Ideas of what to do with a old Radiator

[Greenspan]

I had a leaky radiator that I replaced recently. There was a minor pinhole leak in one of the fins, debated trying to spray it something or fix it for a while, but then just decided it would be easier to replace it.

I'm a bit of a tinkerer and now that it's replaced, I'm trying to think if there's something cool I could do with it. It's a pretty interesting piece of equipment, high volume heat exchanger. The leak was pretty minor so I think I could cut into the fins and cinch them off. Could probably make a pretty bad ass air-conditioner with some water and a fan, but I don't really need that.

Looking for ideas of what could be done with an old radiator other than just trashing it. Go!

 

[ehall]

practice soldering on it, better than trying to pinch it closed

then practice pressure testing your repair

 

[Bent]

Make a still.

 

[XJwonders]

I used an old large transmission cooler from a Ford truck. Mounted it in front of a 20 inch box fan and hooked up my air lines to it. Pretty efficient air dryer for the compressed air. Don't know if it ll work with an old radiator.

 

[Yzzerdd]

I second the still.

Or, you could make a swamp-cooler for a garage space- of course, you'd need a fan, and a way to circulate the water, but with a water pump and a belt run off the fan, you'd only have one device to power. Fill the system with ice, a fan with shroud to pull the air through a window, and put a tank below it to fill with ice. Couple radiator hoses, and you're done!

Jack

 

[Bent]

I used an old large transmission cooler from a Ford truck. Mounted it in front of a 20 inch box fan and hooked up my air lines to it. Pretty efficient air dryer for the compressed air. Don't know if it ll work with an old radiator.

It would work in principle but not sure about CFMs.

 

[Hypoid]

A still??? Just drink some Ethylene glycol anti-freeze and be done with your life.

Old, dead, parts are perfect candidates for "how does it work" and failure analysis "who done-it" studies.

 

[Bent]

Me thinks you thinks that I am more serious than me thinks I am.

 

[Lowrange2]

Scrap yard pays out around $5 per hundred pounds. So you should be able to get about $0.42 for it.

I'd take it there.

 

[Bent]

Old, dead, parts are perfect candidates for "how does it work" and failure analysis "who done-it" studies.

And of course the "can it be fixed; can I fix it".

 

[JohnX]

Scrap yard pays out around $5 per hundred pounds. So you should be able to get about $0.42 for it.

I'd take it there.

Your scrap yard and mine pay a lot different.

For an aluminum core (after I strip off the tanks) I get about $5

For a brass unit (after stripping off the steel braces) I get about $15

 

[iwannadie]

A still??? Just drink some Ethylene glycol anti-freeze and be done with your life.

Old, dead, parts are perfect candidates for "how does it work" and failure analysis "who done-it" studies.

My last radiator I have sitting waiting to be taken apart just to see how bad it really was inside. If I can clean and seal it back up it will sit in the parts bin as a backup(while I wait for a new one to ship if needed). If I can't at least I will know first hand what an xj rad looks like on the inside before it goes in the trash.

 

[Bent]

Looking for ideas of what could be done with an old radiator other than just trashing it. Go!

View the Eclipse.
:rof:

 

[JohnX]

View the Eclipse.
:rof:

I've seen your eclipse...didn't need a radiator either??