Builds 1988 BJ74 “Number 1” (8 Viewers)

[JuanJ]

My radiator guy said the brass top and bottom tanks on these are heavy gauge metal.
I never considered a new aluminum one.

Hello,

Mine said the same thing as well. "It is repairable." he added.

Have it rebuilt.





Juan

 

[FJBen]

About an hour, most of which was waiting for it to drain. Heading down to the shop at noon to drop off the radiator to check it out..

 

[FJBen]

This would be the perfect time to put a lower radiator hose heater in. I really hate cutting up a perfectly good OEM radiator hose but the benefits of helping the engine in the winter are probably worth it. I really haven't had any issues starting, so maybe its another one of those wait and get a webasto and be done with it.

 

[jblueridge]

What does the back side of the aircon condenser look?
radiator removal allowed me to see much rot in condenser.

 

[FJBen]

At the radiator shop, should know more tomorrow. AAA radiator, Longmont, CO

 

[PabloCruise]

What does the back side of the aircon condenser look?
radiator removal allowed me to see much rot in condenser.

Rot? Are they aluminum?

 

[PabloCruise]

This would be the perfect time to put a lower radiator hose heater in. I really hate cutting up a perfectly good OEM radiator hose but the benefits of helping the engine in the winter are probably worth it. I really haven't had any issues starting, so maybe its another one of those wait and get a webasto and be done with it.

Do it!

 

[Honger]

At the radiator shop, should know more tomorrow. AAA radiator, Longmont, CO

View attachment 2626133

That place looks so legit...

 

[FJBen]

What does the back side of the aircon condenser look?
radiator removal allowed me to see much rot in condenser.

I will take a look tonight. It didn't look too damaged or beat up, but I didn't really inspect it that close yet.

 

[FJBen]

What does the back side of the aircon condenser look?
radiator removal allowed me to see much rot in condenser.

Doesn’t seem to look too bad. I’ll need to pressure test it for sure, but there appears to be no large damage.

 

[FJBen]

Radiator shop called, said they need to replace the core. They could possibly fix, but just said it's kind of a band aid on an this radiator.

So he is going to replace this 4 core with a high efficiency 4 core and get me a quote on monday. I'm expecting $$$.

So at this point, options are

Rebuild with High efficiency 4 core $$$
Chinese ebay aluminum not really an option IMO...
Ron Davis or custom aluminum $$$$
JB Weld - completely kidding here

Not a lot of options for these 13BT setups.

 

[jblueridge]

Yes I think your condenser looks okay too.
I use stuff like this coil cleaner when I have enough access.
Amazon product ASIN B00DM8KQ3I
How many rows were originally in these rads?
Maybe a less high-tech core will be enough.
Were you having overheating or just plain old leaks?

 

[PabloCruise]

Radiator shop called, said they need to replace the core. They could possibly fix, but just said it's kind of a band aid on an this radiator.

So he is going to replace this 4 core with a high efficiency 4 core and get me a quote on monday. I'm expecting $$$.

So at this point, options are

Rebuild with High efficiency 4 core $$$
Chinese ebay aluminum not really an option IMO...
Ron Davis or custom aluminum $$$$
JB Weld - completely kidding here

Not a lot of options for these 13BT setups.

I would go with the $$$ option.

Esp if high efficiency $$$

 

[FJBen]

Yes I think your condenser looks okay too.
I use stuff like this coil cleaner when I have enough access.
Amazon product ASIN B00DM8KQ3I
How many rows were originally in these rads?
Maybe a less high-tech core will be enough.
Were you having overheating or just plain old leaks?

The radiator I have in there is a 4 core according to him. I always thought they were a 3 core for some reason. I assume it to be the original radiator as pretty much everything else on this cruiser engine wise was/is orginal.

I did not have any overheating issues even in over 100F weather, in fact it's always read on the bottom 1/4.

I had to get it repaired right when I got it and wasn't sure if it would last. It lasted 2 years before it's starting to leak in the corners he said. It was only leaking under heat/pressure and not dripping anywhere which made it hard to track down.

I think better cooling technology will be great for these old diesels.

 

[jblueridge]

I know mine is not a 4 row or 4 core but my temp gauge always stays low too.
I try not to think about the gauge being faulty.

Yeah, I guess it all comes down to craftsmanship in the end.

 

[FJBen]

Just got a quote from the radiator shop. $780 That was a little higher than I was expecting. I have a call into Ron Davis, but I doubt its any cheaper.

 

[PabloCruise]

I think I got my little Civic radiator for 1/10 that!

Want to take it up the road to Cheyenne?

 

[FJBen]

I think I got my little Civic radiator for 1/10 that!

Want to take it up the road to Cheyenne?

Yeah it's alittle more pricey than I thought for sure. Although, there is no "off-the-shelf" version anywhere. It's basically a custom built radiator using my current top and bottom tanks. I'm not sure other places will be much cheaper by the time you figure in Labor/core and then my time/money now driving to another place an hour in the opposite direction.

Most people on here talking about BJ74 radiators were quoted 600ish range from a mom and pop shop a few years ago, so I reckon it's not insanely out of line.

 

[jblueridge]

Yes, I paid about $650 4 years ago.

 

[FJBen]

So just put the order in to be built. 3~5 days, but mostly likely it will be early next week.

So high effeciency 4 core
Keeping my top/bottom tanks
1 year warranty (plus he said we would take care of any issues after that)
Supporting local mom & pop shop


They do a lot of radiator work for the Fourney Automotive Museum in Denver.
Forney Museum of Transportation - http://www.forneymuseum.org/index.html


I'm still curious to know of factory is 3 core vs 4 core. Or maybe market designation determined the core?