1965 F250’s Rejuvenation

Both Tanks need to come Off & put an Old dipstick down every Tube, would be my advice..

As for the radiator sock? cut the Leg out of one of Mrs. Urchy's stockings is the Go..

Hi,

I did the sock idea recently and found a 'business' sock was stronger than the stockings but had more flow than a heavier work sock that worked okay while driving but threw most of the water out on the ground as soon as I pulled up.

A long time ago in Darwin trying to resolve a heating issue I pumped the water from engine in to a 20 litre container on the guard through pvc pool pipe and some old radiator hose pieces and let gravity feed it back into the bottom radiator hose to the water pump. The idea was to cycle the water to get as much crud out of the block while the radiator was away being cleaned.

Terry

RockAuto and LMC got a lot of use when I built mine.
Second the bit about an alloy rad and fans. Found a universal racing dual pass crossflow radiator that a AU Falcon set of fans fit just right.
Unfortunately had a prang and the repairers fitted a copper unit which does not seem to be as efficient. Not sure if it is just the design or the fin count is too tight. May also be the fin count on the intercooler as that was replaced as well. Tight fins reduce air flow through the units.
The AU fans are good , just a little bit of wiring needed to get the hi/lo working right.
Yep 2 wd though would not need much more clearance for a front diff.
Been running for 5 years and still enjoying it, passing road trains is so easy even when towing.
Cheers steve

My 2 cents worth for what it isn't worth

I dont stuff about with radiators
I don't buy cheap crap from the interweb either

I spend the coin on getting a proper core in me tanks, yeah it's dear but these old buckets of bolts I have are worthless if I bugger them by cooking them

Clean the block out as best as you can

I doubt you'll have any luck cleaning your core, it will most likely dissolve around you once you start getting into it

Rod it out as Hayseed says using a old dipstick
They are nice and rounded on the end so are less likely to cut thru a tube

Be more gentle than you think you need to be

Dont start having a go until you can afford to have it record just encase it goes wrong

Paul

Mrsmackpaul, your 2 cents worth is often quality information and helped me numerous times. I spoke to a radiator shop and they said if rodding doesn’t work for something of this vintage they would use my tanks with a new core. I’m in a position where I can have a go and if it doesn’t work out I’ll give them the tanks to make me one. Can’t lose really.

Gryphon, great idea to clean the block. I would have everything here to do that. I’ve got some radiator flush here, I could run that through it at the same time.

Hayseed, if I did that I’d be in strife. F on rent mean it will stop me though.

The other thing is I need to consider future growth for the car. I’ve got an under dash A/C kit which will go in at some point plus the 351C so need to make sure any replacement radiator is a one off purchase scenario.

Cheers Urchy

Urchy87 wrote:

The other thing is I need to consider future growth for the car. I’ve got an under dash A/C kit which will go in at some point plus the 351C so need to make sure any replacement radiator is a one off purchase scenario.
Cheers Urchy

Ducky59 mentions he has an alloy radiator and most of them do tend to run a good few degrees cooler and in my area of interest people tend to buy them because they can be 50% or more cheaper than a quality modern re-core so they are attractive to consider. However in hobby vehicles that tend sit around a lot and not driven every day and old engines like yours that tend to shed lumps that can block the radiator then you would have to throw the radiator away and get a new one as alloy radiators in general can't be repaired or pulled apart for cleaning.

Thus if you only want to make one purchase then stick with the copper and if you need a new core, my radiator guy gets his from Redback in Queensland somewhere.

Terry

You mentioned a shot of air inside when the water is full. I have done that a couple of times but the end result will depend on how bad it is. From memory Iused about 8lbs of pressure but shot it into the system using a gate valve. Good for light crap but heavily blocked maybe a challenge especially in the block. I think best results there is remove the welsh plugs and have a dig around.

The other thing to watch with alloy radiators is stray current in the coolant system, That can destroy a radiator real quick.
Cheers Steve

Going by the quality of the "Mud" it's going to be a bit more work. "But". Knock out as many welsh plugs as you can get to.
All the radiator work and cost will be a wasted, if the block isn't flushed out. Going by that photo , there will be a lot of muck just
waiting for you to warm up the motor again , and then you are back where you started.
That's what i would be doing. Dave.

Not sure if they make them that big, but there are inline filters you can buy with a stainless mesh basket, easily removable with a screw cap. You cut a section out of the top hose and fit them there. They are designed to stay in permanently. Should catch everything before it gets to the radiator.

Jarrod.