has any pictures of the tag or engineering numbers as I recall seeing no tag or engineering number on my radiator. I know I was told some used tags and some had it stamped into the top tank depending on the manufacturer, if need be I could always locate a tag on ebay if I am lucky and have a local radiator shop attach it in the proper location if need be.
I just want to try and see if anyone has photos or information on this. I have to say the radiator has been replaced once but I can not be for sure and I have no definite answer on if there was ever any factory radiators without the tag or the engineering number stamp. I highly doubt it as everything was marked in some way.
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By paul2748 - 9 Years Ago
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I have what appears to be the original radiator in my 56 Bird. it has numbers on the top. Some of the numbers are for the manufacturing date. All Tbirds came this way so I am told, so I image the sedan were the same. They are on top of the top tank
If you have no numbers, it is probably a replacement radiator.
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By Rusty_S85 - 9 Years Ago
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paul2748 (4/10/2015)
I have what appears to be the original radiator in my 56 Bird. it has numbers on the top. Some of the numbers are for the manufacturing date. All Tbirds came this way so I am told, so I image the sedan were the same. They are on top of the top tank If you have no numbers, it is probably a replacement radiator.
I wouldn't doubt it considering how old the car is. Thing is though the guy I talked with at Tee-Bird Inc said that there are two ways these radiators were marked according to the factory that built them one was a tag attached to the radiator and the other is being physically stamped. If the tag part is correct I could just find a tag and clean the paint off the radiator and have the local radiator shop attach a used correct tag to the radiator and repaint it.
I honestly don't know how much it would hurt this car as once I am finished with it I want to win atleast one or two tropies with it but I do want to put the car back like it was when it was picked up from the dealership. Aside from minor changes such as white wall tires vs the standard black walls.
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By paul2748 - 9 Years Ago
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Rusty - The bird radiators were made by Modine, the only supplier. I would imagine they were the supplier for the sedans.
Tags were put on for the 1955 run. In late 55 and for 56 and 57 the dates were stamped in at the top. Now this was for TBirds. Whether the sedans had the same deal I don't really know.
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By Rusty_S85 - 9 Years Ago
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I went and looked at my radiator last night and there is a tag on it. Its hard to read with the paint wrinkled up on it so I will use a brass wire brush to clean it off and read it.
Now I am in a situation where I have to decide what is more cost effective. Seeing if I can find a local shop that can recore the old radiator as well as remove the dent out of the top of the tank. Or allow my back ordered radiator that wont be available till early June to come in and have a local shop detach the tag and attach it on my new radiator.
The dent is not that bad in the top of the tank, but the guy I talked with at Tee-Bird told me that they are very hard to remove dents out of due to their shape and make them look "new". I guess I will have to call up some local shops now as I didn't pay attention to the fact if there was original markings or tags and I just went and placed an order for a new radiator and now I am second guessing myself since my goal is put the car back to the condition it was in just like it was drove off the car lot seconds earlier.
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By charliemccraney - 9 Years Ago
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If you want it to be just as it was driven off the lot, then there are only two ways to do it. Fix your old one or find a good used one. Reproduction won't fly, not by my definition, anyway.
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By Rusty_S85 - 9 Years Ago
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My problem is the only radiator shop that I have used in the past that I know personally is decent, they have so far turned one radiator away due to its age and the fact it was leaking at the tank just like this one. Difference is this one will need to be recored as a few of the cores are detached by like 1/8 to 1/4 inch from the tank itself.
Only thing I can do is give them a call and see how much they would charge to recore the radiator and reshape the top tank. I just know they will try to talk themselves out of doing it like they did my '78 radiator I wanted fixed.
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By Rusty_S85 - 9 Years Ago
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Well I called the shop I used in the past up they said it was no problem to recore it so I will try to take off early from work tomorrow night and remove the radiator and take it in during lunch on Wed. for a price quote. I will probably go this route and have Macs cancle my order. Im sure it will be way cheaper than the $540 that Macs is charging me.
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By HT32BSX115 - 9 Years Ago
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Howdy,
I re-cored mine. I wanted an original, brass radiator and a 4-row. no one had a replacement 4-core radiator for my 55 F-600.
Wasn't cheap, but it fits and it's guaranteed by a local shop.
