(Wondering if there might have been some environmental reasons, too?)
Back when our '66 Newport was still a used car, there were a couple of radiator shops in town. No real need to go anywhere else, back then. But one by one, they closed. We didn't know any better back then, but it usually was a 2-3 year repair before it the tank solder would start to seep again. CONSISTENTLY.
When I bought my '70 DH43 in '75, it needed "work" a few years later. I priced a re-core on it (26") and knowing the 2-3 year deal, I priced a new Modine. Went that way, with OEM-level durability. I kept the orig radiator in case I might need the tanks for the numbers.
THAT's when it occurred to me that there might be differing qualities of the sealing solder! Why would the new Modine last much longer than the re-cores did?
When I needed a radiator for my '80 Newport, I found one from a wrecked sheriff's car in the local salvage yard. Took it to the same shop we took our dealership shop's radiators to. An old line radiator shop which the son was running. NO problems with durability, either. Which tended to confirm my suspicion about the quality of solder being used. Provided that everybody was using equivalent cleaning and such of the tank/core flanges to start with.
The current Spectras have the same look AND part number as the earlier Modines. They fit like they are supposed to, at least on my '70 Monaco. Be that as it may.
Before the Spectras came around, Modine was my default brand for new radiators, if needed. They never disappointed in cooling performance or durability. But as none of my cars are complete show cars, it would not bother me to use a composite high-efficiency radiator in their place, IF I can find one that will bolt in. Perhaps one from a late-model Charger (as in the Gen III conversion done by a member on a Fury Fastop) can be adapted for less money and better performance? Has to look OEM, as much as possible, though.
On our '72 Newport 400 2bbl, after it was a year old or so, there was a TSM about a/c hosing blowing off in the summer heat. The factory-supplied parts included thin die-cut rubber sheeting to ensure that all air that went through the radiator came from the grille area, NOT from underneath the front bumper's valence panel. Seems that in certain conditions, in slow traffic, the hot engine air could get recycled from underneath, back into the a/c condenser/radiator, which increased the head pressure and could rupture the a/c lines. Also a TIC valve to use manifold vacuum to speed up the engine a bit when a certain coolant temp was reached, in the mix, too. We never had any problems, in that respect, so I suspect the "fix" worked? Seemed like it should. In other respects, Chrysler always seemed better about designing their core support areas such that the vast majority of the air that went through the grille went through the radiator, NOT around it (as it seemed to be with many GM front ends).
Whatever works . . .
CBODY67
