Ragtag Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 Hi to you all. Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Chris(topher) and I live in sunny Hampshire. I acquired my white 1972 (CP) 6 in the early summer of 2007 and spent the next few months just enjoying it. From reading many of the posts it looks like I have been very lucky as it hasn't missed a beat so far! However, not wanting to push my luck, I reluctantly put the car away in the garage for the winter and prompted by a sudden freezing spell had a panic attack, realising that I didn't know if it had anti freeze in the cooling system or not. Not being able to find a drain tap, I removed the hose from the water pump and out gushed rusty brown water. Not good but not a problem. Removed radiator to give it a good flush and it pretty much turned to dust in my hands! So to the questions. The only source for a new radiator that I can find on the web is Rimmers. They charge £158 for a new rad or £150 for a re-core (exchange). Can anyone provide comments on the quality of Rimmers rads, good or bad or suggest an alternative supplier? Also, whilst I have the rad out, I have discovered that I do not have any ducting into my air filter. Clearly there should be two. Can anyone describe, or provide a picture of the how the two tubes should be routed? Finally, I am attracted to the idea of replacing my tatty fibre board rad duct with a stainless steel TRGB version but I am not sure if it would just look a bit too "bling". Does anyone have a picture (or a link to a picture) which shows this sort of duct as fitted to a car? Ok, that's it for now. Sorry to be so demanding on my first post, I hope it is not considered too forward! Cheers Chris Quote Link to post Share on other sites
foster461 Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 Hi to you all. Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Chris(topher) and I live in sunny Hampshire. I acquired my white 1972 (CP) 6 in the early summer of 2007 and spent the next few months just enjoying it. From reading many of the posts it looks like I have been very lucky as it hasn't missed a beat so far! However, not wanting to push my luck, I reluctantly put the car away in the garage for the winter and prompted by a sudden freezing spell had a panic attack, realising that I didn't know if it had anti freeze in the cooling system or not. Not being able to find a drain tap, I removed the hose from the water pump and out gushed rusty brown water. Not good but not a problem. Removed radiator to give it a good flush and it pretty much turned to dust in my hands! So to the questions. The only source for a new radiator that I can find on the web is Rimmers. They charge £158 for a new rad or £150 for a re-core (exchange). Can anyone provide comments on the quality of Rimmers rads, good or bad or suggest an alternative supplier? Also, whilst I have the rad out, I have discovered that I do not have any ducting into my air filter. Clearly there should be two. Can anyone describe, or provide a picture of the how the two tubes should be routed? Finally, I am attracted to the idea of replacing my tatty fibre board rad duct with a stainless steel TRGB version but I am not sure if it would just look a bit too "bling". Does anyone have a picture (or a link to a picture) which shows this sort of duct as fitted to a car? Ok, that's it for now. Sorry to be so demanding on my first post, I hope it is not considered too forward! Cheers Chris Hi Chris, dont worry about being forward, forward would be "hey, does anyone have a spare J type OD that they could send me, I'm in Hawaii and I have no money". You should be able to get a repro rad from multiple sources in the UK or the US, Moss Europe lists them: http://www.moss-europe.co.uk/Shop/ViewProd...ateIndexID=2503 You also have the option of getting yours re-cored by a local rad shop and get a modern core fitted. Generally the top and bottom tanks hold up well over time but the cores and fins can deteriorate and even when they dont leak they become less and less efficient. Here in the US the cost of a rebuild is not that different from a new one but at least you will know it will fit and the overflow pipe will be pointing in the right direction (my repro unit does not). A third option is an aluminum rad, like the one Bob Danielson fitted: http://tr6.danielsonfamily.org/Radiator.htm The stainless shrouds can look a bit blingy but at least they dont buckle and fall apart if and when they get wet. Some people dress them up with TR logos etc. Check out this example from a Guy From Quebec . You will have to scroll down to the last but one image on this page: http://faucher.f.googlepages.com/moteur Stan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bat10man Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 Hi Chris, I bought my replacement rad from TRGB last year, there are plaenty of suppliers around who can sort you out. I aslo have a st.stl shroud fitted, I