Aluminium radiator

[DaveTheNose]

After having soldered my radiator for the 2nd time and from the look of it it had been in a while and despite flushing is certainly scaled up, and as the car was running a bit too hot, I decided to order a new one. A new one from ESM would have cost me £ 180 and living in Germany customs would have added at least £ 30 to that so I decided to go for an aluminium one I found on ebay for £ 65. Fits like a charm and looks as if it could do the job. I have still to test/run it but the seller says it has 35 % more cooling capacity, of course the proof of the pudding is in the eating so only time will tell. Has anyone else had experience with a similar radiator?

[rocco]

I got tempted by the low price of the alu rads as well and bought one almost as soon as I bought the car.

It'll be a long time before I get around to fitting it so I can't really help you. I would be interested to know whether they are any good though.

[svenedin]

Here in the UK there are quite a lot of specialists who will rebuild a radiator for far less money than a new one. Originality is then maintained.

The Morris Minor is already rather over-cooled so a radiator with extra cooling capacity is definitely not needed!

Stephen

[DaveTheNose]

I have have now fitted the radiator, the only problem was the threads for the mounting bolts were slightly more recessed than on the original so I had to replace the bolts with 4 longer ones. I also replaced the thermostat and water pump, mainly because I do not know how long these parts have been in and at £ 20 for a new pump it was for me a no brainer. Could not really test the system properly as yet as there is a cold snap in Germany at the moment. But what I have noticed is that the new water pump with its longer impeller is a lot more efficient than the older one and therefore the heating came on a lot quicker and was way warmer than it has been since I have had the car.
As to "over-cooled" I would prefer to be very much on the safe side. When I think that in summer the tarmac can easily reach over 40 C and air temperatures in excess of 30 C and then stuck in stop and go. Maybe it was just the older pump and radiator combination but my traveller really started to gasp in such situations.

[svenedin]

Yes I think it is asking a bit much of the cooling system with a constantly operating fan to cope with all conditions from very cold to very hot! The Morris Minors destined for hot climates were fitted with 2x standard fans so that they had 4 blades.

Stephen

[DaveTheNose]

After what has been some really hot days in Germany (over 30 C in the shade so easily 40 C off the tarmac) the aluminium radiator has done an excellent job at keeping the engine nice and cool, even at limit on the Autobahn and stop and go in the city. I do not have the comparison to a new "original" radiator but the Aluminium one I have does the job brilliantly and at less than half the price, which as a yorkshireman born and bred is music to my ears.

[rocco]

Thanks for the update. In the mean time I've bought another standard radiator, new, from a guy on Ebay for €1 and €20 for delivery!

You just can't turn it down at that price!

[Nickol]

A bit after the event but I too have an Alu radiator, but not for my Traveller but for a Triumph Herald. They come from a factory in the Czech republik I seem to remember. Certainly it works excellently although I did have a problem with the bottom hose, getting it to seal properly having notided that the water level dropped after a run.

[olonas]

Only from one example, years ago, I would never buy/fit an aluminium radiator. The radiator fitted to a new 2nd hand, 6 months old car, after only about three years of ownership, corroded massively internally and to keep the coolant temperature stable the heater had to be used to get home without serious overheating and the resulting damage.
I managed to source a non aluminium replacement which was fine.
Whether the incorrect coolant was in the system, no idea.