I bought a new rad for the 38, made by the Brassworks. If you price it directly from them, it is a lot more than one of their distributors, like the Filling Station. I got the pressurized version. As it turns out I can not run it without a pressure cap. The top tank is so shallow that the flow engulfs the filler area and without it being sealed it will constantly pump out of the filler neck. The other thing is that the bottom was slightly different and I had to cut metal from the car to make it fit.
My 1951 1 Ton is now on the road! My 38 Master 4 Door is also now on the road .
That definitely looks like it is in good condition. I see that is has not been messed with to convert it to a pressurized one. That is good!
I happened to see my radiator guy last night in downtown Davenport. This is big festival weekend and he was here with his family.
Anyway, as we were talking and catching up on things I told him about you finding this NOS radiator. He thought that was great because he knows they are good radiators.
He agrees that you should have to cleaned and pressure tested. As he said it, “to clean out the mice nests”. He also said that you never know how it has been handled and stored. He said he would hate for you to install it without checking it and then have to do it again.
Thank you for the advice, I would have installed it without checking. I wonder how a non-pressurized radiator is pressure tested. Guess they can run 220 degree water through it and see if it leaks? I have to find A shop to check it without messing it up. Keep you posted. I have so much to do but that entertain my wife on the weekends and with 12 hour work days that include commute, I have little to no time to do anything. I might have to wait til I retire before I can get anything done
Jared (my “radiator guy”) tests them at less than 5 psi. He has various plugs and connectors so he can block the filler, inlet and outlet, and the overflow tube. That is more than enough pressure to create air bubbles when it is submerged in a test tank.
He also told me that he has had multiple cases when a good radiator was ruined due to long term storage without draining it. Over a longer time the antifreeze changes chemically and becomes acidic. This is not a concern for your NOS radiator.
