VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 Honeycomb Expert Wanted......

On eBay is a Chevy honeycomb radiator, eBay item #230018705519. Can somebody who knows check it out for me and let me know if it will work on a '29? The guy said it came with a '31 shell but
with what he says about the tag on the top tank.
It may be a '30 model honeycomb and if so it will
fit my '29?!?!? The radiator in my '29 has the original '29 Harrison tanks but with an after market fin type core. Sure would like to have an original honeycomb on the 'ol buggy....


:love: 1929 Chevrolet AC International Coach :love:

Yes, the radiator does appear to be a 1930 issue and it will work in your 1929. However, replacing a used core with a used core is kind of redundant especially if you find out that this core does not cool as it should. Since the heart of the car is the radiator, you might want to consider buying a new honeycomb core instead because the new cores flow better, cool better, and they also have more cooling tubes than the original core as well.

JYD,

I've looked into the new honeycomb cores at the Filling Station, but they are a little pricey. :(
I'm going to E-mail the guy and ask some more questions about it and go from there. Thanks dog, I don't care what the other junkyard hounds have to say.


1929 Chevrolet: A Six in the Price Range of a Four!

Don't be penny wise and pound foolish. Buy the new core like the dog says!

If you think the Filling Station core is high? we just priced a honeycomb core from a guy in New Jersey. It was $ 1700 for a core for a '28 Chevy.

Yep, and as I understand it, one of the honeycomb cores made in Europe sells for around $2,000!

:eek: :eek: :eek:

I was quoted a price of $1500 USD out of England. I bought mine from the Filling Station instead. It took forever to get here but finally arrived. The radiator shop repairman praised its quality. As I speak he is taking it plus the 3 other older ones I have and making as many as he can. He assured me he can make two and may be able to make three.

The core from the Filling Station was $600 plus $39 S&H

I agree 100 percent with JYD; buy the new core! My engine man used to work on these old chevys in his younger days and he said he would not put one of the original honeycombs on any car he owned, as they are very poor. Just because it is original does not mean it works well. Considering how difficult it is to find a cylinder head for one of these cars, I would not risk it.

Don,

Thanks for the info. Maybe what your engine man says is true. However, from 1966 to 1969 I drove an original '29 coach while in high school. It had
its original honeycomb and I put over 10,000 miles on the car with no radiator problems. I'm
still leaning toward getting an original one if
I can get it for the "right" price.


:love: 1929 Chevrolet AC International coach :love:

The original radiator core probably did a sufficient job of cooling when the car was newer, but, like everything else, age takes its toll, and age is a considering factor when it comes to radiators, especially a radiator that is 77 years old. An original honeycomb cannot be rodded out correctly due to its construction, and the cooling characteristics and technology of a modern honeycomb are superior to a radiator that was made back in 1929. That could be something that you might want to consider, especially if your '29 is going to be a driver.

What JYD said...1966 was 40 years ago

Gang,

You guys are probably right and I haven't taken the plunge by bidding on any on the 'Bay. However,
if the "right" one comes along I just might have to bid. Ya' know how it is when you are a stickler
for "authinticity......."


1929 Chevrolet: The Most Outstanding Chevrolet In Chevrolet History!

Yep, authenticity is extremely important when restoring a vehicle. However, if the "authentic" part is useless, then the "authenticity" is redundant unfortunately. Just something to think about in your search for a radiator.

jyd, right you are. keep the original what ever in a box for preservation and do what is realistic to run your ride. jim

IF Captain Harley could find one for not too much, he could spend another $20 and have fun trying to get it cleaned out like I am with the original off my car and if you succeed, WOW. By the sound of most of you I have very little faith that I will get mine working right but I like the challenge and who knows. It was boiled out at the radiator shop and no leaks but still heats up. If it doesn't clean out, then I'll go with the straight tube core as mine will be a driver. I have another '31 radiator with good tanks that I could use on the new core. :p

If you find one that's good, don't do like I did. After buying three
"perfect" ones off ebay which were junk when arrived at the house I finally got one in great shape. I just wanted it checked for leaks and cleaned. Took mine to a well known shop in town. "Oh yeah, I had to do one for a Chrysler like that core was 1000.00. He acid tanked mine and melted all the solder out. Of course then said yeah, it will be 1000.00 to fix it. Buy a new one from filling station. By the time you go through 3 or 4 trying to find one and then finding someone with since enough to solder the tanks on, you come out cheaper. Just my two cents worth.

