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I knicked the front of my radiator and presto ! ITs a tiny hole ;whats best to use?

S

SwaveDave

Guest
I knicked it with a box cutter. It is not an aluminum raditator. The cut is small and on the front near the top. Is JB WELD good to use on something like that ?

Thanks, Dave.
 
SwaveDave,
Maybe someone else has some thoughts you'll like better, but I've had no luck at all with any of the stop-leak cures, The best and most reliable fix to me is to remove the radiator and have it soldered at a reputable radiator shop. Good luck.......
 
I thought i would clean up the hole i made , and then apply some JB cold Weld to it. It says that it will handle high temp, and the pressure is only about 16 psi in the cooling system. I sure hope i dont have to pull the radiator. Any other ideas ????

Dave
 
Dave,

It is June 2002 and you have just finished running the car hard and hot down the interstate 200 miles from home driving into a congested downtown on the way to a really nice car show. In fact, you have pre-registered and Hooters is providing free lunch and beer.

Just as you slow down to 45 and enter town the JB weld pops off the radiator in a furry of steam and nasty rusty slimmy radiator puke :puke

There you are in a strange town, nice clothes, and radiator fluid all over the street and engine. :cry

$450 later you get towed to a shop and the small crack hot welded closed. Too bad, you missed the free lunch, made a mess of your engine bay, and spoiled the day.

Okay, now, do you take advantage of this moment, or take your chances later?

(this actually sort of happened to me years ago with the 69 Camaro at a huge G.M. sponsored event in Detroit...yes, my radiator blew in down town Detroit etc. etc.).
 
69MyWay said:
(this actually sort of happened to me years ago with the 69 Camaro at a huge G.M. sponsored event in Detroit...yes, my radiator blew in down town Detroit etc. etc.).

For me it was an 81 Gran Prix and I was 17 and lost driving from NC to Maryland and was heading through southeast Wash. DC (scary) . Traffic was bumper to bumper and all heck broke loose. Fix it right now or fix it right later, I'd go with now.

- Eric
 
Well, i went the JB WELD route. I put 2 batches on the little hole, allowing a drying time of 24 hours each time. The stuff dried rock hard. I took it for a good spin near to home , and got her good and hot. Got her up to 90 mph to increase the water pressure . Absolutely no leak at all. The package says it will withstand 3900 psi and 500 degree F. of heat - not bad for a $4 package of epoxee. I talked to a few guys who did the same as i did...and none of them have had a reoccuring leak.

I reckon time will tell.

TY, Dave.
 
Dave,

I appologize if I sound like a know it all sometimes. I really hope that JB holds. I have had J.B. weld do wonders for me in the past. Trouble is, I can't name a single thing that it held up on long term other than small plastic trim pieces or light weight stuff. It is good to have some around when you are taking a instrument panel apart on any type of car with some years on it and plastic threaded parts. I like the way you can fix a stripped thread, or bond a cracked panel back together. Over the years, that stuff has saved me hundreds of bucks. A great temp fix on heavy duty items. The best $4 you could ever spend in a tight jam. I event put some in the cylinder head of a dodge mini ram diesel truck to hold the atomizer cups in place. It worked for about 5,000 miles. Just long enough to have enough money saved up to buy another used head.

Good luck with it. Maybe by taking the extra time to really clean that area it will stick with you for a long time. I am jealous you even have a radiator. That is still way out there somewhere on the wish list for me!


Take it easy,

Chris
 
Chris,

Ill mail a letter to Santa today, telling him to check the Summit catalogue for a decent aluminum radiator .... and not to knick it getting it down your chimney.

Dave
 
Dave,

You wouldn't believe what I've used JB Weld on, personal and professionally (although never on a radiator). However, what I have found is that constant vibration will loosen it and it will blow. I've seen that on several garbage disposals.

Better to think of this as a temporary fix and get a new radiator lined up.
 
SwaveDave said:
Chris,

Ill mail a letter to Santa today, telling him to check the Summit catalogue for a decent aluminum radiator .... and not to knick it getting it down your chimney.

Dave


How about I talk you into sending that letter to Nikki instead and go ahead and address it from Santa. We will keep the truth between us :beer
 

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