It never rains but it pours.......
I had noticed a damp patch under the front of the car last week, after I ran the engine. Did a final round of checking, greasing and tightening and found some water inside the bottom of the radiator shell. I naively attributed this to overfilling and water being pushed out of the overflow.
Started and ran the engine for half an hour yesterday and ran around the drive. When I came back into the garage, water was steadily dripping from the front. Closer inspection reveals that the core has suddenly developed a leak, 1/3 of the way down from the top on the off side.
DSC_1081s.JPG (Size: 45.55 KB / Downloads: 229)
I'm annoyed about this as the radiator was recored during the cosmetic restoration in the eighties. I admit it's probably stood empty for most of the intervening years and this is the first time it's been heated and cooled regularly but even so - I've often used original radiators and not had problems. The recore was a Marston Radiators job, done with zig-zag ("A" film?) so was probably expensive in 1985, shame the warranty ran out in 1986!
So what to do? I've ordered a bottle of Radweld for starters, might slow it down a bit so that I can get some more testing done. Obviously another new core is required but what type? The original may well have been honeycomb and that's expensive to recreate. Another zig-zag? Could do a modern core with a honeycomb sheet in front....
What do you guys think??? Anyone have recent experience of radiator restorers?
I had noticed a damp patch under the front of the car last week, after I ran the engine. Did a final round of checking, greasing and tightening and found some water inside the bottom of the radiator shell. I naively attributed this to overfilling and water being pushed out of the overflow.
Started and ran the engine for half an hour yesterday and ran around the drive. When I came back into the garage, water was steadily dripping from the front. Closer inspection reveals that the core has suddenly developed a leak, 1/3 of the way down from the top on the off side.
DSC_1081s.JPG (Size: 45.55 KB / Downloads: 229)
I'm annoyed about this as the radiator was recored during the cosmetic restoration in the eighties. I admit it's probably stood empty for most of the intervening years and this is the first time it's been heated and cooled regularly but even so - I've often used original radiators and not had problems. The recore was a Marston Radiators job, done with zig-zag ("A" film?) so was probably expensive in 1985, shame the warranty ran out in 1986!
So what to do? I've ordered a bottle of Radweld for starters, might slow it down a bit so that I can get some more testing done. Obviously another new core is required but what type? The original may well have been honeycomb and that's expensive to recreate. Another zig-zag? Could do a modern core with a honeycomb sheet in front....
What do you guys think??? Anyone have recent experience of radiator restorers?