M37 Restoration (53-41242)

[super dave]

I had that also when doing my M37 years a go I took a couple of rads in to get checked as they looked perfect just to find out the the tanks had multiple cracks in them and were not worth fixing them

[Wayne Hingley]

Yes, that's it Dave. Mine had those small micro-cracks throughout both tanks. They said adding heat in the process of doing any repairs will make it all worse. I had a similar situation with multiple M38A1 radiator tanks in the past. The metal seems to get brittle with that much time and use (heating and cooling).

[Walde Libera]

I tried fixing used rads on my first restorations and always ended up having issues leaks and overheating.
We spend a fortune on the engine and skimp on the radiator to save on costs but in the end you’ll ruin your fresh engine rebuild.
Good call.
All 4 of my restorations have had rads redone, no engine issues whatsoever never had overheats even in the hottest weather.

[Wayne Hingley]

Walde; I totally agree.

[chris vickery]

Never a restoration without a full radiator re-core. That’s always been my mantra.
My seemingly good Jeep rad unexpectedly decided to dump on my garage floor one day even before I got around to starting my restoration. Gave me incentive to get it done right

[Wayne Hingley]

I received my new radiator back in May, but I’ve been slow to get my updates posted. I’m quite satisfied with the quality of the new radiator. The top tank however, does not have the same arched shape as the original, so it leaves a 1” gap between the top of the tank and the upper shroud. I made a small metal section with a rubber strip to fill the void.

[David Dunlop]

Nice work-around, Wayne.

David

[Wayne Hingley]

I have also finished the side boards and troop seats, installed the hood, glass, doors and fired the engine up yesterday. Some tuning to do and brakes to bleed before heading out the door.