1963 Dart 170 2 Door Post Resto

Well, here we go again....one step forward, one backward. I seem to be detecting a trend here...lol.

Went out today and pulled the rad cap. Noticed I was down on water. I figure overnight it slowly bled the air out as it took 4 more litres of water. Started it up and got it warmed up and both hoses were warm. Thermostat opened and they cooled off, then gradually warmed up again. Nice. Another problem resolved...sort of. Went to sit in the car to try the heat (which was warm by the way) and noticed what everyone dreads....drip, drip, drip. Heater core is leaking. Didn't have means to pressure test it when I flushed it out and it looked good so I went with it. Guess this is why you use water when starting off. That and the fact that it flushes out the block of the rusty sediment (water has been dirty each time. Not horrible, but dirty). Drained the rad again and went on line and ordered a replacement.

Fot those wondering, I found 2 options for the early A. One is from Spectre and one is from OSC. The one from Spectre I could get off Amazon for about $80cdn delivered but its all aluminum and reviews were hit and miss. The one from OSC is copper and brass like original and cost $160cdn delivered. I went with the OSC as its copper and brass vs aluminum. The aluminum wouldn't like the old style coolant these cars usually ran with. More so was the fact that some reviews said fitment was an issue with having to bend the pipes. I wouldn't be too comfortable doing that with an aluminum rad. Either way, time will tell if the quality of the OSC is there. The spectre is made in Mexico and I couldn't find where the OSC was actually made. Don't care as long as it fits and is decent quality. I have had both good and bad from any where items have been made. Sure, some have a better history but I don't rule out an item just for that. Reviews are usually key.