think it is much better than the original cardboard version. I have seen steel versions that have a textured black painted finish which in my opion looks better than the polished st.steel, however it really is a matter of personal taste etc. Please see attached of the one fitted to my TR6. cheers Andy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bald Rick Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 Hi Chris and welcome. It's always worth doing a search on the forum as there are a lot of common problems with TRs and some questions have been asked many times before. This way you will often get a whole range of options to choose from One by 88V8 from recent "buy/sell/trade" postings suggests Carl at TR Trader has new rads for £125. - 0161 485 5005. Might be worth giving him a call. It's also worth looking in your local yellow pages. I found a rad re-core company only a mile away and they did an excellent job with my TR6 rad. Hope this helps Tony Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest ron Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 Hi, welcome to the forum. As Tony posted it's worth looking in the yellow pages, I got mine recored several years ago by Serck [spelling?] locally, it was about £100 plus no postage costs! Ron Quote Link to post Share on other sites
marks Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 Hi Chris Welcome. The two air intake "tubes" route across and behind the grill and hang off two straps. The designers must have wanted them there for a reason, but I would think the air intake would be just as effective without them, others will disagree!! Mine I have directed across and downwards to the furthermost rectangular opening in the valance just behind the number plate. Mark Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RobIsaacson Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 Most Interesting... there should be two tubes into the filter housing behind the grille Car works well without them, not been there for the 3 years I've had mine and I knew nothing about them either. I have a kenlowe fitted in front of the rad, would the tubes have been removed to fit the fan? Regards Rob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bowtie6 Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 I used an aluminium radiator. Mine is not exactly the same size as the original one, but this suited my goals and expectations. For more info on my setup, you can CLICK HERE. joe Quote Link to post Share on other sites
88V8 Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 Hi and welcome. My car also has the inlet tubes removed, like Rob's I think this was done in order to make way for a Kenlowe. Don't really know what value they would add. Regards antifreeze, some strange people do seem to imagine it's OK to run without - apart from its essential corrosion-inhibiting function, one can't actually drain the heater... While you've got the system drained, if you are (appropriately) tempted to fit a new thermostat, watch the screws holding the stat housing - they can seize & shear off. Good to use Copper grease on replacement. Ivor Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Geoff Davies Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 A number of answers, Serck is spelt Serck, it used to be Serck Marston (Serck Joined with Marston radiators) and before that had been Serck Services, they are in the UK, the Gulf, USA etc and do all types of Cooling applications. They originally designed the first honey comb radiator and Serck oil coolers were fitted to Spitfires, don’t get exited not the cars but fitted to the planes. I think now the true radiator skills have gone in most areas but some are still good. A local rad company will do you a decent job. The brass tanks and frames are reusable and if you specify they will get rid of any dents etc from the tanks as it easy to do in the process. I wouldn’t have thought that you would get one for less than £100. If you want it to last forever ask for a "fully dipped core" cost more but! Also if you are considering a Kenlowe fan get them to fit a coolant switch in (top would be best) and you could get brackets put on for the fan to fasten to. Anti freeze not only acts as coolant but because it is an impurity it raises the boiling temp of the water so makes the system work better. It does however have a property so that its density that makes it show leaks. A non-leaking rad after new anti freeze may well show leaks. Good quality antifreeze has a corrosion inhibitor in it as well. Avoid very modern stuff as it can react with certain types of rubber and gaskets. Sad knowing so much about radiators but there is more if you are interested. Geoff Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tom Fremont Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 A number of answers, Serck is spelt Serck, it used to be Serck Marston (Serck Joined with Marston radiators) and before that had been