[hubleyman]

Luckily for me there is still an old school one man radiator shop nearby in downtown Petaluma (Clint at Merv’s Radiator / Petaluma Blvd.). He has repaired or restored quite a few of my OEM radiators over the years and the results have always been great. Just picked up the restored radiator for my 1973 Z/28 last week and once again am very pleased with the results. The total bill was $1000 and the turnaround time was roughly two weeks.

FYI – this thread prompted me to ask him if he would be willing to work on radiators that were shipped by people who couldn’t visit in person. He was open to that method for those who may be interested.

Just wanted to share a few items/tips that were mentioned to me this time around which might be helpful for your own radiator restoration adventures:

1. Evidently the modern day solder used by the new core manufacturers and most radiator shops as well is of lower quality (something to do with the lead vs. tin ratio). As an option, this shop de-solders, cleans and resolders every single joint, tube and fitting with better solder (stronger and lasts longer). It took about 10 pounds of solder and he charged me $60 extra for this one.
2. The attachment point of the top and bottom rails to the side tanks are a typical weak area due to vibrations. Extra solder should be added in those locations for more strength.
3. Some shops (not all) stock or buy complete replacement cores then remove the aftermarket top and bottom rails to install your factory originals. This shop removed my original rails first and shipped them to the core vendor so they got attached to the new core the first time around.
4. Sometimes OEM tanks have thin or weak areas that might be of concern (perhaps after reworking dents or punctures). This shop added extra solder to the inside of my tanks in a couple areas so the outside maintained the original look. If you add to the exterior surface it could change the factory appearance (or do nothing at all which leaves you open for potential leaks).

I like to do my own final prep work and painting, so my radiators come back to me clean and bare. Besides it’s cool to look at all the details first before everything gets covered with paint. Some radiators have their tags soldered to the tanks. The metal ID tag and overflow hose clamp for this particular radiator just clip on so I will install them after the paintwork is complete.