Radiator repair - alloy ID?

[hankj]

Hi, guys.

Dirty Harry (my 1985 Toyota P/U) has a cracked upper radiator tank right above the connection for the top hose. I've cleaned it to bare metal with a wire brush, but I'm at a loss as to what the alloy is. The top hose connector is obviously steel, but the tank metal has a bright gold color, much more yellow than brass, but too bright to be copper. The corrosion in spots where the paint is gone is green in color, so that tells me there's copper involved.

It's real thin stuff, so I'm afraid to try brazing, but I thought solder would do. Based on the above, anyone know what this radiator tank is made of? Ideas for flux and solder?

At the price of gasoline, I'd like to be running Dirty Harry instead of the Big Red Chevy Truck.

Any help will be appreciated, as always.

Be well.

hankj

[hankj]

Got the answer from the guys on the Hobart web. Brass/copper. 50/50 solder. That's all I need!

Be well.

hankj

[fun4now]

silver soder

any auto parts store will carry the soder and flux you need i have done lots of theas check you're cap to know what presher you operate on and you can presher test it yourself or have it done for you.
(not a good habiet to get into ) but i never test mine and as the presher is low if you clean well you should be good i have never had to remove any i have done for self or frends.
hope it helps

[fun4now]

soder in place

if you decide to fix it in place (without taking out of truck) make shoure whater level is below where you sodder, best to drain rad b4 you start.
good luck
james

[MAC702]

Re: soder in place

Originally posted by fun4now
best to drain rad b4 you start.

Yes, definitely. You might get away with the level just being down a bit, but it will still act like a big heat sink and suck the heat out of the metal as fast as your torch is putting it in. I ran into that problem on a copper water line once. It was where it couldn't be drained and it would just never boil out except to contaminate the stupid joint every once in a while. I learned the value of one of those cold weld epoxies that day.

[timw]

I would recomend using Acid Core Solder. Clean it the best you can. Try using a wire wheel in a drill, it scuffs the metal up to get a good bond. The tricky part is play the heat with a propane torch to fill the joint without melting the existing solder and making the area worse.
MAC, here's a tip on the water pipe, if you can get in side of it take a piece of bread, roll it into a tight ball and stuff it in to hold back the water. After you get the area soldered open up a faucet and turn the pressure back on. Too easy!

[hankj]

Used 50/50 with paste flux (non-acidic). Pulled top hose; drained water out of top tank; cleaned area around crack to shiny-bright metal, fluxed it, heated it with a propane torch 'till the solder melted when touched to the metal, observed good capillary action into crack, let cool, re-connected top hose, added water, pressure tested to 14psi - no drop in 20 minutes - done!!

Thanks for all the feedback.

Be well.

hankj

[HAWK]

Re: Re: soder in place

Originally posted by MAC702
Yes, definitely. You might get away with the level just being down a bit, but it will still act like a big heat sink and suck the heat out of the metal as fast as your torch is putting it in. I ran into that problem on a copper water line once. It was where it couldn't be drained and it would just never boil out except to contaminate the stupid joint every once in a while. I learned the value of one of those cold weld epoxies that day.

I don't guess there is much else you could have done on that water line. However, I have had the problems on vertical lines where the water just trickles. For that I have used white bread to stuff the pipes and then solder the joint. Once the water is restored the bread dissolves and washes out.

[MAC702]

You know, I'd heard about the bread, and used it, but only now as I read your posts and think back that many years, I don't think I was stuffing it very tightly. If I ever have to do it again, I'll keep that in mind. But, here's to not having to do it again!

Then again, I still know the lady I did the job for, and I've been back many times for other things, including welding together a full front fence last year, and the stupid thing has never leaked! I could have saved myself FIVE HOURS if I'd just cold epoxied it the first time! It was just a cap, after all.

It's kinda sad that that stuff works so well. Takes the skill out and puts the magic in... SOMETIMES, of course.

[fun4now]

always more fun to fire up the welder than open a can of cold goop!
though truth be known the goop is prety cool for a fast fix in some hard to reach bad spots and the stuff just keeps gettin better and better.