NewportLover77
New Member
So I've been looking for a radiator and I'm not sure what would really work? Comparing radiators, I was told by a family member that the ones I were looking at were wayyyyy to expensive?
77 Newport (first car). Radiator leak
- Thread starter NewportLover77
- Start date
Trust me, leaking radiator needs replaced! Get what you want, original or aftermarket aluminum! It's money well spent! I watch my poor dad when I was a kid fix a leaky radiator and two days later fix another leak. And then another and another. I told myself then, pay the price for a new radiator and count your blessings!
Owen11x
Well-Known Member
Ebay.. Just buy an affordable aluminum rad. You can get them for under $150 delivered
Yes, copper/brass radiators are about tripled or quadrupled what I used to buy 26" Modine 332s for in the later 1970s. Just a few dollars more than a radiator shop "clean out and re-solder", which was about $200.00 back then. For a few dollars more, I got a complete new OEM-spec radiator in all respects, other than no stamping of Chrysler logos and part numbers.
Measure the existing radiator and see how wide the core is. Either 22" or 26" (factory air conditioned cars, as mine were). Usually, the part number of the radiator will have the "industry part number" embedded into it somewhere.
Many of the aftermarket aluminum radiators for Chrysler products will have the correct, or reasonably correct mounting flanges on them. Rather than being totally "universal fit" as they all used to be. Look at the car and take note of how the radiator mounts to the back of the core support so you can judge how close the replacement alloy radiator is to what is on the car. If an automatic car, it'll also need an automatic transmission cooler in the bottom tank. Check the dimension between the lines, too!
DO look through the several threads related to radiator replacements in this forum. IF you get the option, choose the "high-efficiency" core option.
Like other auto parts, they are not as generic as some might suspect. Brand and quality DO matter just as much as "correct fit" (front, back, and sideways).
Personally, I'm not a big fan of the heli-arc welded together alloy radiators. Why? Because they are not rebuildable, becoming "several beer cans" with toxic accumulations in them, after several years. IF there is a larger radiator shop near you, used by the over-the-road trucking operatives, check with them for rebuilds and new radiators. They should be using the better-grade solders to produce a job that lasts at least as long as an OEM new radiator.
Just some thoughts, observations, and experiences.
CBODY67
Measure the existing radiator and see how wide the core is. Either 22" or 26" (factory air conditioned cars, as mine were). Usually, the part number of the radiator will have the "industry part number" embedded into it somewhere.
Many of the aftermarket aluminum radiators for Chrysler products will have the correct, or reasonably correct mounting flanges on them. Rather than being totally "universal fit" as they all used to be. Look at the car and take note of how the radiator mounts to the back of the core support so you can judge how close the replacement alloy radiator is to what is on the car. If an automatic car, it'll also need an automatic transmission cooler in the bottom tank. Check the dimension between the lines, too!
DO look through the several threads related to radiator replacements in this forum. IF you get the option, choose the "high-efficiency" core option.
Like other auto parts, they are not as generic as some might suspect. Brand and quality DO matter just as much as "correct fit" (front, back, and sideways).
Personally, I'm not a big fan of the heli-arc welded together alloy radiators. Why? Because they are not rebuildable, becoming "several beer cans" with toxic accumulations in them, after several years. IF there is a larger radiator shop near you, used by the over-the-road trucking operatives, check with them for rebuilds and new radiators. They should be using the better-grade solders to produce a job that lasts at least as long as an OEM new radiator.
Just some thoughts, observations, and experiences.
CBODY67
Similar threads
