Dropped the radiator off at Burbank Radiator this morning. I was expecting the guy to just write up a re-core for me. But instead, he showed me how this type of radiator is constructed and advised me that it would be better if he rebuilt it with the existing core if it was still sound. He would just rod it out and resolder it, then pressure test it. He will also replace the overflow tube. I had said I wanted to have the tube modified to use a recovery tank but he said this is not advised for this type of radiator. He says it's a low-pressure design and using a closed system tank will cause the upper radiator tank to swell and the solder seams to stress beyond the design limits.
So I went Googling for some more information and I found a link to the H.A.M.B. that pretty much explained what the Rad shop guy was telling me. The older un-reinforced tanks are designed for low pressure... 7 pounds or so. The tank's inlet and cap have to be designed for recovery and that generally means a higher pressure cap if you want recovery to work properly. Otherwise it will not really pull the coolant back in and you're kinda wasting your time, not to mention stressing the system needlessly.
So, score one point for the Radiator Man... His name is Steve and he seems AOK to me so far.
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