I know there are replacement rads available but is there anyplace one can buy an original one? I went to the rad shop and asked if they could rebuild my radiator and they said no. Back home up north we had old school shops that didnt know the word no. Can tthey just use the tank and frame and put new cores in it?
Try another shop. Recores can be done but you may need to go to a longstanding shop. Newer shops have gone to replacements as the solution.
thats very kind of you thank you. .. i wasnt expecting that at all. Will it bolt directly into my 73 lesabre? Is it nice and clean? any probs with it? I wonder what shipping would cost im in florida. Do you have paypal? Really nice of you thanks. Gary
Gary do you have a 4 core? The one from the 350 is very likely a 3 core and even then the tank size may not be the same. The tank number is embossed in the back of the tanks. It will be 2 letters.
I agree with Jim. Search for a shop that's been there a while. I found a shop a couple towns over that re-cored my 3 row radiator with a higher efficiency core for very reasonable money.
You can get replacement radiators at any of the parts stores. I wouldn'ty recore that one unless you're going for absolute originality. You'll pay well over double the price of a new one.
ok where exactly is the code? and when I look in the radiator from the filll hole I see 2 tubes with coolant coming out when the car is running. Is this 3 or 4 core. I dont have air conditioning and I dont have a separate trans cooler. The trans lines just thread into the bottom of the radiator.
You should just get a repo from the parts store. I just had mine done and it was like 375.00. The new cores that are available are not the same as they do not have a rqail on top and bottom. I had my rails removed and installed on the new core. Very labor intensive. The result with my tags and tanks looks like NOS
My code is CD It is a two core, i look in the hole and there are two rows. Is a row and a core the same thing? 4 row, 4 core?
Yes 2 row, 2 core its the same termonology. If your current rad. is a 2 row, upgrade to a 3 or 4 row (core) If I remember, the stock rad. in 455 LeSabre is a 3 row, and the heavy duty cooling option was a 4 row. If you go for the 3 or 4 row, you may have to trim the rubber mounting blocks for the end tanks, which is no big deal. Wow, almost 400 bucks for a new copper/brass rad:shock: Last I bought one I paid 180 bucks for a 4 row new Modine from Forest City auto parts, but that was back in the early 90's, Daaaaaaamn.
June of last year I spent 350.00 to have a recore done just so I could save the original Harrison tanks.Not worth it if your not worried about keeping the car original. Tom
Rock Auto has a 4 core brass radiator for 228.00. Im not sure what exact brand it is, but Im sure its a Mexican rad. The trade number is 433165. Same one I have in my 71 GS. John Csordas, aka "Skyhawk" has a part number for a new style aluminum radiator with the plastic tanks that fits our older cars.
Jason, I bought one of the aluminum/plastic ones for my green 71 LeSabre 4 door last year, and it was a perfect fit, and cooled the car just fine. It was $133 from O'Reilly.
it leaks in multiple places, there are barnacles all up inside of it on the tubes, its wet along the seams of the tank on one side and generally just a leaking, rusty mess . and it hisses and whistles high pitched sounds sometimes even when its cold. Its two rows of hell, my gage is pushing into the danger zone. Also even when i drain and flush the whole thing and i cant even get much more than a gallon of prestone into it even when it is totally empty.. Its time, all aluminum, tig welded 3 rows of heaven on earth. billet neck. 225 shipped.
