Replacement Radiator for M37/56?

[Kaegi]

400 is a great deal. lucky you have the contact with all the work you do. I have had good luck using WC/PW/M37 radiators that have been siting but probably because they are a 0 -2 lb system that never has to work very hard due to being totally over built with massive capacity. I also live in an area with minimal to no salt on the roads

There is no such thing as a good used radiator, UNLESS it was just removed from a well functioning system that you know the history.

There is also no such thing as a good repaired radiator that has been sitting in storage since repaired.

This info came from a much respected radiator repair guy we dealt with for years until health problems forced him out of the business. He said that a radiator that was in service, then is removed from service is much like breaking old habits in people. A unit that is accustomed to regular expansion and contracting as a result of heating and cooling, then is repaired and set on the shelf will fail quickly when put back into service. His exact words is they are like humans who are set in their ways, they don't like change.

A recore for M37 cost us in the $400 range, we use a local shop, in the same family for generations. This is a 1 man band, he works out of a 1920's era tin covered pole building, and has no overhead or employees to pay and insure; thus the cheaper cost. A repair service run out of a modern facility, paying employees to perform the service work would be forced to charge much higher rates. It's the world we live in today.

[MSeriesRebuild]

$400 is cheap with the current cost of copper. I dream of 1960's prices also, but it doesn't make a thing I have to buy to run this business any cheaper.

[majrjo1967]

Thanks, Charles, for the insight. At the suggestion of a younger guy who cut his teeth on his father's M37, I brought the radiator to a guy on the seacoast last Friday. His father just had some M37 radiator work done from the guy. From what I can tell, he's no longer in the radiator business, and switched to sand blasting, but welcomed the work on the radiator. Seemed like a down to earth guy and was very knowledgeable on the, ""lock-seam" method used on older radiators succeptable to vibration." The lock-seam didn't seem to scare him one bit. He was busy blasting when I showed, but asked if I could drop off the rad and he'd give me an estimate in a few days. Hopefully today. It will be interesting what he thinks. Here in New England, I think it's hard to find guys with low overhead, but I'm still looking!

Thanks again

[majrjo1967]

Well, I got it recored...for almost $270 cheaper than the first guy! There is a guy on the NH coast who used to do radiators, but now does sandblasting for a living, but loves to work on old vehicle radiators. He didn't bat an eyelid when I brought it into him. He asked for a couple days to research the core, called me up and hit me with a price almost $270 cheaper than the other guy! I put it in the truck last week, threw in some flushing fluid, get it up to running temp a few days this week (no leaks!) and will change out the fluid this weekend (maybe tonight) with normal antifreeze mix. If you want to check this guy out, let me PM me and I'll give you his info. BTW, I told him how much the other guy wanted for th ejob, and he not only came in lower, but almost $270 lower....even though he could have easily asked more for the job. THanks for all the help and advice.

[MSeriesRebuild]

Well, I got it recored...for almost $270 cheaper than the first guy! There is a guy on the NH coast who used to do radiators, but now does sandblasting for a living, but loves to work on old vehicle radiators. He didn't bat an eyelid when I brought it into him. He asked for a couple days to research the core, called me up and hit me with a price almost $270 cheaper than the other guy! I put it in the truck last week, threw in some flushing fluid, get it up to running temp a few days this week (no leaks!) and will change out the fluid this weekend (maybe tonight) with normal antifreeze mix. If you want to check this guy out, let me PM me and I'll give you his info. BTW, I told him how much the other guy wanted for th ejob, and he not only came in lower, but almost $270 lower....even though he could have easily asked more for the job. THanks for all the help and advice.

There is a few good old time craftsman still around, way less than there used to be though.

[majrjo1967]

Yes there are. I was blessed to find one who shares our passion.

[Hemiman]

Back in the BigE days, someone had identified that tractor radiators were a better match for the M-37 than common automotive/truck radiators. So, this still may be a source to follow up on, for a replacement. Additionally, It may be beneficial to source a repair shop that is familiar with agricultural/construction equipment for recore/repair purposes.