radiator-alternative part?

[bigyagi]

well, as if replacing clutch master/slave cylinders every year was'nt bad enough, now my radiator is leaking, and its less than 2 years old! what is it with these parts? are they just extremely poor quality, or simply made to break/wear out very quickly.
i'm beginning to think i'm driving a ticking time bomb.
i dont mind regular maintenance, and the usual replacement of perishable parts, but the joy and thrill of ownership,is rapidly declining, as i find that i have to keep replacing items such as these on a regular basis.
and so, i'm trying to find a similiar sized rad, aluminum of course, that will fit the bill. i can make up custom brackets, to make it fit and to attach to the vehicle, as i'm not going to use the "stock" rad again, which appears to have the mechanical properties of a mechano set.
has anyone found an alternative rad, or know of one?
bob.

[pokey]

Contact Be-Cool racing radiators, they can build whatever you want. Summit performance carries some of thier stuff. And it helps to use a zinc in your radiator.

[TSNAPCRACKLEPOP]

what about those pellets you crush and put into the aluminum engine found on a 350 inch caddilac front wheel drive? they are some type of natural herbal anticorrosive pellet, about 4 bucks a blister pak?

[fast924S]

isnt that BAR's LEAKS?

[FLA944]

Go to Radiators.com for a radiator. They supply all the parts stores nationwide and as well as the online guys. Can buy at half the cost as compared to parts guys.

Raditors

[Wolf1]

Originally posted by TSNAPCRACKLEPOP
what about those pellets you crush and put into the aluminum engine found on a 350 inch caddilac front wheel drive? they are some type of natural herbal anticorrosive pellet, about 4 bucks a blister pak?

Those "Cadillac Pills" that you are referring to are actually a "Bandaid" for a poor design.
GM refers to them as "Coolant system conditioner" actually its just plain old stop-leak, without them your beloved Cadillac or Olds Alero will leak....
Just one more thing to make the Cadillac crowd feel special..

[Taz's Master]

$4 is a cheap bandaid, could this help bigyagi? I know that some of the Caddy engines are aluminum, any reason why he shouldn't give this a shot before unloading the big bucks for Porsche parts (just one of the things that makes the 944 crowd feel special...)

[Wolf1]

The "Bandaid" is intended to help seal seeping gaskets. Primarily intake manifold and water pump.

Bigyagi seems to be having problems keeping the radiator from leaking, stop leak may help keep the coolant in a little longer but, may lead to other issues such as overheating and poor heater performance.

Typically, most radiators fail due to poor/inadequate mounting. Also, aftermarket stock type radiators are prone to fail early.

Another thing to look at is how/where are the radiators leaking? This may help to identify a cause, or may be repairable.

[bigyagi]

oem radiator fitted at "official" garage, no problems with the mounting lugs {2 years ago}. thanks for all your input.
i'm not putting another standard rad back in, as i'm beginning to get just a little bit annoyed, at oem parts wearing out, just as soon as the warranty does!
bob.

[Taz's Master]

When the radiator leaked on my '90 Dodge D150 this winter, I went all out and bought a bottle of Barrs Leak. The rad doesn't leak any more. However, I can say with certainty that I would not have considered that potion for my 944. Wolf 1, I agree about the repair option. Often a gasket between tank and fins can be replaced, or a pin hole soldered, I'd take it to a repair shop before I replaced the new radiator (by the way don't ask them about that Barr's Leak stuff).