Any reason not to JB Weld the radiator bracket?

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halfafish

halfafish

Damn those rabbits, and their holes!
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The radiator on my 82 D150 is coming loose from the mounting brackets. The top part looks to have been originally attached by some funny looking rivet things that have since come loose. I was thinking of cleaning up the area and sticking some JB weld in there, then clamping the bracket in place till it cured. Is there any reason this wouldn't work or it's not a good idea? The radiator itself is in good shape so all I need is a means to secure it back in the truck.

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Maybe a couple of zip ties through to hold it down. If it was me I would do it right and have it soldered. If it comes loose can become a bigger problem.
If you don't have the capability go to a rad. shop and get an estimate. They probably won't have to remove it to fix it.
 
JB weld may work, good idea..questionable. If the radiator is good, it would be well worth the trip to a radiator shop to have it resoldered to ensure strength and continuity.
 
My 1980 has the same issue.

Curious as to how much it might cost to re-braze.
 
VERY bad idea

How will it ever come apart without damaging the brass tank?

how will it ever get soldered again? The JB weld is a contamination to soldering.

forget the backyard ideas and just solder the damn thing. Take it in to a shop. It is easy to do yourself with a propane torch.
 
Easy to resolder:

Drain coolant down to below the top tank. Clean both mating surfaces well. Warm the 2 parts and brush on soldering flux to clean more.

You can tin the 2 parts with a little solder, wipe off excess with a shop wrag while still molten.

Then have a friend or associate push the strap to the radiator, warm it up with the torch till the solder starts to melt and add in more solder as needed to make a strong bond between the parts. Can wipe quick with a shop wrag while still molten to make a neat job out of it.

Let cool, and good to go.

Paint satin black if you like, but wipe with reducer first to kill the greasy residue from the flux so the paint will stick.

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Other than the fact that it won't hold? It's a great idea. lol
 
My favorite hillbilly repair glue is foundation crack sealer. Buy it at Lowe’s. Get the stuff that is gray. smells like crazy, but it will bond anything. I fixed a rusted out washing machine tub with it. Stunk up the basement though, don’t use it inside.
 
One thing to remember...JB Weld is a structural EPOXY. No matter how you slice it, epoxy is not welding or silver soldering. I don't care if your Uncle Tony patched a cracked block with it, it's still just a 2 part epoxy and subject to the same failings of other adhesives.
I agree with the idea to take it to a legit radiator shop and be done with it. Helluva thing to have it bust loose on the open highway.
 
Aha! I hadn't thought about soldering it, and that's something that is on my skill list. I will give this a go. Thanks for the pointers folks! :thumbsup:
 
halfafish said:
Aha! I hadn't thought about soldering it, and that's something that is on my skill list. I will give this a go. Thanks for the pointers folks! :thumbsup:
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It's easy you can go buy a kit at Home Depot or Lowe's the brush, the torch, the solder, the flux all in one kit.
A fine brass toothbrush carb cleaner and wipe it clean and heat it till the brass turns a little orange under the flame.. or the old solder runs.. wipe your flux on and start filling it with new solder while leading with the torch. Let cool 'splash of water if you want'...and done.
 
AJ/FormS said:
research soldering, this is not soldering your ring-terminal back on so your alternator will charge, or whatever, lol.
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Thanks, and yes I'm aware of the difference. It's like soldering copper pipe, not electronics.
 
Looking at the tag it's been to a radiator shop sometime in the past. Are they still around? Good place to start.
 
Tag has name and tel. # on it, so pretty easy to follow up with them unless too far away.
 
That tag is from dutton radiator service in santa rosa california. Iirc they have been out of business for a few years now.
 
oliver said:
That tag is from dutton radiator service in santa rosa california. Iirc they have been out of business for a few years now.
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Yup. It has the phone number there also, I'll give them a try later today.
 
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