What are you sayiing - inlet for upper radiator hose broke off?Just found my 94 164LS upper radiator (plastic) neck was broken in half!
Karl
Yes, from thermostat to radiator's neck was broken.
Yes. But it takes skill. I mean if the radiator was damaged say from someone jacking it up on the support and bending or cracking the those hose inlet ot outlet it can be fixed. Will it be as good as new, I would say you should have many years of a problem free radiator if done correctly. For example if you had one of mine I would ask you not to take it some just some radiator person to have it fixed even though it may be convenient, I rather have my guys look at it and determine whether or not it is repairable.Plastic, unless fiber reinforced, has virtually no fatigue resistance, thus we have cracking due to the pressure and temperature cycling of the cooling system.
Manufacturers went to the plastic parts for radiators because it was a little cheaper, and perhaps lighter. Now, instead of radiators which last for many years and are repairable, we have radiators which have a short lifetime between failures, and cannot be repaired.
Such a deal.
One question: can the aluminum radiators be repaired, and would the parts be readily available?
I would prefer the old brass/copper over plastic /brass and copper like the OEM.You are correct. I was just thinking of how my uncle used to repair and dip clean radiators in his radiator repair shop years ago. A radiator could be disassembled for complete cleaning of the core, etc.
Personally, I still prefer the "old fashioned" brass/copper versions, being totally repairable, and pretty darn efficient, enough for these cars, although I'm sure that aluminum versions are quite suitable otherwise.