Keeping it Cool: Getting the Right Radiator Set-Up
As an enthusiast, when we're out driving our beloved car, classic or not, you've gotta do some homework so that you're not only looking cool but being cool.
When I'm in my car, there's not much I look at as far as gauges go. The speedo and gas are always on my mind, I guess, because I don’t want the good times to end out there on the endless ribbons of highway that cover our great lands. The one I usually worry about the most, and always have ticking in the back of my mind, is the temp gauge. My cars generally don’t really overheat, they normally stay locked in between the C and the H right in the middle.
But if you’ve ever overheated your car, you know what I'm talking about. It could be a few things, a thermostat going bad, a faulty water pump, but I never want to see my radiator spring a leak again. Its usually one of those big-ticket items I dread when putting a car together. Brass is just plain expensive, but it’s a necessary evil. You can go aluminum and have zero problems; I know tons of people and manufacturers that stand by them miles after miles - but after the aluminum one I put in my '66 Econoline started springing pinhole leaks on my cross-country road trip, I knew I shouldn’t have cheaped out and gone the aluminum route. I knew when I got back home I'd have to revisit the problem and correct it.
So it was time to call my friend Don at U.S. Radiator.
Don Armstrong owns and operates one of the best radiator manufacturers in the U.S. of A., U.S. Radiator in Vernon, Ca. I made a call to him and told him my story. He and his guys were super helpful with finding the right components to suit my needs. When I went down to the plant, I was blown away at how they made the radiators - as I’ve never cut one apart to see how it all works.
Don gave me a history lesson in radiators and walked me through the plant to show how the modern radiators work and what he does. He explained that in the 50s and 60s the fins were huge and the cores, where the water passes through, were large. With this being said, the water wouldn’t get cooled enough, for the most part. And as soon as they started adding horsepower, the old-style radiator had to be re-thunk. In the 80s the import market introduced a smaller core and fin design that allowed them to make smaller, more efficient radiators, changing the way radiators are made today.
U.S. Radiator makes and sells just about every type of radiator you can think of... and then some. All of which are cut, pressed, soldered, tested, and built right here in their plant to be shipped directly to you or their distributors.
The tooling they have is top notch, allowing them to provide tanks and brackets for most all of the popular cars out there today. They don’t just stop there - if there is a special need that you have or are trying to figure out how you're going to cool that 2000 horsepower monster of a motor you just built, give them a call and they can walk you through the process and figure out what’s best for you. From exotic european cars to street sweepers in NYC, U.S. Radiator has you covered. They make top-of-the-line brass radiators, aluminum radiators, fans, and shrouds to fit everyone’s needs. U.S. Radiator 4423 District Blvd, Vernon, CA, USA Phone: 323-826-0965
