1973 Charger SE 400 Radiator replacement thread - rock auto

[fanucme]

I took my original radiator to the local , well known , been in buisness since the 40's radiator shop yesterday , Ropples Radiator in Louisville Ky ,

The radiator and shroud came with my non running car when I got it , it had a chunk out of one of the cores tubes , but looked pretty decent so when I got the car running I soldered up the chunk and it held coolant well enough for lot driving in and out of the shop. I finally decided to have it re-cored , the guy thought it looked decent too and we talked about making it a 3 core , Cool !

Today they called and basically said they couldn't fix it , and really didn't have any alternatives , saying the aftermarket ones they show in a catalog are most likely not available. BUMMER !
I am going back to pick it up you can bet , I may have to find another shop. But ...

I have considered an Aluminum universal or even a Champion sprayed black but I am trying to make this car look mostly original with the clutch fan and original shroud. I tried Rock Auto a while back and they had spectra premium and APDI Pro radiators available , today all they have is the APDI Pro available for 249$ , so I jumped on it , I ordered one and it's on the way...
it has the same look as my factory Rad and the measurements 27 5/8" seem to match up with my original , it is copper/brass and there is a 24 month warranty on it.
I had good luck with my Spectra Prem fuel tank in the same car , wish me luck on this guys , I'll post up pics when I get the radiator.

Anyone else have this brand ?

 

[idrivemopar]

Why couldn't they fix it? Cracked tanks? My tanks were too far gone so I sent it to Bob at Glen Ray radiators and they built a complete new one. I got lucky as they still had one top tank left. I'm glad I did it because the aftermarket rads, including the spectra premium one, did quite have the same configuration and looked funny installed in the car.

 

[fanucme]

supposedly the tanks have some cracks , I figure if they could do it they'd want the $$ , it must be worse than I thought or it looks


Glen Ray has some nice radiators !! I can see using them on a numbers matching car for sure !
thanks for the resource !

 

[idrivemopar]

Cracked tanks will eventually leak, so not really worth having an attempted fix done on that.

Glen Ray is a great resource, and you can always call them to see if they can assist. They are pricy but its worth it and they stand behind their work, which is top notch!

 

[ODZKing]

My 73 - 400 did not have the original radiator in it so I found one on line (EBay in fact) and had it rebuilt. As long as the tanks are OK, new cores are replaceable.
There are 5 radiators that could go in the 73 - 400 if it is a 28 inch - depending on equipment and production date.
3673047, 3673052, 3673053, 3673054 and 3673098. I had a 3673047 and that number (The last 2 numbers) appear on your build sheet, line 3 under "Rad".

 

[Coronet 14]

Try Wizard Cooling Performance Radiators

 

[fanucme]

Today I picked up my original all cleaned up , they did not charge me , I had called Glen Ray yesterday

Glen Ray had called me back on this

they said that when the tanks are originally stamped out , they end up thin in spots near the corners and ribs due to the stamping process , they silver solder the insides of the tank in the thin spots to totally fix the problem , and rebuild the radiator.

As far as cost to rebuld mine would be 775$ to upgrade to 3 row , and top notch work and warranty

I tried Wizard and they don't show the radiator with the inlet and outlet on the passenger side , but I did find a radiator for the Sunbeam I am restoring for my Dad , thanks !


Not sure if you guys have seen my thread on my car but it's sort of a pile of junk , it's come a long way after dragging it out of the mud but my budget for this is only $300 tops

My next post will be comparing the replacement I ordered to my original

my pile ...

 

[idrivemopar]

That does not look like a pile at all, looks pretty solid to me.

Regarding your replacement after market radiator I hope you find one that is better than what I came across a couple of years ago. The one I got was narrower, the water inlets stuck up higher then the original, it was only a 2 core. However, the size (width and height)was correct, and the trans cooler and bolt pattern were pretty much spot on. However, I took the plunge with Glen Ray as I was doing an original restoration and didn't want a funny looking radiator in the car, not to mention one that was only two core. It was cheap, only $230, and I though it was Spectra, but it was Ready Rad, and the only one left that was completely metal, most now are plastic and aluminum. Hang on to your original so when you are ready to have Glen Ray do it, you wont be disappointed.

 

[fanucme]

The "Pro" radiator from Rock Auto is a pretty good replacement , it is copper/brass and mounts as the original , but as you can see it has smaller tanks. I also noticed it has 4 less rows of cooling tubes than the stock 28 that is the original radiator.

I did try another shop for my tired original and watched the psi test , it leaked at the header plates and the core also , I got estimates of 450-500 $ depending if I wanted to go 2 or 3 core.

I have totally explored all my options so far and decided to order up a champion radiator , I ordered it from Jegs for like 225$ or something.

Once I recieve the aluminum radiator I can compare the two offshore replacements and decide from there.

As far as looking original, that really is out the window for this car aka "Joe Dirt" , with the fiberglass hood and headers , I think I am better off to err on the side of better cooling than looks.

 

[fanucme]

The Champion Radiator looks great and fit great , all I had to do was trim the original shroud at the top by the filler neck. I cut 1/2 inch off.

The Pro from Rock Auto was decent for a regular driver car , but it was also about 25$ more than the Champion from Jegs

I also added a MP viscous fan package versus the huge fan and clutch that was on the car. It is only a lot driver ( no lights on the car , so it will be a few months before I have it on the road to give driving impressions )

hope this has helped someone ...

 

[idrivemopar]

Thanks for posting!!! That Champion looks like a good choice, what's that part number? That "Pro" Radiator is the same one I got from a local parts store and you are right, its too narrow, and didn't like it either, so had my original rebuilt by Glen Ray. Don't trash your original, as maybe one day you might have it redone.