Radiator recore price

[tallsup]

Just received a quote to do a complete recore my 72 Chieftain w/413 radiator. I have to ask if the cost of copper has risen so much in the past couple years to justify the staggering price of $1,200.00.
Please help calm my nerves. I think I'm being taken to cleaners!

[ClydesdaleKevin]

That is way WAY too high!  I had my 72 recored, in a very expensive area of New Jersey, Vernon, for just over 400 bucks.  Now this was about 6 years ago, but even with the increase in the price of metals, the price should still be around 4-5 hundred.  Shop around and find another place to do it for you.

Kev

[Froggy1936]

A replacement aluminum radiator is a lot less expensive than a recore and works just as well or better !! Frank

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

Frank,
The Dodge Class A radiator was a bit of a oddball design.   In addition to the "extra" fill hose connection on the front of the radiator:
413 - Center Inlet, bottom left outlet
440 - Top right inlet, bottom right outlet


Closest thing I ever found for my 440 was a cross flow radiator that had the top right inlet / bottom right outlet.  Even so, the stock MH radiator bottom hose connection sits higher in the chassis than your normal car chassis.  Therefore the standard aluminum bottom outlet radiator has an up angle to it that makes it difficult to attach the lower hose.  You can work it out but it can be a pain.  Tallsup may have better luck finding something with a ceneter inlet / bottom left outlet.  You have to measure size then locate a 4 core replacement.  A custom radiator mounting frame may have to be built also.

Today they pull the top bottom tanks off of the old radiator and solder them to the new core.  Far as I know, they do not make radiators with the 3rd front fill connection anymore. 

Dave

[brians1969]

Dave,
Is it possible for a do-it-yourselfer to recore his own radiator?
thanks
brian

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

Anything is possible but I would not recommend it.  Far as I know they no longer keep the cores on the shelf.  With today's computerized machinery, they build them when the order comes in.  I believe the builder is a wholesaler who does not sell to the general public.   I would think $1200 is way too high myself though.  I should be able to adapt an aftermarket radiator at a much lower cost
http://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/index.php?topic=3277.0

You would loose the filler hose extension but that is manageable.

As you can see in that thread, a few of us have done that.  You do have to make your own mounting system though.  Do not skimp on the fan shroud though!  It makes sure the air is pulled through the radiator at slow speeds.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=mopar+big+block+radiator&_sacat=0&_odkw=mopar+rb+radiator&_sop=16&_osacat=0

Dave

[GONMAD]

Try looking up after- market ALUMINUM radiators they come with or without oil & tranny coolers. Nowhere near what stock or conventional rads go for. The Aluminum radiator is a MUCH more efficient & twice as light! Good replacement overall. I have one installed & haven't even got it up 200 degrees yet. It only costs $259.00. I chose to get the one with NO extra coolers as I use separate oil & trans coolers. Still cheaper than a stock unit . I hope that helped.          GONMAD

[TommyM]

GONMAD, I'd like to know more.  Are you talking about an aluminum radiator made to specifically fit your chassis, or is it a universal-fit radiator that you adapted? 

In both of my Chieftains, it seems like I'm always running on the edge of overheating, especially in warm weather.

In fact, 24 hours before we crashed our 27-footer last year, we had been camping for several days in a radiator shop parking lot while they built a replacement for our radiator, which had ruptured.  The sad thing is the crash ruined a brand-new, custom-cored $500 radiator!!

Thanks,

Tommy

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Just a side note here...it is highly recommended by all transmission manufacturers to use an in-the-radiator transmission cooler, especially if you are adding external coolers.  It actually helps keep the transmission from over-cooling.

But back on topic, 1200 bucks is way too high...we dug up our old receipt and we payed 397.99 plus tax to have the radiator on our 72 with a 413 engine recored, and that was with upgrading it to a 4 row core.  Shop around and find another shop...there might even be places online where you can send your radiator and have them ship it back to you recored, and it would still be way cheaper than 1200 bucks.

Kev

[75Travco]

Re-cores are expensive.  Back in March 2006 when finishing up the rebuild on my 1973 RM-350 chassis I took the radiator and the gas tank to Looper Service Center in Rockville, MD.  The radiator had a small leak so I figured it should be a cheap fix.  Nope - the tubes had become paper thin so a $706 recore was done.  A few weeks later the heater core stated to leak in about 10 places. Same story, the tubes had corroded away to almost nothing.  This recore was "only" $250.
This is expensive work but it's nice to have top-notch cooling and heating.  I probably could have got this work done for less money, but at the time I was making long distance trips (1800+ miles) and wanted the old Travco to be reliable as possible.

[lumpy]

I paid 350.00 full recore a few years back What your being quoted is ridiculous .