Serck Services, they are in the UK, the Gulf, USA etc and do all types of Cooling applications. They originally designed the first honey comb radiator and Serck oil coolers were fitted to Spitfires, don’t get exited not the cars but fitted to the planes. I think now the true radiator skills have gone in most areas but some are still good. A local rad company will do you a decent job. The brass tanks and frames are reusable and if you specify they will get rid of any dents etc from the tanks as it easy to do in the process. I wouldn’t have thought that you would get one for less than £100. If you want it to last forever ask for a "fully dipped core" cost more but! Also if you are considering a Kenlowe fan get them to fit a coolant switch in (top would be best) and you could get brackets put on for the fan to fasten to. Anti freeze not only acts as coolant but because it is an impurity it raises the boiling temp of the water so makes the system work better. It does however have a property so that its density that makes it show leaks. A non-leaking rad after new anti freeze may well show leaks. Good quality antifreeze has a corrosion inhibitor in it as well. Avoid very modern stuff as it can react with certain types of rubber and gaskets. Sad knowing so much about radiators but there is more if you are interested. Geoff Nice lesson there, Geoff, to which I'll add the fact that anti-freeze ( ethylene glycol anyway ) is such a poor heat transfer medium that it would need 4X the flow ( eg. gpm ) to carry off the same heat as good old water. So it's counterproductive to use more than is necessary in the mix for frost protection as far as cooling is concerned Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pfenlon Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 A number of answers, Serck is spelt Serck, it used to be Serck Marston (Serck Joined with Marston radiators) and before that had been Serck Services, they are in the UK, the Gulf, USA etc and do all types of Cooling applications. They originally designed the first honey comb radiator and Serck oil coolers were fitted to Spitfires, don’t get exited not the cars but fitted to the planes. I think now the true radiator skills have gone in most areas but some are still good. A local rad company will do you a decent job. The brass tanks and frames are reusable and if you specify they will get rid of any dents etc from the tanks as it easy to do in the process. I wouldn’t have thought that you would get one for less than £100. If you want it to last forever ask for a "fully dipped core" cost more but! Also if you are considering a Kenlowe fan get them to fit a coolant switch in (top would be best) and you could get brackets put on for the fan to fasten to. Anti freeze not only acts as coolant but because it is an impurity it raises the boiling temp of the water so makes the system work better. It does however have a property so that its density that makes it show leaks. A non-leaking rad after new anti freeze may well show leaks. Good quality antifreeze has a corrosion inhibitor in it as well. Avoid very modern stuff as it can react with certain types of rubber and gaskets. Sad knowing so much about radiators but there is more if you are interested. Geoff [/quote Hello Geoff you must see rons post on "at the bar" Peter Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ragtag Posted January 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 Hi to you all. Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Chris(topher) and I live in sunny Hampshire. I acquired my white 1972 (CP) 6 in the early summer of 2007 and spent the next few months just enjoying it. From reading many of the posts it looks like I have been very lucky as it hasn't missed a beat so far! However, not wanting to push my luck, I reluctantly put the car away in the garage for the winter and prompted by a sudden freezing spell had a panic attack, realising that I didn't know if it had anti freeze in the cooling system or not. Not being able to find a drain tap, I removed the hose from the water pump and out gushed rusty brown water. Not good but not a problem. Removed radiator to give it a good flush and it pretty much turned to dust in my hands! So to the questions. The only source for a new radiator that I can find on the web is Rimmers. They charge £158 for a new rad or £150 for a re-core (exchange). Can anyone provide comments on the quality of Rimmers rads, good or bad or suggest an alternative supplier? Also, whilst I have the rad out, I have discovered that I do not have any ducting into my air filter. Clearly there should be two. Can anyone describe, or provide a picture of the how the two tubes should be routed? Finally, I am attracted to the idea of replacing my tatty fibre board rad duct with a stainless steel TRGB version but I am not sure if it would just look a bit too "bling". Does anyone have a picture (or a link to a picture) which shows this sort of duct as fitted