My 1970 351C 4V Cougar XR-7 convertible just celebrated its 4th year anniversary at the shop, and what’s holding it up now is they just discovered that the original 24 inch radiator leaks. It had AC, but we don’t need it here, and I had it removed. Now it has aluminum heads.
From what I can gather my options are:
Have the radiator repaired/restored. There’s a radiator shop in the area picked out to do this.
I’m going to see what the repair shop can do, unless it’s more expensive than the copper repro. If I replaced the original I’d feel obligated to keep it, and I want to minimize the number of replaced original car parts (heads, manifold, AC, valve covers, etc) I have to store.
I’m in the San Francisco Bay Area, and I’m always cool enough with the top down.
I’ll keep the compressor and everything, so it could be reinstalled. I’m trying to get more performance out of it, and I didn’t want the extra weight and drag. I’m all about enjoying the Cougar my way, and much less the resale value.
The right way to this would be to fix the original radiator. Aluminum ones might work in San Francisco but they don’t offer enough cooling in hot places like Phoenix or Austin or Dallas.
What’s the cost of a repair on the original? If substantially cheaper then a repro I would go that route otherwise I would go with the copper 3row repro. The copper repro also keeps your original styling if that’s what your after.
The thing about aluminum is its not always better and they can have some negatives to go alone with it. The one you linked is a good one and If I was going to go aluminum that’s what I would run.
Take it to a local and see if it can be recored. If not, buy the replacement copper unit. Shouldn’t be a problem in Frisco, but if you take it to a hot environ you’ll be glad you sprung for a good radiator. One or two overheats can cook your rings and make for a sooner engine rebuild. So it’s a worthwhile investment to spend upfront for cooling.
I can tell you how many vintage cars I see here in the Southeast with cheapo alu radiators on the roadside in the summer. My car is original AC as well and hooking it all back up has been a piece of cake after I also removed it to go faster like Ricky Bobby. If nothing else, the defog capacity to dry the air in the car during a rainstorm when humidity is already 100% pre-rain is very nice.
If I can get a running Cougar out of this shop, where it’s languished for four years, I won’t quibble about the driver’s side shock tower brace, but put it back in myself!
The shop heard back from the radiator shop. It was very dirty, they’ve been soaking it. It is a three row, but it isn’t the original. The mechanic’s speculation it is a replacement radiator from the 80’s back when Ford had it as a part. The plan is to clean it out and fix it.
Sorry to hear that it has languished for four years at the shop. Looking at the picture, I would recommend getting rid of the section of rubber fuel line and replacing it with a steel fuel line from the fuel pump to the carb.
The radiator is back from the radiator shop, but not yet installed. It was a three row copper replacement (because it didn’t have the FoMoCo emblem). The cost for repair was around $300, or half of what the new replacement at WCC. To think I’d thought at first about getting an aluminum replacement (shudder).
I’m glad that you got the radiator and that it’s ready for install. That is a beautiful looking engine, Cleavelands are good running engines.
Unfortunately, the only solution is a measuring tape, steel line with flare fittings on both ends, and a tubing bender. If you go this route, use a wire coat hanger as a template for your bends. The reason I recommended staying away from rubber is a lesson learned when my dad had an engine fire on his 63 Avanti due to a rubber hose (rubber hose, fuel, pressure, and a hot engine are not a good combination). Fortunately, he put out in time with minimal damage.
Hopefully the radiator is the last item, and you can have the Cougar out of the shop and on the road very soon.