Just had to comment on the notation that the original honeycomb radiators were very poor. I purchased a 1930 Chevrolet in 1973 that had not been in use for years and was a low mileage vehicle in good condition and had what appeared to be the original honeycomb radiator. I drove this car as an everyday vehicle to work for over a year and never had any problems with the engine oveheating. In fact, I actually considered it to be on the side of running too cool and probably should have added a thermostat to make it run warmer.

I bought one from the filling station seven years ago. The best thing I ever did and It works perfect and looks great. Solve your problems and buy one. Look at It this way, You only need one. It Is not like going shopping with the wife to Nordstroms and paying hundreds of dollars for the shoes, purses and clothes she wears, And a few months later they all go to the good will or wherever and she does the same thing over again. In my restoration of my 32, Dollar bills soon turned Into 100 dollar bills and only having to buy one radiator, What a deal.

barry22: Yes, but that was 33 years ago and age does take a toll on radiators and other perishable parts as well. The radiator in my '30 coupe was good back in 1973 too, but in 1986 it had to be replaced with a new honeycomb because it lost much of its heat transfer capabilities and the car constantly overheated at idle.

:( :( :(

I agree that age does take its toll, and this includes all radiators, regardless of what type they are. The point I was trying to make was that just because a radiator is of the honeycomb style, that does not necessarily make it a poor choice for use in a cooling system as noted by the engine man.

barry22: You are absolutely correct; a honeycomb radiator is not a poor choice for a cooling system and when new they probably cooled just fine. However, I think that possibly you might be reading 31Chevylover'nSC's posting in a different light than the way I am reading it. As I read the posting it sounds to me that the engine man was saying that as these honeycomb radiators get old it is a poor choice to keep the original honeycomb radiators because of their poor cooling capabilities and they should be replaced. I don't think that he was talking about the original honeycomb radiators when they were new. However, because of the wording in the posting I guess you could probably read it either way.

Actually, the new honeycomb radiators do have better cooling qualities than the original type due to more cooling tubes and a modern internal construction.

I have a 32 honeycomb radiator that a hot rodder tried to use with a v-8-The core was cleaned and tested fine but needless to say did not cool the v-8-the tank outlets have been modified but could be changed back to original-If any "purist" is interested send me a private email and I'll be glad to exchange for a very reasonable price. please note I have a "filling station core" protecting my investment in my 32.

"Protecting my investment in my 32".

m006840: That is an excellent way to explain what a new honeycomb radiator will do for your car, especially when you have thousands of dollars invested in a new engine. Good point!

When I restored my '41 in 1999 I kept the car 100% stock and as authentic as possible. After a couple of years of overheating during parades and even hot weather trips I installed a modern radiator core using my top and bottom. I installed a new water pump and 180 degree thermostat. One of the best moves I have ever made. Now it goes up to 180 degrees and stays there regardless of weather or speed. The other good change I made was to put a 3:54 ring gear and pinion out of a '53 powerglide. Makes a world of difference in performance. Does it make sense to have a Chevrolet that you cannot drive because it has to be perfect (authentic)? Very few people would ever know if the radiator was Original. Put in a modern core and enjoy your car. IMHO JIM

Update on cleaning out radiator. Cleaned out with muratic acid and gained about 3 minutes to get to 200 degrees. Ran soda water through to and then a day later cleaned with Prestone Radiator cleaner. I always stopped at 180 degrees so as not to hurt the engine. You wouldn't believe how dirty and grimy the water came out of a motor and radiator the was boiled out by a couple of professionals. Pitch black, but I did gain another three minutes. Right now am trying another jug of Prestone Radiator cleaner and will let you know in a day or two if I gained anymore. Forgot to mention that in between this I took the radiator off and hooked it up to a paddle pump and ran more muratic acic through it for about an hour.