Posted by Brian A [70.194.29.171] on Tuesday, July 07, 2015 at 10:28:48 :
Need some advice on what to do about the radiator in my current project. Even though it is not a Power Wagon, it is still an old style copper radiator and there is such a wealth of knowledge here, hopefully y'all will be able to help me make a wise decision.
I am working on an older Ransomes Bobcat mower/snowblower that is powered by a 4 cyl Continental R-series gasoline engine. The radiator is leaking at the ends of several tubes where they connect to the header panel, so is pretty well shot. It is a copper radiator, took it to the local radiator shop and they quoted me $500 to re-core it. I also found a mower parts company online that lists an NOS replacement for $900.
No one in the replacement radiator market recognizes the Ransomes part number, so I took measurements to try and match it up with a new radiator. So far cannot find anyone who lists their radiators by size and it seems crazy to try and look at every radiator made (1000s and 1000s) hoping to find a match.
Does $500 sound reasonable for re-coring a 13"x17", 4 core radiator? I rarely see replacement radiators for much over $300, but don't know how to find one that will be able to be made to fit. The NOS for $900 is just out of the question, that is more than I paid for the tractor and I would be leery of something that had been sitting on the shelf for probably 30 years.
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