Cheers,
Rick
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By Rusty_S85 - 9 Years Ago
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I will be finding out how much they will charge to recore mine. If they say $500 or more I will just get the one I have on back order and just detach and reattach the original tag to the new radiator. But I don't think they would charge more than $300 to recore mine, plus mine is just a plain old 3 core copper passenger car radiator.
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By Rusty_S85 - 9 Years Ago
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Well I had some clear weather today after work and was able to pull my radiator to take it to have it quoted for a recore and to have the dents removed from the top tank. After I got it removed how ever this is what I noticed, first off it appears that the outter two most tubes on the driver side and the outer most tube on the passenger side was intentionally detached from the top and bottom tank and it appears the tanks were then soldered over. I guess this was a cheaper alternative than installing new cores. The second thing I noticed is the bottom tank on this radiator is beat up pretty good and I never noticed it before.
The question that I am curious about is the seam around the middle of the top tank, that is a separation point for the tank halves isn't it? I never really been involved in the whole radiator repair but I believe the cores are attached to the radiator tanks via solder on the inside of the tanks isn't that correct or am I mis thinking this?
I ask because buddy who was over here told me they wont fix the dents they will recore my radiator how ever but I explicity asked the shop when I called for a price quote on recoring and removing the dents out of the tanks. I am sure that it can be done considering the pieces were put together by man and have to come apart by man to recore it. Its just one of those things where if they are taking it apart completely to recore it I expect to have the dings and dents taken out at the same time otherwise I might as well wait for my new radiator to come in. But I shall find out tomorrow exactly what the cost is going to be and I will be telling them I want the tanks repaired as this is going in a concourse restoration I am working on. Id be willing to pay $400 to even $500 to have this done just to keep the original radiator with the original tag if they can make it look like new and function like new.
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By Rusty_S85 - 9 Years Ago
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I dropped the radiator off at the shop. So far I haven't got the price yet they will call me as they will be ordering a new core assembly from Dallas. Down side is that they told me that they don't make curved headers anymore so the bottom of the radiator will now be flat and I am not too sure how they plan on attaching the upper hose neck as it attaches through the upper half of the tank into the lower half of the upper tank. There was mention of relocating it into the top of the tank and I will ask them when they call back cause if the neck is relocated the reproduction upper radiator hose will not reach as it is already a perfect fit as it is.
I also found out the tag that is on mine is not the original tag and it must have been removed as B&B Radiator Inc who was a radiator shop around here till 10 years ago is who worked on the radiator and they put their tag on there.
Im just seriously wondering if I should just go with the new radiator as it has a curved bowl header and looks the same they are going to redesign the radiator for the most part and I just don't know if I want to spend the money on it and not be happy with it and have to buy a new radiator in the end.
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By lyonroad - 9 Years Ago
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Well if they change the shape of the tank and relocate the intake then my guess would be that it would no longer be concourse. I think that is important to you so you may have to look elsewhere. When I re-cored the rad on my '56 pickup I got the tanks back from the rad shop while they were waiting on the core and straightened them myself. The tank material is very easy to work with. Actually after I installed the rad I was leaning over it to adjust something and put the dent right back in it. Then after the rad was filled and the engine run for the first time the pressure in the rad pushed the dent back out.
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By Rusty_S85 - 9 Years Ago
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lyonroad (4/15/2015)
Well if they change the shape of the tank and relocate the intake then my guess would be that it would no longer be concourse. I think that is important to you so you may have to look elsewhere. When I re-cored the rad on my '56 pickup I got the tanks back from the rad shop while they were waiting on the core and straightened them myself. The tank material is very easy to work with. Actually after I installed the rad I was leaning over it to adjust something and put the dent right back in it. Then after the rad was filled and the engine run for the first time the pressure in the rad pushed the dent back out.
That is the delima I am in currently. I got a call from the shop and it will be $475 total out the door cost and it comes with a 2 year warranty. They have been in business a long time and the guy that does the work on the radiator has been doing this since AJ Foyt was racing and even built some radiators for him. But I am just wondering now if I should just go with the $475 radiator new and just deal with the non concourse quality radiator. My orignal one is already missing the tag and has no stamps on it as far as I can tell and the tag that is on there is from B&B Radiator Inc which was a local radiator shop that must have done the patch job on the radiator which is leaking now.
