| Aluminum Radiators [message #60663] |
Mon, 19 October 2009 10:12  |
shawnee
Messages: 422
Registered: February 2004
Location: NC
Karma: 0
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Senior Member |
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I see at times where it is mentioned you can't repair the aluminum radiator on the road. This isn't correct. But if you install a 1/4 inch screen behind the grill and be sure you have a good screen before the bottom part of the radiator the chance of road debris damaging the radiator is almost nil. Blaine Merrill makes an excellent one that looks good but he only has 8 available and doesn't plan on making more. If interested contact me and I will give you his email address.
In the rare event somehow a tube gets damaged on the road,it can be temporarily patched with JB Weld and it probably will end up permanent. For a permanent repair any welding shop that welds aluminum can make a repair. The tubes are much stronger than the brass cores and the probability of damage is very small. With over 250 of the sluminum radiators now on the road, we have not heard of any damage to the radiator. It might be noted also all the new autos for some time that I have seen come with an aluminum radiator.
Gene Dotson
74 Canyonlands
www.bdub.net/Motorhome_Enhancements New Windows and Aluminum Radiators
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| Re: [GMCnet] Aluminum Radiators [message #60666 is a reply to message #60663] |
Mon, 19 October 2009 10:24  |
Tin Gerbil
Messages: 236
Registered: October 2006
Location: Vancouver Island, B.C.
Karma: 0
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Senior Member |
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Gene;
I don't understand the relevance in the statement "It might be noted
also all the new autos for some time that I have seen come with an
aluminum radiator." Comparing the new car radiator with plastic header
tanks, which is almost made of tin foil, to the welded aftermarket GMC
Aluminum radiator, does it no justice. After a few years of corrosion,
a new car radiator can be blown apart with a garden hose. The first rad
on my new Buick failed in 10 months. The second one has lasted 5 years.
Gordon
Gene Dotson wrote:
>
> I see at times where it is mentioned you can't repair the aluminum
> radiator on the road. This isn't correct. But if you install a 1/4
> inch screen behind the grill and be sure you have a good screen
> before the bottom part of the radiator the chance of road debris
> damaging the radiator is almost nil. Blaine Merrill makes an
> excellent one that looks good but he only has 8 available and doesn't
> plan on making more. If interested contact me and I will give you
> his email address.
>
> In the rare event somehow a tube gets damaged on the road,it can be
> temporarily patched with JB Weld and it probably will end up
> permanent. For a permanent repair any welding shop that welds
> aluminum can make a repair. The tubes are much stronger than the
> brass cores and the probability of damage is very small. With over
> 250 of the sluminum radiators now on the road, we have not heard of
> any damage to the radiator. It might be noted also all the new autos
> for some time that I have seen come with an aluminum radiator.
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Gordon
'74 Canyon Lands "Tin Gerbil"
Vancouver Island, B.C.
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| Re: Aluminum Radiators [message #60668 is a reply to message #60663] |
Mon, 19 October 2009 10:37 |
Ken Burton
Messages: 10030
Registered: January 2004
Location: Hebron, Indiana
Karma: 10
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Senior Member |
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| shawnee wrote on Mon, 19 October 2009 10:12 |
I see at times where it is mentioned you can't repair the aluminum radiator on the road. This isn't correct. But if you install a 1/4 inch screen behind the grill and be sure you have a good screen before the bottom part of the radiator the chance of road debris damaging the radiator is almost nil. Blaine Merrill makes an excellent one that looks good but he only has 8 available and doesn't plan on making more. If interested contact me and I will give you his email address.
In the rare event somehow a tube gets damaged on the road,it can be temporarily patched with JB Weld and it probably will end up permanent. For a permanent repair any welding shop that welds aluminum can make a repair. The tubes are much stronger than the brass cores and the probability of damage is very small. With over 250 of the aluminum radiators now on the road, we have not heard of any damage to the radiator. It might be noted also all the new autos for some time that I have seen come with an aluminum radiator.
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What I like about Blaine's lower radiator guard is nothing solid short of driving over a boulder is going to make it through there. And it might even stop the boulder.
http://www.bdub.net/blainemerrell/index.html
Here is what we used to fix my old brass radiator on the road. It had a major hole in it.
http://www.epoxygator.com/
This stuff is available at most hardware stores including Menards, Lowes and Home Depot. Several different companies make it.
I eventually replaced it with a new aluminum one from Gene Dotson.
