Plastic/aluminum vs brass/copper

The radiator on my 85 dodge xplorer class b rv is getting a bit clogged.

Most if not all general exact fit replacments are plastic/aluminum construction.

Is it woth having the the original brass/copper rad dipped or recored?

I have had a couple if the plastic tanked rads leak a the crimp and want this to be a one time job.

I think the biggest difference is that a copper rad will usually seep and spring small leaks, where an aluminum and plastic may fail catastrophically.

I'd buy the new aluminum and plastic one.

Check around to see if there's a good old fashioned radiator shop in your area. I've had radiators taken apart and flushed/rodded out, then reassembled with very good results, but it has to be done by someone who knows how to do it right.

I ve had luck just tightening up the crimps on the Aluminum/nylon style. But there are some really cheap new radiators out there too. Like $25 shipped from ebay with some kind of short warranty too

I trust a repaired brass radiator. How "custom" is it? Or is it based off of an existing design? Like an 85 Chevy, or a 92 Dodge?

I like when the plastic end tank'd radiator is in something like a PT cruiser and it's hidden under something else. So the end tank explodes and you don't find it until after you limp it home and start taking things apart.

I'd keep the existing rad and have it recored, it will be more durable and more easy to repair on the road, if necessary.

I suspect it will be a bit more efficient at its job, besides it's not like you need to lose the weight or something. :)

I hate copper/brass with a passion. After a year or two the fins will corrode from the tubes, if the straps haven't un-soldered from the side tanks.

Knurled wrote: I hate copper/brass with a passion. After a year or two the fins will corrode from the tubes, if the straps haven't un-soldered from the side tanks.

Wow I have some that are like 40 years Old and are fine, something in your water? or not in the water! you used to be able to get the End Tanks to repair Plastic /Alum. but I can't find them Anymore.

Copper and brass every day and twice on Sunday. Yes they'll corrode after a few decades, but I have two 20yo+ ones that are still in decent shape and work well.. On a plastic-tanked radiator, on the other hand, one of the tanks will blow open after just a few years.

Cars should use more plastic (especially for body panels) but none in radiators. So +1 for a recore.

It looks like there are a lot of different opinions on the web and here.

Did some research on the web and a re-core looks like its going to be cost prohibitive, at $350-600+, being a larger rad, I am guessing on the higher side.

Here is the plan, I am going to get a plastic/aluminum replacement, just over $150 with a 30% off at AAP. I will keep the original if the fins are good. I have to perform the heater core CLR TSB for my CRV. I will then reuse the mixture on the original rad from the dodge, hopefully getting it back into usable condition so its ready if the new one is to fail.

It will be a bit before I get to the cleaning, but when I do I will post the results, it will before it gets cold again as I done want to go through another winter in the CRV with crappy heat.

Reply to Appleseed: It is a Chrysler Rad, used in a lot of 70s-80s full size cars and trucks so it is not un-obtainium. I Doubt FCA still makes the originals, and if they did, I am sure they would not be cheap.

Thanks all for the help.

I had good results with local old school radiator shop and an MR2 Turbo radiator (all-metal.) The donor car had been sitting with too much water in the coolant and the iron block had rusted and funked up the whole cooling system.

They boiled it out, re-finished it, and pressure tested it. Came back looking and performing like new for like $50.

+1 for a proper radiator shop repair. Recoring is pretty much never needed unless it was physically damaged.

I've had hundreds of them done by a shop back home for $40-60 each with zero problems.

Aluminum cored with plastic tanks are supposedly more efficient, but a good brass radiator will be cheaper and more reliable in the long run (read above comment about brass radiators and pinhole leaks vs blown out plastic tanks) unless you can't find a proper radiator shop.

There's also the option of aluminum core with aluminum tanks. Solves the plastic tank cracking issues.

Copper/brass every single time, get original redone. If you are using distilled water and flushing the coolant as you are supposed to, it will last longer than you do. My buddy got the rad in his big block Olds redone, had them reuse the end tanks and recored it as a 3 row, runs cool, even in the July 4 parade creeping along in triple digit temps

The Miata got an all aluminum CSF model, it is beautiful.

Toebra wrote: runs cool, even in the July 4 parade creeping along in triple digit temps

This isn't a situation that taxes a radiator much. A properly tuned engine doesn't throw all that much heat at idle. As long as you've got enough fan, just about anything will keep it cool at idle.

The rad will have to reject far more heat cruising on the highway, especially climbing hills, etc.

GTXVette wrote:

Knurled wrote: I hate copper/brass with a passion. After a year or two the fins will corrode from the tubes, if the straps haven't un-soldered from the side tanks.

Wow I have some that are like 40 years Old and are fine, something in your water? or not in the water! you used to be able to get the End Tanks to repair Plastic /Alum. but I can't find them Anymore.

When they were common, it seemed like I was replacing customer radiators constantly. When the plastic-aluminum revolution came, not so much. Most of the ones I replace are plugged, not leaking.

The gasket on my Volvo's radiator finally failed last month. 15 years and 240k old, that's like 2-3 times as long as you could expect from a copper one before it was unusable because all the fins were gone.

If you fill the radiator with crap tap water and fail to maintain it, then yeah it will plug up in a hurry.

But I'm sure it's the radiator's fault and not the user's.

I'll throw in a plug for all aluminum radiators. Costs are coming down, they cool better, and they can be polished up real pretty if desired. If repair work is needed, finding someone with a TIG welder usually isn't too difficult. Aluminum rads are my first choice over all others when possible.

Just a little tech before we go too far down a rabbit hole:

Copper and brass are better at heat conduction on their own. Where they suck is corrosion resistance and pressure holding.

Aluminum, while not quite as good at conducting heat, is far more tolerant of pressure, so the tubes in the core can be much flatter which dramatically increases surface area of contact between the water and the metal (and also the metal and the air).

So, for any given square inch of surface, a similarly-designed aluminum radiator is better at shedding heat than a copper/brass. It is also much less likely to spring a leak due to pressure or corrosion. Its incredibly rare that an aluminum radiator gets a leak in the aluminum. If it has a plastic tank, sometimes they leak at that gasket. But I would take a quality all-aluminum radiator over a copper/brass a thousand times over. Copper/brass is ancient technology, doesn't cool as well, and isn't as resilient.

I agree that all-aluminum is much better than copper/brass, but I would still take copper/brass over aluminum with plastic tanks for durability reasons. The plastic to aluminum join is a massive weak spot.

rslifkin wrote: This isn't a situation that taxes a radiator much. A properly tuned engine doesn't throw all that much heat at idle. As long as you've got enough fan, just about anything will keep it cool at idle. The rad will have to reject far more heat cruising on the highway, especially climbing hills, etc.

While this is true, I drove his 455 Cutlass in a parade on the same route before and after he had the rad done. Was significantly cooler after. He ran it up to Reno for Hot August nights a few years and said it made a very big difference.

The manufacturing tech for aluminum has gotten to be extremely good.

GameboyRMH wrote: I agree that all-aluminum is much better than copper/brass, but I would still take copper/brass over aluminum with plastic tanks for durability reasons. The plastic to aluminum join is a massive weak spot.

I've personally never had much trouble with them, but you're right... sure does seem like a leak waiting to happen.

I needed one for the LeMans and most of the common brand names wanted almost $400 for the version with the auto trans circuit (like BeCool or Griffin). I found one on Amazon out of CA (probably imported from China) that sent me a fully polished aluminum radiator for $180. Champion Radiators. They had a lot of made-to-fit sizes as well as generic X inches by Y inches. I also found Alloyworks had good pricing.