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By carl - 9 Years Ago
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Rusty I scraped several 55,56 radiators and I saved the top and bottom tanks,the radiator shop could put a new core on a old bottom,you might ask them if they can do that Carl
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By Rusty_S85 - 9 Years Ago
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that's what they are doing is replacing the whole center core section and reusing my tanks. But they were telling me that the headers are not offered in anything other than flat now. But she called me back up about an hour after I made my last post she told me what they can do is disassemble the radiator and they have only done this a couple times in the past but it can be done but they can send the radiator core to Dallas and have them build a new core for it with the correct curved header so the upper hose neck will attach like it did originally and the tank will fit just the same. Price would be the same so I am going to go ahead and have them go this route.
Its also nice considering my '56 was built at the Dallas plant and no the radiator installed in the car in Dallas so long ago is returning to be duplicated to replace the original in the car. I also mentioned taking the tanks and trying to straighten them out myself and she said that they could do it and it would be no problem. So I am actually thinking I am getting a damn good deal for $475. Don't have to wait for the reproduction radiators to come back into stock in early June, I get a 2 year warranty, and the core that is being built will be built using my original core as a pattern so it would be identical to the original core vs the new reproduction. Its a win win win for me as I can save a little money over the $540 for the new radiator including freight and I will get it back all like new Wed or Thursday.
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By 5d6fairlane - 9 Years Ago
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Let me know how that goes.
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By Rusty_S85 - 9 Years Ago
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carl (4/16/2015)
Rusty I scraped several 55,56 radiators and I saved the top and bottom tanks,the radiator shop could put a new core on a old bottom,you might ask them if they can do that Carl
Those top tanks for '55-56 does any of them have the original tag still on them? Mine I don't know if it broke off or not but theres a small torn piece of brass still on my radiator and if you have one with the correct tag for a '56 let me know I would be interested in obtaining it to have installed on my radiator.
Dave Doll, that is what they were telling me that's why I opted out with an option that they gave me where they will send the radiator to Dallas and use it as a pattern to create the correct bowl headers for the radiator so when its back together it will fit and function as it did when it was new. Cost me $20 more for shipping but I don't mind as I cant wait till June to start working on this car again and have to finish it up in the hot summer months if I can get it driveable now.
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By Dave Doll - 9 Years Ago
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What they are going to do is build a core with a flat flange for your head sheet and take your old top header and cut cut out the old tube pattern then slide the new core in depending on how skilled they are you will have a seam all the way around the bottom of the header. There is no other way to do it We have done it lots of times if you take your time and work it, it really is unnoticeable unless you look really look for it
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By carl - 9 Years Ago
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rusty the top tank I have that has a tag attached has the following number either G 64-10 or 664-10,not sure what it means Carl
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By Rusty_S85 - 9 Years Ago
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carl (4/16/2015)
rusty the top tank I have that has a tag attached has the following number either G 64-10 or 664-10,not sure what it means Carl
Hmm that would have been the next question I had is what do the tags mean. The radiator shop told me they would gladly solder on a tag on my tank if I can locate one and I was thinking if it would be proper I could always keep the tank as a spare just incase the original gets damaged.
But now I have to do some reading to find out what the tags even mean. If it is a date code then that is going to be hard to find a proper date code tag for mine unless I can find like a trophy shop that could replicate a copper tag to say what I need it to say.
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By Rusty_S85 - 9 Years Ago
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Dave Doll (4/16/2015)
What they are going to do is build a core with a flat flange for your head sheet and take your old top header and cut cut out the old tube pattern then slide the new core in depending on how skilled they are you will have a seam all the way around the bottom of the header. There is no other way to do it We have done it lots of times if you take your time and work it, it really is unnoticeable unless you look really look for it
That I how they said they were going to do it. But with the way they told me it is actually going to be done is that when the radiator is back together you coudnt tell its been rebuilt as the headers are going to be built just like the orignals which is why its costing me $20 extra to ship my old core to the builders to replicate. I will see how ever when it comes in how it is but they told me everything would be just like it was with the original when it is finished. I talked more to them today when I stopped by to finalize the deal and pay the deposit on the radiator. They already had it apart and was waiting for UPS to pick it up to send it to Dallas.
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By Rusty_S85 - 9 Years Ago
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My radiator will be ready around 3 or 4 pm today. I will post photos but I did tell them to go ahead and paint the radiator as I didn't have the paint and it would take another week to get it from Eastwood. They said the paint is a flat black and I recall the radiators in these cars were a satin black close to flat black is that correct?
If not I might have to just order the paint from eastwood and strip the radiator down of paint and repaint it.
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