[JDxeper]

The local shop wanted $750 or so to recore  mine. I got a new rad for my 68 F-17 for just over $200 shipped. Not much fabrication bolts right up and witha transmission cooler.  Others have found new rads around the same price and fitted them without a lot of fabrication.  With that price I even went to an electric fan.LOL

[audioguyinMI]

When mine blew up on the road a couple years ago, I was quoted $1200 and several weeks to fix it, after several shops refused even to look at it.

Hundreds of miles from home, the leak was on the top tank so I loaded up with water and ran the system without pressure to see if I could limp it closer to home.

It puked all the water out every time I stopped, but it stayed within reason on the highway... so I kept filling water and gas at the same time.  Made it home fine.

My local radiator guy did a new radiator for $275 in a couple of days.

So there is no question that a guy will get $1200 if he can.  If that included removing and reinstalling the thing, I wouldn't think it all that odd.

The rad itself shouldn't cost more than a few hundred, regardless of source or damage.

[JCMAC]

  Eskimo Radiator just quoted me $535 for an overhaul with a new 4-row core 1/4" tubes.  I had an older 3-row core (5/8" tubes).

John

[audioguyinMI]

Is it just me, or is my guy starting to sound like the least expensive quality radiator in the nation?


Even with shipping, I gotta wonder... i??

[ibdilbert01]

To re-core mine it was going to be $450.  I ended up putting a new one on it with an electric fan and control module for around $300.   

[GONMAD]

"Hi Guys, Sorry for the delay as I've been in the hospital with PROSTATITUS, Very deceiving & deadly. It comes on like a flu & will fool you. Anyway about the ALUMINUM radiators, I buy from Griffin aftermarket The mounts or any tabs need to be Heliarc welded by a good weld shop. The ones I get are the biggest available with the widest cores (usually 1.25"x 2 x 34") Summitracing has them & other brands. Any way you do this is around $500.00 so you're not getting off cheap.

In colder climates use the internal trans cooler AFTER the external cooler to bring the trans temp up to operating temp & down here in Southwest Florida even in winter we don't run internal radiator coolers. I HAVE a trans temp gauge & it never runs too cold (good & bad). I also run a DERALE extra deep trans pan. It has the cooling tubes running through the bottom of the pan & works VERY well & once you install it you forget it! No messy rubber tubing & hose clamps to leak & split. Look in MY picture section & see the one I mean. It will increase your fluid capacity by about three quarts too.

I am going to try an experiment using a BMW radiator to try to get the engine back down to 180 degrees as I usually run 195 to 220 degrees. Using the tee's off the rear heater putting it up front ahead & down of the main one. Might NOT work but worth a shot. I'm done blabbing for now, I hope you can cure your problem.

P.S.  When it comes to cooling or "removing heat" it's always a problem anywhere. I think of the Rolls Royce half tracks used by ROMMEL in the desert running "with the front grill blocked off entirely" & not overheating I wonder how it was accomplished. Must have been massive cores in the radiator. Good luck Friend in your endeavors.   GONMAD

[Mytdawg]

Is it just me, or is my guy starting to sound like the least expensive quality radiator in the nation?
Even with shipping, I gotta wonder... i??

Looks like you're local...  Please tell me it's not Pat.  sigh.  I already know it's probably Pat.  Almost every one else is gone.

[GONMAD]

Hi! Were you referring to Pat's on hwy #80 in Ft. Myers or another somewhere else?  I do not do business with Pats... too expensive. If you weren't, disregard this communication C YA! GONMAD

[bluebird]

Mine was on a GM chassis, but it was the same story. I like to died when they told me how much a radiator was going to be. They also told me I couldn't use one out of a step van or truck because MH chassis had more fins per in and they wouldn't cool properly. I was lucky and mine was fixed.  I'd do what Frank suggest and put an aluminum in it . 

[legomybago]

The last two I had done cost between 375.00-425.00 as long as your tanks are good. This was in 2011. That of coarse is YOU bringing the radiator to the shop. At the same time though, I did have a quote for 700.00!! I ran.........

[EarlJr]

I'm about 80% sure that we only paid $650 for a brand spankin' new copper, 4 core just two years ago. We got it from a big rig shop.

[Mytdawg]

Hi! Were you referring to Pat's on hwy #80 in Ft. Myers or another somewhere else?  I do not do business with Pats... too expensive. If you weren't, disregard this communication C YA! GONMAD

No, it's the owner of one of the last radiator shops in Lansing Mi.

[JCMAC]

I had mine done (after I finally remove the beast) for about $500 and the local radiator shop - nice job on the new core.

John

[audioguyinMI]

Looks like you're local...  Please tell me it's not Pat.  sigh.  I already know it's probably Pat.  Almost every one else is gone.

Yep.  It's Pat.