Will Zehring write:
>Is it true that (at least prior to the electric fan days) that
>any particular MGB radiator will fit in any particular MGB, and
>function as needed? Remember: I am fitting to a '63.
As TerriAnn has covered the aspects of repairing your radiator,
I'll concentrate on the interchangability of (early) MGB radiators.
There are two types of early MGB radiators: the MKI rear filler,
and the MKII -> Sept '76 front & center filler. The main problem
between using a front & center filler radiator on a MKI car is that
the radiator intake is on opposite sides of the radiator. The
rear filler radiator's intake is at the right side, while the later
radiator has the intake on the left side. This isn't the end of
the world, but the direction of the water exhaust from the stock
MKI aluminum thermostat cover makes it pretty impossible to curve
a radiator hose to matchup with a center filler radiator's intake.
You CAN replace the stock MKI thermostat cover with the one that
would normally be fitted to 18GF-> engine and get the water exhaust
pointed in the right direction. The only problem is that most of
these later thermostat covers have an air pump mount integrated into
their housings, somewhat unsightly on a MKI engine.
There do exist later style thermostat covers without the air pump
mount that point their exhaust in the desired direction. I actually
saw a Moss version at O'Connor Classic about a year ago, this is the
type you want to use in order to put a front & center filler radiator
into a MKI MGB.
My 1964 MKI radiator corroded where the cast iron from the rear filler
neck attached to the inside front of the top radiator resevoir. I was
told by the guy at Palo Alto Radiator Shop that this is a common failure
on these earliest of MGB radiators. BTW, I highly reccomend Palo Alto
Radiator Shop for those of you nearby, the guy has a wealth of experience
with our old cars and the charges are very reasonable. It cost $22 to
repair my radiator & he painted it too. He's at 723 Emerson in Palo Alto,
(415) 322-1795, very close to Gordon Beirsch.
...robert
|