to a car? Ok, that's it for now. Sorry to be so demanding on my first post, I hope it is not considered too forward! Cheers Chris Well what a fantastic response! Thanks to all who attached links, posted pictures or made a comment. I had considered getting my own rad re-cored but the best price was £130 plus VAT and my radiator is really well past its best. The header has a couple of brazed patches and the side frames are detached and rusted away at the bottom. My main reason for posting was that I found Rimmer's pricing strange. Why would you pay only £8 less for a re-core and have the hassle of sending yours to them unless the quality of a new one is not that good? Anyway given that nobody has posted adverse comments about new radiators, I will give TRGB or TR TRader a call. By the way, Bowtie, great radiator but a bit out of my league! On the subject of the S/S duct, thanks for the pictures Andy, they were just what I was looking for and confirmed my feeling that this should be on my "must have" list. With regard to the comments on air filter ducting, for what it is worth, my guess is that the purpose of the tubing, particularly if the open ends point down, is to prevent the filter element from getting too wet in rainy conditions. Thanks once again Chris Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TR NIALL Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 hi chris,there are a couple of girls that sell them radiator cowls at the international show and they were also at stonleigh last year,the items they sell are very good quality and an exellent fit and also a good price might be worth waiting to see these items,they do them in black crinkle finish also polished stainless. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ragtag Posted January 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 hi chris,there are a couple of girls that sell them radiator cowls at the international show and they were also at stonleigh last year,the items they sell are very good quality and an exellent fit and also a good price might be worth waiting to see these items,they do them in black crinkle finish also polished stainless. Ok thanks, I don't know if I will be able to wait, even for a couple of girls!!! Cheers Chris Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ylwtr6 Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 Here is a picture of my radiator shroud...stainless steel with logo. Regards, Stuart (YLWTR6) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
marks Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 Most Interesting... there should be two tubes into the filter housing behind the grille Car works well without them, not been there for the 3 years I've had mine and I knew nothing about them either. I have a kenlowe fitted in front of the rad, would the tubes have been removed to fit the fan? Regards Rob Rob. I too have an electric fan (not kenlowe) fitted in front of the rad and the air intake tubes are still there. I have run the car without them and have not noticed any difference. Mark Quote Link to post Share on other sites
marks Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 Well what a fantastic response! Thanks to all who attached links, posted pictures or made a comment. I had considered getting my own rad re-cored but the best price was £130 plus VAT and my radiator is really well past its best. The header has a couple of brazed patches and the side frames are detached and rusted away at the bottom. My main reason for posting was that I found Rimmer's pricing strange. Why would you pay only £8 less for a re-core and have the hassle of sending yours to them unless the quality of a new one is not that good? Anyway given that nobody has posted adverse comments about new radiators, I will give TRGB or TR TRader a call. By the way, Bowtie, great radiator but a bit out of my league! On the subject of the S/S duct, thanks for the pictures Andy, they were just what I was looking for and confirmed my feeling that this should be on my "must have" list. With regard to the comments on air filter ducting, for what it is worth, my guess is that the purpose of the tubing, particularly if the open ends point down, is to prevent the filter element from getting too wet in rainy conditions. Thanks once again Chris Chris I recently had to price a new rad for my Pajero (shogun to you) and the cost of a recored was the same as a new one!!!! I am sure there is an expert amongst us that would say the tubes have a rammed air affect in the filter box, or not; I had that thought in mind when I reinstalled them pointing down. No worry about rain for me, the car doesnt go out in the rain, plenty of sunny days to TR in in Perth WA. Mark Quote Link to post Share on other sites
