radiator question

[willpower]

I have a 1961 WM300. Does anyone know the best route to go with radiator repair/replacement? I got an estimate for a recore from a local guy who is very good and reasonable. It was $820 which seems awfully high, even though I am sure he was doing his best for me.
I called US Radiator and they say they have a replacement that is bolt in for @ $400, but this seems pretty cheap after the estimate on the recore and I don't have much confidence in the guy I spoke to, as he asked me at first if the Power Wagon was some kind of Charger??
Anyway, any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated. With all the money you have to sink in to other areas, I hate to spend $800 on radiator if I can help it in any way. Thanks!

[Charles Talbert]

I have a 1961 WM300. Does anyone know the best route to go with radiator repair/replacement? I got an estimate for a recore from a local guy who is very good and reasonable. It was $820 which seems awfully high, even though I am sure he was doing his best for me.
I called US Radiator and they say they have a replacement that is bolt in for @ $400, but this seems pretty cheap after the estimate on the recore and I don't have much confidence in the guy I spoke to, as he asked me at first if the Power Wagon was some kind of Charger??
Anyway, any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated. With all the money you have to sink in to other areas, I hate to spend $800 on radiator if I can help it in any way. Thanks!

Radiator work has gone out of sight in the last year. Your guy is doing you an ok deal if you know you can trust him. Something is indeed wrong with the $400 quote in my opinion, he is likely quoting you the wrong unit I would guess, especially since he didn't know what a power wagon was.

[willpower]

Radiator work has gone out of sight in the last year. Your guy is doing you an ok deal if you know you can trust him. Something is indeed wrong with the $400 quote in my opinion, he is likely quoting you the wrong unit I would guess, especially since he didn't know what a power wagon was.

Thanks Mr. Talbert for the reply. I may wait just a little while to see if the price of copper comes down. i understand that is mostly what is driving the problem. Thanks again!

[Gordon Maney]

I admit to not knowing what used radiators bring, but they must be more plentiful than front fenders, for example. You might consider looking for a good used one.

You can send me a wanted ad for the magazine, the ad is free, so you see I am not trying to get money out of you. :-)

[MontanaWDX]

Radiators...Water temps?

What is a good operating water temp? My gauges still work and I'll see up to 160 when going up a hill on an 80deg day. When back on the flat or headed down the temp goes down fast. Does that sound OK for PWagon's?

$800 for a radiator? I'm going to move my truck into the living room.

MontanaWDX

[Charles Talbert]

Thanks Mr. Talbert for the reply. I may wait just a little while to see if the price of copper comes down. i understand that is mostly what is driving the problem. Thanks again!

Your call, however based on what I've seen since 2007 the cost of building trucks in general has done nothing but climb steadily, so I'm certainly not willing to say waiting will bring anything but higher cost. I wish I could be more optimistic, but I just don't see it.

I have some used units, but honestly wouldn't feel good about selling them unless they went to the radiator shop first to be checked out. They don't leak, but they are old, a bad enemy for copper, both the core and tanks. The best option is an all aluminum reproduction radiator, no cost relief however, but I would go that route over the high cost of recoring and using 60 year old tanks in a minute. Cost will be higher, but longivity will be far longer, so it is a much better deal.

[Charles Talbert]

What is a good operating water temp? My gauges still work and I'll see up to 160 when going up a hill on an 80deg day. When back on the flat or headed down the temp goes down fast. Does that sound OK for PWagon's?

$800 for a radiator? I'm going to move my truck into the living room.

MontanaWDX

Your engine is running too cool and temp variation is far to wide. If you are sure the gauge is accurate, (I'd check that first) you need to replace the thermostat with a new 180 degree unit. Running that cool promotes internal engine sludge among other issues very quickly. Once warmed up, the engine temp should hover right around 180 all the time. What you describe sounds like a thermostat that has stuck in the open position. Rapid rise and fall of temp (cooling too quickly) can cause you some serious issues like a cracked block and head.

I don't mean to sound smart here, but if you get into any serious work on your truck you will realize quickly that $800 for a radiator may be quite mild in relation to other issues. With that said, you may want to check into getting that living room converted into the garage.