Early Radiator construction

[Marcus Ling]

Can anyone confirm if the early seven radiators were made using the tube honeycomb method as in the picture below or were they always film type radiator cores


  Honeycomb_radiator_tubes.jpg (Size: 21.76 KB / Downloads: 650)

Thanks
Marcus

[Mike Costigan]

Does this help? A crop from a period photo of an early-1928 car (chassis 62675):


  red8923-139 (2).jpg (Size: 198.1 KB / Downloads: 551)

[Chris KC]

I'm pretty sure the answer is 'yes' - but when they switched is quite another question.

[Hedd_Jones]

I've a honeycomb pattern core on my AE (1930) Chummy. It has an old rad that we bought 'as is', in a chrome 1930 style cowl and the core was very rusty being steel. However it doesnt leak.

I'm told other than the early ones, and a short period in 1930, the Serck A pattern core was used exclusivley.

[Steve kay]

Recent conversations indicate that there are still people who will make a new honeycomb rad, within thirty miles of me there are two. Howver, to afford one I'd have to sell the wife's Saab, or even worse my 2CV.

[Chris Garner]

http://archive.a7ca.org/collections/films/

Go to " When the Solder Sets " to see the complete manufacturing process of a Seven radiator core.

[David Cochrane]

As far as I know the Seven radiators were always a film type, although the early ones had a honeycomb appearance as shown in Mike's photo. My 1925 Chummy has this type as well.

[Lance Sheldrick]

My 1928 tractor, ex Ray Walker and originally an R type saloon, still has its honeycomb core as does my chummy (1925). I think they changed to the A film type in 1928/9.

Gerry Marshall at Anglia Radiators in Cambridge now has the tooling to make honeycomb and A film cores in house. He has restored several radiators for me over the years and his work is excellent.

[Parazine]

My 1928 tractor, ex Ray Walker and originally an R type saloon, still has its honeycomb core as does my chummy (1925). I think they changed to the A film type in 1928/9.

I think this is correct as well.

[Marcus Ling]

Thanks Mike,

That certainly looks like a tube radiator. The Rinsey Mills book says that early car had tube radiators but doesn't give any information on when they changed to film radiators

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Thanks Hedd,

I've never heard of a radiator core made of steel but if you have one then they must exist.

I can imagine that rust would be a problem especially as tubes used in radiators need to be very thin which is why I  have only seen brass or copper cores. The other issue with steel might be it's thermal conductivity.

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Thanks Chris,

I was given a copy of this film over 20 years ago and it certainly is fascinating to watch, however, they are making film radiators rather than cartridge tube radiators and I assume it is a later production maybe in the 1930s.

I've been told that in the early years of the Seven, Austin used to have radiators made externally but started manufacture in-house at the end of the 1920s or early 1930s

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My 1928 tractor, ex Ray Walker and originally an R type saloon, still has its honeycomb core as does my chummy (1925). I think they changed to the A film type in 1928/9.

Gerry Marshall at Anglia Radiators in Cambridge now has the tooling to make honeycomb and A film cores in house. He has restored several radiators for me over the years and his work is excellent.

Thanks Lance,

Could I ask a favour and get you to measure the inside diameter of the round portion of the tube as well as the dimension across the flats of the Hexagon please.