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
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| Re: [GMCnet] Aluminum Radiators [message #60669 is a reply to message #60666] |
Mon, 19 October 2009 10:51 |
shawnee
Messages: 422
Registered: February 2004
Location: NC
Karma: 0
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Senior Member |
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Gordon,
Actually you can't compare the new car radiators to our radiators. I only mentioned it in passing that brass is out of style. Ours are high performance radiators with special coolers and are hand made. They are made more rugged and are tested at 36 psi at the factory. The brass radiator cores and aluminum car radiators will not take this pressure due to the thin walls and the strength of brass and only mention it to show they are more rugged. The good part is you get 35% more cooling capacity from our aluminum radiator and if you don't believe this, ask someone who has one. I know of several people on the net that has them. The main thing I was indicating is to protect the radiator from road damage since there is a high probability of damage to the bottom section of the radiator if an after market screen has not been installed and a rock coming at you over 60 mph is looking for something to damage. If you look under the bumper and see the unprotected radiator, you need to install some protection and if you don't have a screen behind the grill, you really need one and they are commercially available.
| Tin Gerbil wrote on Mon, 19 October 2009 11:24 |
Gene;
I don't understand the relevance in the statement "It might be noted
also all the new autos for some time that I have seen come with an
aluminum radiator." Comparing the new car radiator with plastic header
tanks, which is almost made of tin foil, to the welded aftermarket GMC
Aluminum radiator, does it no justice. After a few years of corrosion,
a new car radiator can be blown apart with a garden hose. The first rad
on my new Buick failed in 10 months. The second one has lasted 5 years.
Gordon
Gene Dotson wrote:
>
> I see at times where it is mentioned you can't repair the aluminum
> radiator on the road. This isn't correct. But if you install a 1/4
> inch screen behind the grill and be sure you have a good screen
> before the bottom part of the radiator the chance of road debris
> damaging the radiator is almost nil. Blaine Merrill makes an
> excellent one that looks good but he only has 8 available and doesn't
> plan on making more. If interested contact me and I will give you
> his email address.
>
> In the rare event somehow a tube gets damaged on the road,it can be
> temporarily patched with JB Weld and it probably will end up
> permanent. For a permanent repair any welding shop that welds
> aluminum can make a repair. The tubes are much stronger than the
> brass cores and the probability of damage is very small. With over
> 250 of the sluminum radiators now on the road, we have not heard of
> any damage to the radiator. It might be noted also all the new autos
> for some time that I have seen come with an aluminum radiator.
_______________________________________________
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List Information and Subscription Options:
http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
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Gene Dotson
74 Canyonlands
www.bdub.net/Motorhome_Enhancements New Windows and Aluminum Radiators
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| Re: [GMCnet] Aluminum Radiators [message #60743 is a reply to message #60669] |
Mon, 19 October 2009 21:18 |
jimk
Messages: 6734
Registered: July 2006
Location: Belmont, CA
Karma: 9
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Senior Member |
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We stock the same rock shields.
On Mon, Oct 19, 2009 at 8:51 AM, Gene Dotson <shawnee@charter.net> wrote:
>
>
> Gordon,
>
> Actually you can't compare the new car radiators to our radiators. I only mentioned it in passing that brass is out of style. Ours are high performance radiators with special coolers and are hand made. They are made more rugged and are tested at 36 psi at the factory. The brass radiator cores and aluminum car radiators will not take this pressure due to the thin walls and the strength of brass and only mention it to show they are more rugged. The good part is you get 35% more cooling capacity from our aluminum radiator and if you don't believe this, ask someone who has one. I know of several people on the net that has them. The main thing I was indicating is to protect the radiator from road damage since there is a high probability of damage to the bottom section of the radiator if an after market screen has not been installed and a rock coming at you over 60 mph is looking for something to damage. If you look under the bumper and see the unprotected radiator, you need
> to install some protection and if you don't have a screen behind the grill, you really need one and they are commercially available.
>
>
> Tin Gerbil wrote on Mon, 19 October 2009 11:24
>> Gene;
>> I don't understand the relevance in the statement "It might be noted
>> also all the new autos for some time that I have seen come with an
>> aluminum radiator." Comparing the new car radiator with plastic header
>> tanks, which is almost made of tin foil, to the welded aftermarket GMC
>> Aluminum radiator, does it no justice. After a few years of corrosion,
>> a new car radiator can be blown apart with a garden hose. The first rad
>> on my new Buick failed in 10 months. The second one has lasted 5 years.
>> Gordon
>>
>> Gene Dotson wrote:
>> >
>> > I see at times where it is mentioned you can't repair the aluminum
>> > radiator on the road. This isn't correct. But if you install a 1/4
>> > inch screen behind the grill and be sure you have a good screen
>> > before the bottom part of the radiator the chance of road debris
>> > damaging the radiator is almost nil. Blaine Merrill makes an
>> > excellent one that looks good but he only has 8 available and doesn't
>> > plan on making more. If interested contact me and I will give you
>> > his email address.
