Thread: Early classic alloy radiator interest?

Yeah, I'll get one!!! I have a 93 though, will it fit?

Pray tell , why an Alloy radiator ? It would be obviously lighter , but it wont perfom as well as a copper job .
If you spec it for an old RRC (70 to 85) it wont come close to fitting a 86 to 95 .

I always thought that the Alu radiator is more thermally efficient than the copper ones. Perhaps there would be less corrosion development because it would be matched to the alu V8 aswell?

Alloy is more thermally dynamic than copper/brass, thats why you can have a much thinner alloy radiator with the same efficiency as a, say, triple row copper/brass one. The reason I want to go to an alloy rad is that my radiator is cactus even after being rebuilt twice and cant be bothered spending more money getting it recored or buying a new one so I looked for an alternative and this popped up!

The downside is that it has less fatigue resistance and may crack earlier than a copper/brass one.

Unfortunately the early ones wont fit a later classic. But if you had the design on paper I might be able to get it made...

Originally Posted by Felix

Alloy is more thermally dynamic than copper/brass,

I have never heard of this term???

Thermal conductivity on the other hand is a well known property. Aluminium has a thermal conductivity of ~250 W/m.K whereas copper is ~400 W/m.K.

Which suggests that copper is a much better option - almost twice as thermally conductive in fact.

Totally agree with that one, same reason why electrical wire is made from copper and not alloy. Main reason why all the OEM radiators are alloy is cost.

Sorry, what I meant to say is that an aluminium radiator is more efficient than a copper/brass one (and yes i used the wrong term there). Sure, you could go make a 100% copper radiator but that would be a bit expensive now wouldn't it. A factory LR radiator is copper/brass/lead solder and it is 30 years old.

Copper is more efficient than aluminium
Brass is not
Neither is Lead.

A copper/brass radiator has brass tubes, copper fins and a whole bunch of lead/tin holding it all together. So where the heat is required to be dissipated (the fins) you have a less efficient material.

If an aluminium radiator was purely cheaper to produce than the copper/brass one (which it is), don't you think race teams or ultra high performance cars would be using a copper/brass one? No, they don't. Reason being is because an aluminium radiator is more efficient at cooling than a brass/copper one.

Also, you are able to make a aluminium radiator with similar if not better efficiency thinner than a copper/brass one- this has a great advantage with the pressure your fans are trying to pull through. If you have a thick brass/copper radiator and two thermofans, they are going to be struggling to pull air through the core and the a/c condenser. While if you have a thinner alloy unit, your fans will have a much easier time pulling less amps and doing a better job.

Thanks Isuzu rover , "Thermally Dynamic "? LOL
Yeah , look up the price of Copper and aluminium on the LME (London metals exchange )
So Copper radiators are 30 yrs old are they ? be closer to 130 years old !! (ever heard of MESABI cores ?)
Lets call that lead/ tin solder . perhaps half a Kilo ?
Brass tubes ? WTF ? Brass tanks maybe !
Since when do the tanks add or detract from the radiators efficiency ?
Alloy radiators are used because they are cheaper and lighter
You have been sucked in by advertising Hype !!