Subject: [Mg-t] TD radiator

From: Richard Lindsay <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 2013 13:12:57 -0500

Hi Friends,

Today I took the five wheels to the shop to have the old tires
removed.  I'll pick the wheels up tomorrow and get them media blasted.
 After that, I drove on to the radiator shop to check on the progress
there.

Short story regarding the radiators I delivered is: The Lotus radiator
needs a new high performance core (at a cost of $420)!  That work has
begun.  The M.G. radiator got boiled out and flushed thoroughly.  And
even though the TD doesn't have a pressurized cooling system, the shop
pressure-tested the radiator and it passed beautifully.  No further
work was done.

I brought the radiator home and cleaned it carefully.  No, I didn't
try to make it look new but rather, just as clean on the outside as it
is now on the inside.  Here's how it looked when I got it back.

http://www.aubard.us/MGTD/HPIM1344.JPG

I then sanded and wire-brushed the metal bits in preparation for
paint.  But first, I cleaned the brass labels.

http://www.aubard.us/MGTD/HPIM1347.JPG

http://www.aubard.us/MGTD/HPIM1348.JPG

The next step was to spend an hour or so with duck-bill pliers
straightening bent cooling fins.  Yes, there are 'combs' for this
purpose but I find it therapeutic to straighten the fins by hand.  I
just have to avoid that second (and third) cup(s) of coffee. :-P
Given that a radiator is a heat exchanger, its important for ideal
operation, that both fluids - air and coolant in this case - contact
the tubing and fins optimally.  That translates to flushed out tubes
and straight cooling fins.

Here's how the fins looked once I was done.

http://www.aubard.us/MGTD/HPIM1349.JPG

Here's the other side, also with straightened fins and with a coat of
primer on everything but the fins.

http://www.aubard.us/MGTD/HPIM1350.JPG

Here's another look.

http://www.aubard.us/MGTD/HPIM1351.JPG

And finally, here's how it looks with a coat of gloss black paint.
The fins now are painted too but the paint is VERY thin (because paint
is essentially insulation).

http://www.aubard.us/MGTD/20130716_122450.jpg

The brass labels were masked off first so they would show with their
brass finish.  Even thought that's not 'correct', I like it.

http://www.aubard.us/MGTD/HPIM1353.JPG

http://www.aubard.us/MGTD/HPIM1354.JPG

The brass outlet for the temperature probe and the cap neck were also
polished and masked but the tape had not been removed in any of these
pictures.

And that's it for this afternoon.

-rick
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