Damaged My Brand New Radiator

[neil_se]

Well i'd driven about 3km with my new JJR radiator and somehow something got in through the back of the shroud and fan and damaged the core.

The mechanic and radiator shop said it was basically gonners but i thought it was worth a crack to see if it was fixable so took out the 5 damaged tubes (out of 62 total).

Can the ends actually be welded or is it too thin like the tubes themselves? I figured losing about 10% of the surface wouldn't be too bad considering the radiator is 200% larger than the stock one.

[SECURITY]

who told you it was 200% larger?

i think the only difference is its a little thicker and made entirely from aluminium.

if you could find an aluminium welder then he could probably weld the holes shut but you'll still have no guarantee it wont leak. it wont flow as much either so your % gain would be pretty much shot.

[neil_se]

Yeah sorry, that was a bit of a bullshit estimate. Just comparing the 40mm aftermarket radiator to the stock ~20mm one. I just want to know if it'll still cool better than the stock one or if i'm wasting my money paying someone to weld this instead of spending another $430.

Edited October 22, 2006 by neil_se

[SECURITY]

i doubt it'll be safe. im not sure if you can have the tubes replaced but if you cant then i really wouldnt risk it. another $430 is cheap compared to a $5000 rebuild.

someone else may be able to tell you if it will flow better than stock if you weld up the holes.

sorry mate.

[gtrchick]

I agree, its a bit dodgy, atleast you could possibly get a warranty on a new radiator.

[700HP-GTR33]

Get a new one and have no heart-ache later....lol

I mean how much are they going to chrge to repair the thing????

[AndrewD]

You could get a competant welder to block those tubes off, however you may have punctured the surrounding tubes by removing the fins off of them.

Best thing is to get it done, take it to a radiator shop and get them to pressure test it.

If it passes the test, remember to block off the hole so air will not flow through that section of the core.

Ive done it before, however i removed the tanks and seamed it from the top of the tank flange other than the bottom as you have done there. Proved reliable. Just need to pressure test it before you put it on.

[R33S2]

that gap will give you extra flow of air for the motor lol, as andrewd said otherwise.

[neil_se]

I'm pretty sure all the other tubes are ok, the fins broke away pretty easily but there's one small spot i'm not sure of. I've got someone who's going to weld it up (the rad shop doesn't do alloy welding) then i'll get it pressure tested.

[700HP-GTR33]

Maybe you have invented a new mod....

This might be a good one for the GTR35.

Anyway good luck either with the repair or the replacement.

Cheers