Time for a new radiator?

[BigBrother-84]

Hi Gentlemen!

Last month, Big Brother climbed to the summit of Mont Tremblant ski station. The weather was very good, a nice coloured fall day, fresh temperature.

I was little surprised to see that the engine temperature was also climbing with us. I decided to stop on the road side, and the temperature went down rapidly.

Frankly, I do not remember when the radiator was changed... Certainly more than 15-20 years. Probably more.

Coolant, hoses, radiator cap and thermostat were all changed a month ago. I also put a "flush rad" stuff in the radiator when renewing these items.

This fall, I plan to tow my tractor to our chalet for some site works. A 2 hours trip, with some steep hills to climb. Last thing I want is to overheat BigBro's engine and have to call a towing to help us. So I am considering to buy a new radiator. The current radiator is a very basic model, copper and brass 22" x 19.5", no A/C, 351W, T18.

I can consider to go aluminium, but I would prefer to not having to mess around with some fitting issues. A simple "plug and play" would be nice.

I read across some threads on the Forum and also found some information over the web, but I still have 3 questions not clearly answered:

1- How to tell if my radiator needs to be changed? Does not leak and doesn't look rusty on the outside. Just seems to not enough cooling when BigBro makes some effort.

2- If a new one is needed, how to be sure about the Ford original part number? The table shows 5 numbers for manual transmission.

3- Finally, WHERE to find one? Here in Quebec, seems they are unavailable (NAPA, CarQuest, LKQ, Canadian Tire). On the web, seems so be similar (Rock Auto, Parts Avatar, Speedway). Maybe I am just looking for the wrong part?

Thanks for help!

 

[Gary Lewis]

I assume you are only using the factory gauge, so you really don't know how warm the engine is getting. Before I spent a lot of money on a new radiator I'd want to know how warm it really is getting, and I can see two ways to do that - get an infrared thermometer or add an aftermarket gauge.

I say that because Big Blue's temp will rise a bit when he's working, and that's not a problem. But you really need to know what the temps are.

As for what kind, I have a 4-row aluminum radiator from Champion and had no problems installing it. But, I've heard they are in very short supply.

And considering the original part number, you need the header for the columns, as shown below. But I don't know enough about your truck to pick the part number.

[ArdWrknTrk]

That was a beautiful photo of Big brother up at the ski chalet!

To answer question one, I'd suggest you get a tractor funnel a 5 gallon pail for the water and remove the lower radiator hose.

The water should come out just as fast as you can pour it in.

I don't think you're going to find a copper and brass radiator, and if you do it's going to be pricey.

The original Ford part number is meaningless today.

My radiator shop guy, Ricky, used to be a big proponent of Modine (the regular aluminum and plastic ones) before they were eliminated in a merger/buyout.

This was his father's and grandfather's business before him.

When I get back to town I can ask him what he would recommend today.

[Rembrant]

I don't think you're going to find a copper and brass radiator, and if you do it's going to be pricey.

The original Ford part number is meaningless today.

The 1980-1984 radiators have been a problem for several years now. I bought a replacement for mine a few years ago, but since about the beginning of Covid they have been really difficult to find from any supplier. On the Bullnose pages on Facebook, it is a weekly occurrence that somebody is looking for (and cannot find) a 1980-1984 style radiator. I don't know about Quebec where BigBrother-84 is located, but out here on the east coast, the radiator shops have all but quit rebuilding the old radiators. I asked a few years ago and was laughed out of the shop. The guy told me it would be $500+, and the only people doing it are the ones with the big money number matching restorations.

If you have a 1980-1984 pickup, the best option in my opinion is to swap in the 1985-1996 style radiator. They're much cheaper and much more readily available. It's a minor retrofit on a Bullnose. I did it on my 1980 a couple years ago.

 

[Gary Lewis]

I don't think you're going to find a copper and brass radiator, and if you do it's going to be pricey.

The original Ford part number is meaningless today.

The 1980-1984 radiators have been a problem for several years now. I bought a replacement for mine a few years ago, but since about the beginning of Covid they have been really difficult to find from any supplier. On the Bullnose pages on Facebook, it is a weekly occurrence that somebody is looking for (and cannot find) a 1980-1984 style radiator. I don't know about Quebec where BigBrother-84 is located, but out here on the east coast, the radiator shops have all but quit rebuilding the old radiators. I asked a few years ago and was laughed out of the shop. The guy told me it would be $500+, and the only people doing it are the ones with the big money number matching restorations.

If you have a 1980-1984 pickup, the best option in my opinion is to swap in the 1985-1996 style radiator. They're much cheaper and much more readily available. It's a minor retrofit on a Bullnose. I did it on my 1980 a couple years ago.

Good suggestion, Cory.

Jeff - the how-to on installing a later radiator in the earlier radiator support is at Documentation/Cooling Systems/Radiator Support and then the 85+ Radiator in Earlier Support tab.

[BigBrother-84]

Good suggestion, Cory.

Jeff - the how-to on installing a later radiator in the earlier radiator support is at Documentation/Cooling Systems/Radiator Support and then the 85+ Radiator in Earlier Support tab.

Thanks guys for these advices.

Gary, I'm going to read about this 1985-1996 style retrofit less expansive option.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Good suggestion, Cory.

Jeff - the how-to on installing a later radiator in the earlier radiator support is at Documentation/Cooling Systems/Radiator Support and then the 85+ Radiator in Earlier Support tab.

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[Rembrant]

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Jim,

Click on Radiator Support, and once in there you'll see the tab. I'm on a PC though, so maybe it's not working on a mobile device.

Right. You need to add the two stationary nuts up top...just cut a couple slots to slide them in. You can scavenege the lower saddles from a later truck, but I made my own with 16 gauge sheet metal I bent up in the vice. Worked like a charm. I installed a used radiator out of a 1994 F150 into my 1980.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Jim,

Click on Radiator Support, and once in there you'll see the tab. I'm on a PC though, so maybe it's not working on a mobile device.

Right. You need to add the two stationary nuts up top...just cut a couple slots to slide them in. You can scavenege the lower saddles from a later truck, but I made my own with 16 gauge sheet metal I bent up in the vice. Worked like a charm. I installed a used radiator out of a 1994 F150 into my 1980.

I was missing the key "radiator support" step in the drill down.

I guess not helped because I lost Gary's post as I clicked through to the cooling system menu.

Was your '94 donors rad support so bad that you couldn't use the saddles, or was it just down to a frame and the rest sent to scrap at that point?

I recall where you had to look the crumple zone back to fit the Bullnose bumper brackets.

[Gary Lewis]

I was missing the key "radiator support" step in the drill down.

I guess not helped because I lost Gary's post as I clicked through to the cooling system menu.

Was your '94 donors rad support so bad that you couldn't use the saddles, or was it just down to a frame and the rest sent to scrap at that point?

I recall where you had to look the crumple zone back to fit the Bullnose bumper brackets.

Glad you guys got it sorted w/o me. I was sleeping well, something I do a lot of lately.