VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1933-1936 Replacement radiators

Anyone have good resources on where to buy a new radiator? I can easily find ones for hot rods, but that seems unnecessary. Looking for my 33 1.5 ton truck - currently it has a shorter radiator in it that works, but doesn’t align quite right and I assume the right size will help cool it more efficiently.

Plan to spend some quality time on the internet searching for that radiator. And be ready for sticker shock plus long delivery time. It would surprise me if someone has one in stock anywhere.

I would directly contact US Radiator and Brassworks.

Based on the condition and acceptability of the current radiator you could have a new core installed with the old tanks.

Don’t expect a new radiator to cure an overheating problem if the water passages in the block and head are plugged.

Thanks Rusty. I’ll give them a call. I believe my tanks are in good shape, so I can get away with just a new core. And yeah, they’re not cheap.

Have any tips for checking if the water passages are blocked?

You can flush the engine out with clean water, but it won't get the crud that is clinging to the water passages.

When I rebuilt my '28 engine, I found that with the head off, you had great access to the water passages in the head and the block. I scraped and vacuumed a LOT of crap out of there.

The area most blocked was the rear of the engine (the farthest point from the water pump). With the head off, you can get in there with screwdrivers and coat hangers. ;-)

If you get a new radiator (or core), you certainly do not want to have any crud break loose from the engine and start to clog your clean radiator.

Dean