88V8 Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 Finally, I am attracted to the idea of replacing my tatty fibre board rad duct with a stainless steel TRGB version but I am not sure if it would just look a bit too "bling". Does anyone have a picture (or a link to a picture) which shows this sort of duct as fitted to a car?Chris Bling bling! If you're going to do the stainless thing, this polished alloy expansion pot (the fat version) would seem a suitable complement: http://shop1.actinicexpress.co.uk/shops/Ra...ank___Swirl_Pot Lots of other Classic goodies on this site. With regard to the comments on air filter ducting, for what it is worth, my guess is that the purpose of the tubing, particularly if the open ends point down, is to prevent the filter element from getting too wet in rainy conditions. I think you're right. They're to keep spray out of the filter. Those of us who live in countries where it rains are grateful for this information which has inspired me to replace what I had taken to be a useless embellishment. Ivor Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ragtag Posted January 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 Bling bling! If you're going to do the stainless thing, this polished alloy expansion pot (the fat version) would seem a suitable complement: http://shop1.actinicexpress.co.uk/shops/Ra...ank___Swirl_Pot Lots of other Classic goodies on this site. I think you're right. They're to keep spray out of the filter. Those of us who live in countries where it rains are grateful for this information which has inspired me to replace what I had taken to be a useless embellishment. Ivor Ha ha, where does it end? Nice kit but I think I'll leave the expansion bottle for the time being, although come to think of it, I have got a full can of Hammerite smooth silver.......... Just to close the loop on this, I have ordered a rad from Carl at TR Trader (nice guy and seemed "chuffed" that he had been mentioned on the Forum) and the "bling" from TRGB. Also had a brainwave and realised that with the rad out, it would be a good move to polybush the front anti roll bar. Finally, looking in the boot for something I found the missing air filter inlet tubes!....result. Thanks once again for the help guys Chris Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ragtag Posted January 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 Chris I recently had to price a new rad for my Pajero (shogun to you) and the cost of a recored was the same as a new one!!!! I am sure there is an expert amongst us that would say the tubes have a rammed air affect in the filter box, or not; I had that thought in mind when I reinstalled them pointing down. No worry about rain for me, the car doesnt go out in the rain, plenty of sunny days to TR in in Perth WA. Mark Hi Mark How is it "down under"? They call 'em Pajeros up here as well now, or maybe its because we get so many "grey imports" from Japan. On the subject of rain, my car was advertised as having "dry use only" for the last 22 years. Total mileage in that period....10,500! Of course we do like the rain really. Especially on the 4th day of a Test Match against you lot when we are 500 runs behind! Cheers Chris Quote Link to post Share on other sites
marks Posted January 24, 2008 Report Share Posted January 24, 2008 Hi Mark How is it "down under"? They call 'em Pajeros up here as well now, or maybe its because we get so many "grey imports" from Japan. On the subject of rain, my car was advertised as having "dry use only" for the last 22 years. Total mileage in that period....10,500! Of course we do like the rain really. Especially on the 4th day of a Test Match against you lot when we are 500 runs behind! Cheers Chris Hi Chris Down under today is hot!! 38degC. When I left in 96 they were Shoguns, had a short wheel base petrol, good cars. I wonder if they are called Pajeros in Spain! Your car sounds good, are you pleased with it? I get lots of fun from reading the tech books as well as tinkering and driving my 6, I'm sure you will as well. My next purchase is a rear suspension kit from CTM, but the postage is more than the brackets, so I'll have to wait until we have a visitor from the UK. Its a pity the brackets are not made under license here. I'm still a Pom at heart, only support Australia when they play the French!!! now thats another story. Mark Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Richard H Posted May 27, 2008 Report Share Posted May 27, 2008 Dear All I just had to post a reply on this topic - the wife is delighted with comments from TR Niall. The "girls" to which he refers to are our long suffering partners, Gail (mine) and Louise (Dave's wife). These are our two employees (!) who sell our goods whilst we view the cars and other traders. Dave makes the cowls and I package them - its a good partnership which we will repeat this year at the International. We made it last year but ended up very soggy, unlike our products which are not affected by the damp (!). Anyway, hope to see you all again this year. cheers Richard Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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