>> >
>> > In the rare event somehow a tube gets damaged on the road,it can be
>> > temporarily patched with JB Weld and it probably will end up
>> > permanent. For a permanent repair any welding shop that welds
>> > aluminum can make a repair. The tubes are much stronger than the
>> > brass cores and the probability of damage is very small. With over
>> > 250 of the sluminum radiators now on the road, we have not heard of
>> > any damage to the radiator. It might be noted also all the new autos
>> > for some time that I have seen come with an aluminum radiator.
>> _______________________________________________
>> GMCnet mailing list
>> List Information and Subscription Options:
>> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
>
>
> --
> Gene Dotson
> 74 Canyonlands
> www.bdub.net/Motorhome_Enhancements
>
> New Windows and Aluminum Radiators
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> List Information and Subscription Options:
> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
>
--
Jim Kanomata
Applied/GMC, Fremont,CA
jimk@appliedairfilters.com
http://www.appliedgmc.com
1-800-752-7502
_______________________________________________
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Jim Kanomata
Applied/GMC
jimk@appliedairfilters.com
www.appliedgmc.com
1-800-752-7502
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| Re: [GMCnet] Aluminum Radiators [message #60771 is a reply to message #60669] |
Tue, 20 October 2009 02:01 |
Tin Gerbil
Messages: 236
Registered: October 2006
Location: Vancouver Island, B.C.
Karma: 0
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Senior Member |
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Gene;
You are preaching to a guy who runs around with plywood in front of his
radiator for many months of the year, just trying to keep warm. :lol
I have more than adequate screening both in front of and below my
radiator.
Gordon
Gene Dotson wrote:
>
> Gordon,
>
> Actually you can't compare the new car radiators to our radiators. I
> only mentioned it in passing that brass is out of style. Ours are
> high performance radiators with special coolers and are hand made.
> They are made more rugged and are tested at 36 psi at the factory.
> The brass radiator cores and aluminum car radiators will not take
> this pressure due to the thin walls and the strength of brass and
> only mention it to show they are more rugged. The good part is you
> get 35% more cooling capacity from our aluminum radiator and if you
> don't believe this, ask someone who has one. I know of several
> people on the net that has them. The main thing I was indicating is
> to protect the radiator from road damage since there is a high
> probability of damage to the bottom section of the radiator if an
> after market screen has not been installed and a rock coming at you
> over 60 mph is looking for something to damage. If you look under
> the bumper and see the unprotected radiator, you need to install some
> protection and if you don't have a screen behind the grill, you
> really need one and they are commercially available.
>
>
> Tin Gerbil wrote on Mon, 19 October 2009 11:24
>> Gene; I don't understand the relevance in the statement "It might
>> be noted also all the new autos for some time that I have seen come
>> with an aluminum radiator." Comparing the new car radiator with
>> plastic header tanks, which is almost made of tin foil, to the
>> welded aftermarket GMC Aluminum radiator, does it no justice.
>> After a few years of corrosion, a new car radiator can be blown
>> apart with a garden hose. The first rad on my new Buick failed in
>> 10 months. The second one has lasted 5 years. Gordon
>>
>> Gene Dotson wrote:
>>> I see at times where it is mentioned you can't repair the
>>> aluminum radiator on the road. This isn't correct. But if you
>>> install a 1/4 inch screen behind the grill and be sure you have a
>>> good screen before the bottom part of the radiator the chance of
>>> road debris damaging the radiator is almost nil. Blaine Merrill
>>> makes an excellent one that looks good but he only has 8
>>> available and doesn't plan on making more. If interested contact
>>> me and I will give you his email address.
>>>
>>> In the rare event somehow a tube gets damaged on the road,it can
>>> be temporarily patched with JB Weld and it probably will end up
>>> permanent. For a permanent repair any welding shop that welds
>>> aluminum can make a repair. The tubes are much stronger than the
>>> brass cores and the probability of damage is very small. With
>>> over 250 of the sluminum radiators now on the road, we have not
>>> heard of any damage to the radiator. It might be noted also all
>>> the new autos for some time that I have seen come with an
>>> aluminum radiator.
>> _______________________________________________ GMCnet mailing list
>> List Information and Subscription Options:
>> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
>
>
_______________________________________________
GMCnet mailing list
List Information and Subscription Options:
http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
Gordon
'74 Canyon Lands "Tin Gerbil"
Vancouver Island, B.C.
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