VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 32 Radiator Removal Question

Removing the radiator from my 32. Are the two bolts on the bottom center of the cross member the only hold down bolts? Looks like there is also a bolt on each side of the cross member that have access holes.

I have the radiator out and will need a replacement. The filling station has cores but I am going to need to replace the top tank. Does anyone make a replacement?
I also wanted to know what the original finish was on the grill?
Any help would be appreciated

You have a few options on the cores. Honeycomb, cellular or V-cell (Chevy starting using that type in 1933) or fin & tube. They are listed in decreasing cost. There is a fella that is making a honeycomb core (a couple a week) that is 2/3 the cost of the Filling Station. The cells are a smaller than the passenger much closer to the trucks. I had a local radiator shop fit one for me. So far have not installed it. Sure looks good.

The top tank may be repaired if not too badly damaged. Lead soldering or silver soldering an internal patch can be undetectable if done correctly. Takes an old-timer to render the cure.

I had not planned to go back with a honeycomb core. The tube inside the top tank form the water inlet has completely corroded away. This causes a lot of coolant loss out the overflow tube.

The tube can fairly easily be replaced. Appears that the V-cell is the core for you. Any local radiator shop should be able to measure, order a replacement core and install it. If they can't or don't want to then find another shop.

I'm am going to check with a local shop tomorrow. Do you know what the original finish was on the outside of the grill ?

The grille on the 1932 passenger cars was chrome plated with the sides of each rib on the grille painted black.

It would be a lot of work to duplicate that grill finish
Thanks for the info

Actually the process to duplicate the factory look is not too complicated or time consuming. If an original screen is used have it chromed and only buffed on the front edges. Paint the entire screen with a slow drying black paint and before the paint is fully set wipe carefully with a balled rag dampened with paint thinner. Wrapping the rag into a ball and lightly rubbing the surface only takes the paint from the front edge of each rib. A stiff sponge will also work.

The replacement screen is stainless. A similar process works for it as well.

The process described above is how it is done and it isn't that hard to accomplish.

I am going to take the grill to the chrome shop next week and see what they say.As the grill is now someone must have stripped the paint off it years ago.

Or it could have worn off naturally. I have a used grill and it has no sign of paint.

With age the black paint on the sides ribs of the grille usually wore off after years of use. However, the sides of the ribs were painted black at the factory.

Now I'm looking at replacing the original honeycomb core with a 2 row tube and fin.
I just wondered if anyone else has did this?

I have used tube an fin on the 4 cylinders but never on the early 6s. Always felt the extra cooling with the V-cell was worth the extra bucks. Haven't had any problems using the V-cell even on the Boss's '31 Fire Truck that uses most of its 50 horses to get it down the road at 45-50 mph. It has been to 9400 feet without water loss in the summer.

Now hear this: When I rechromed my 31 parts , they said "the plate where the crank goes through was silver plated" did anyone ever hear of this?
Dulty

Not sure what you mean by "the plate where the crank goes through was silver plated" unless it it what I call the "lower radiator cover".

The sheet metal part of the cover is painted black. The ring around the crank hole in lower radiator cover is either stainless or chrome plated. The crank hole cover is chrome plated. The radiator shell is chrome plated brass. The shallow "U" shaped trim on the lower cover is chrome plated.

Chipper: I had the radiator cover chromed in K.C. & I was surprised when they told me that. Right now my 31 Cabriolet is in the E.R. I am still working on the steering gear box, I put a new sector shaft in but the worm gear might be bad, Petezete sent me some good stuff, that I am trying .
Dulty

Hello Dulty,

Question, could you have been mistake and that they were saying that the crank hole bezel on your stone grad, assuming you have one, was silver soldered to the screen?

I would be supersized if it was sliver plated.

Im sending the radiator from my 32 out for a new core. The top tank will need repair as the tube that runs from inlet hose across the top of the tank is corroded away. Is the tube solid or open on the bottom side?

The upper tank tube is open on the bottom side to distribute the coolant across the top of the core.

So then is a tube cut in half open all the way across the bottom
side?

I don't suppose anyone has a photo of the bottom side of the top tank?

There is what it looks like

[img]http://imgur.com/aidaMQL[/img]

Thanks for the photo. This is a big help