Thread: Aluminum VS Brass Radiators

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Hi everyone,
I have a 34 ford with a every day 350 Chevy with air conditioning and an automatic and solid hood sides. I haven't had this car long and don't know much about it. It has a Walker rad and it is not worth fixing. I haven't had the chance to idle the car around a show and cruzing so I don't know if the Walker rad was enough or not. It's leaking now and a local rad shop told me to get a aluminum rad because this one was old and not worth fixing. Are aluminum rads that much better?
My other question is, my car has an electric fan (pusher) and a regular engine fan The car never got past 180 or so and the fan never came on. Yes it works. Would I need a electric fan and a engine fan with a aluminum rad if I keep the engine fan?
Im sure there is tons of experienced rodders on this forum, what do ya think?
Thanks,
Rex

I think I'd get a second opinion on the Walker. It's a quality copper/brass radiator. "old and not worth fixing" doesn't make any sense to me.

Rex, you're probably gonna get hit from both factions on this one, the aluminum guys and the copper/brass guys like me.

i did work for the becool guys . if you ask them they say yes but that is what they sold aluminum. it has to do with fins per inch and how the core rows are. two wide. are better then four rows more surfaces that the air can work on. but i like brass and copper they both work good if the cores are good. but the copper is ease to fix and is heaver

To be completly honest, i havent noticed a great difference between aluminum and brass in cooling capacity. Consider if you want to keep your old radiator, if you want it origional, or if the aluminum would actually be easier. However, if you have to repair your radiator due to leaking, its usually better to swap it now. If its corodded through now, theres probably a dozen other spots nearly corroded through waiting

From what I have been told. aulminum radiators can have larger tubes and more fins because the tubes have much higher strength to weight ratio. so you get more cooling capacity in the same size. Carlg

BRASS/COOPER COOLS THE BEST, ALUM. IS LIGHTER,

Brass is serviceable in the field.
Aluminum is not.

Seems like any radiator shop ought to be able to re-core the Walker radiator for you.
For considerably less money than a new one of either type.

That said, I'm running a Walker 4-row purchased new in 1985 and the car's been on the road since 93.
Only problem was when I popped an upper tank solder seam.

The radiator shop that repaired it recommended a 7# cap instead of the 15# cap I'd been running.

Car runs cool in 100 degree summer traffic.
(462" Buick in a 32 roadster.)

You'll notice manufacturers started to switch from copper/brass to aluminum about 15 years ago, the same time OSHA started to really crack down on the use of flux in industrial applications for health reasons. I personally prefer copper because I can repair it with my torch and from thermodynamics, I know that copper has a much higher coefficient of heat transfer than aluminum. The smaller rows on an aluminum radiator might not be an advantage. The additional fin surface area may be required to match the heat trasnfer rates of a more efficient copper core.

I just bought a Modine radiator for my truck (~$140). It's a copper core and made in USA.

are all radiator's either copper or aluminum?

Originally posted by tcodi
are all radiator's either copper or aluminum?

i had a rad. shop for about 10 yrs. and thats the only kind i saw. most of them now have plastic tanks on them.

I don't know why I assumed the cheap ones were steel, being the crappy thermal conductivity of steel and all.

Originally posted by tcodi
I don't know why I assumed the cheap ones were steel, being the crappy thermal conductivity of steel and all.

You're right, steel is not as good a heat transfer alloy as is aluminum, copper or brass, but it does work.

Note the lines going to the front spreader/crossmember.
They carry transmission fluid and the steel crossmember which is powder coated black is part of the trans cooling system.
Other part is a Derale pan with the cooling tubes running through the trans pan.

Works pretty good and always makes people wonder what the braided lines are for.

The copper-brass radiators and aluminum are very comparable performers thermally. Their respective thermal conductivities are pretty close although aluminum does have a 2x better specific heat capacity; but this is not that important in radiator design which is a conduction-convection system.

The copper-brass units are much easier to work on in the field and re-core. They tend to weigh more than the aluminum radiators. I believe that in general they are not as pretty but they are more robust than the aluminum units ........

My AFCO Aluminum unit for the '32 is polished and gorgeous! And it's out in the open where people can see it ...........

Kitz

Originally posted by C9x
Works pretty good and always makes people wonder what the braided lines are for.

They wonder until they touch a bare shin up against it after a long slow cruise! oooo, I bet that smarts!

Pat

You said you had two fans going? What I would do is just put that front electric fan on a switch. Turn it on when you want and turn it off when you want. Looks like the other questions got answered for you. Good luck!