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My 56 'spit' some antifreeze out during the memorial day parade. Guy comes up to the car and says I sprayed all over. I don't think that it came out of the overflow tube. I was at the end of the parade and drove the extra 400 feet and drove home about a mile. Of course, the car was on the "hot" side of normal and it was a slow parade. Why do they insist on putting antique cars at the end of the parade? So, before I pull it out and get "sticker shock"... how much is a Re-core worth nowadays? I am guessing that rad is a 4 row job? It still has antifreeze in it, and there was just a small "squirt" on the splashpan behind the grille. It was NOT a major... blown radiator like the guy was acting.
Thoughts?
Jim
Jim
I had an issue with the radiator on my '56 last year that was worse than what you're describing. One place quoted me around $600 for a recore. Took it elsewhere for a second opinion and found another radiator shop that said a recore was overkill. They patched it for around $100 and it's been good so far.
Jim
I fully agree with Amanda, for I have paid the same type of Re-pair Cost
here in Colo Spgs.
My radiators have all been removed from the vehicle and I take just it
to "Just Radiator's".
*
You should have been able to circle the parade loop three times "at a crawl".
With the repair you can go back to make up what you did not do.
*
Rodger and Gabby
FltSgt@outlook.com
Jim
*
You should have been able to circle the parade loop three times "at a crawl".
With the repair you can go back to make up what you did not do.
*Rodger and Gabby
I did finish the parade, and then went for a 2 mile ride and the temp gauge came down to the normal range. It was only at the high end of normal, not actually "HOT". I thanked the guy for mentioning it, but at that time I wasn't "too" concerned as I didn't have any "steam" coming from under the hood.
Thanks to you folks for getting back to me. I hope it won't be too bad. I have a rad shop just up the street from me and I was just "getting ready" for sticker shock! 
Of course, I know I won't be able to do or know anything until I get it out and up to the shop.
Jim
Jim
Jim,
During your parade crawl, your fan wasn't able to pull enough cooler air through the radiator to efficiently transfer the engine heat from the radiator which, if not leaking and able to maintain pressure was moving the coolant too quickly. The pressure is the key factor because for every pound of pressure, the boiling point is raised 2 degrees. For example, a 12 pound cap will raise the boiling point to 236 degrees. When up to boiling temperature, the coolant becomes steam, the pressure is increased to the point that the cap opens to let the excessive pressure loose through the overlflow.
At DeSoto Adventures editorial central, we are researching auxiliary electric fan systems that can be added to "parade cars" without any serious modification of authenticity of the vehicle. Hopefully, we can get some useable (and affordable) info into our July/August issue of "DeSoto Adventures".
If you are not already a registered member of the "National DeSoto Club", you're missing out on a lot of interesting articles and technical information.
Geoff Overley, Editor
DeSoto Adventures Magazine.
Thanks Geoff, I am a member #2749 and when we would stop (rather than crawl)... I would put the car into (N) and that would allow it to rev up some on it's own. I never did "gas it" when sitting to help speed up the fans airflow, I just let the idle come up normally in Neutral.
Interesting information about the pressure cap, I didn't know that. However, if you have a cap that is "higher" than recommended, wouldn't that just put more "pressure" on "weak" cooling tubes? I can't recall what cap the '56 is supposed to be, and I am not sure what my cap is right now.
Jim
Jim
Jim,
Unfortunately, when you "gas it up" you increase the speed of the belt-driven cooling fan but also increase the water flow through the radiator. A properly operating thermostat does somewhat inhibit excessive coolant flow but I have seen instances where someone removed the thermostat and experienced overheating due to excessive coolant flow.
Your are spot on regarding the wrong cap (excessive pressure) that can blow out a weak tube and/or connection. There should be a marking on the cap indicating its pressure release rating.
According to www.napaonline.com, your '56 requires a 7# cap w/o A/C or a 13 # cap if you have (and use) A/C.
The 16# caps that are used on late model vehicles are required for the higher operating temperatures needed for emission control efficiency. Almost all late model vehicle utilize aluminum radiators due to their greater ability to transfer heat.
Hope all of this helps.
Geoff
