Radiator repair

[Tiger]

Has anyone completed a damaged core repair
The damage is in the bottom corner
I was thinking of blanking off that small area with heat resistant material

Probably get a recore later 
Regards
            Tim

[dickie65]

Its possible to use epoxy putty to do a bodge repair.
If its above the bottom tank its easy to seal the area.
If its at the bottom tank its a little more difficult as it will involve more cleaning work to get a good bond as you cant surround the leak with epoxy putty.

[Ian Williams]

I have successfully soldered small leaks in radiator cores, you need a solid copper iron a good flux and sometimes even a precise flame, it is also a good idea to put a wet rag around the area being worked on to act as a heat sink so you don't melt adjacent joins.

[Tony Griffiths]

Today a put a new radiator on my '29 Chummy. Over 50 years it's been soldered, plugged, epoxy sealed, soldered again, sealed again and Barrs Leaks used. One day it's just worth throwing in the towel and doing it properly. At a vast cost, of course.

[Dave Wortley]

Tony, you now will not need the 4 blade power sucking fan, or any fan in fact.
Dave.

[Tony Griffiths]

Indeed. It now runs so cool that I'll have to blank off half of it until the weather warms up.  Was the honeycomb job that I took off the one that came with the car i.e. might it have been original to late '28 to early '39?

[Dave Wortley]

Tony it was a bargain purchase from one of the first Beaulieu Autojumbles. It was £1.50 or 30 bob as it was then.
4 of us went in a small Ford Thames van and slept overnight in the van in order to be the first to get in. 
Quite unpleasant sleeping arrangement with 2 blokes in the front seats and 2 in the back. Sleeping next to a cold steel bare wheel arch is not nice and neither was the aroma in the van by the morning.
Cheers,
Dave.

[Bob Culver]

From what I have seen repairers do a lot of work with direct flame, and very fine for leaks.
My plumber father worked with a firm where one staff did radiators so had observed, although he took graet care not to become involved in the unhealthy process. At home he replaced a core in a "modern" working with just his plumbers petrol iron. (Which come up very cheap at flea markets and  if you do not have other uses for gas, avoids a lot of expense and inconvenience. Although it is easy to eliminate eyebrows and workshop).  To free tanks, these are gently hammered while the solder is melted so it does not reunite.

[Hedd_Jones]

Tim

Last core I had repaired was a core for a special I had. Wrexham Radiators did it. But that was probably 5 years ago. 

Anyone know if they are still in buisiness? Not too far from you if your at our end of staffs if they are.

[David Stepney]

Yes, Hedd and Tim, Wrexham Radiators are still going.
01978 351785