radiator help
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 645
Likes: 72
From: Mississippi
radiator help
I have a 1965 survivor car canidate. I have the original radiator but it has several small holes. I took it to the local radiator shop and the owner said he could fix the holes but others were likely to open up as the radiator was rotten in his words. The radiator looks to be in very good condition. Anyway I want to keep the car original as possible and wanted to know if there is anyone who rebuilds radiators?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 5,691
Likes: 12
From: columbus oh
I have a 1965 survivor car canidate. I have the original radiator but it has several small holes. I took it to the local radiator shop and the owner said he could fix the holes but others were likely to open up as the radiator was rotten in his words. The radiator looks to be in very good condition. Anyway I want to keep the car original as possible and wanted to know if there is anyone who rebuilds radiators?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 6,808
Likes: 24
From: Westport CT
I have a 1965 survivor car canidate. I have the original radiator but it has several small holes. I took it to the local radiator shop and the owner said he could fix the holes but others were likely to open up as the radiator was rotten in his words. The radiator looks to be in very good condition. Anyway I want to keep the car original as possible and wanted to know if there is anyone who rebuilds radiators?
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 11,265
Likes: 2,131
From: Bowling Green, Kentucky
Tom DeWitt is THE source for radiators for our Corvettes. I don't think he rebuilds aluminum ones, but his exact repro is gorgeous and if you scuff up the paint a bit, may just look NOS. 
Give him a call or checkout his website.
Larry
Give him a call or checkout his website.
Larry
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 3,596
Likes: 8
From: Grosse Ile MI
DeWitt's Original Replacement Radiators
Save yourself a lot of trouble down the road with by replacing your old, inefficient radiator and replace it with a new DeWitt radiator. The only thing a radiator shop can do with that aluminum radiator is to seal off the leaking cores, therefore reducing your cooling capacity.
Dewitt's Link
Dewitt's Link
CF Community Team
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 19,363
Likes: 5,243
From: Cape Cod, Mass.
2025 C6 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2025 C8 Z06/7/E-Ray of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2023 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2021 C8 of the Year Finalist Unmodified
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
2019 C1 of Year Winner (performance mods)
2017 Corvette of the Year Finalist
2016 C2 of Year
2015 C3 of Year Finalist
Radiators and gas tanks are the two things that aren't worth fixing in the name of originality IMO. Tom's radiators look and perform like the originals.
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 645
Likes: 72
From: Mississippi
Thanks for the quick comments. I really want this radiator repaired as it is the original that came with the car. I understand Dewitts is the one to use if i want a correct looking replacement. Survivor cars are a little different in that you want to keep it original when possible, unlike restored cars where you can use all the great looking new reproductions. If i can not have it repaired I will purchase one from Dewitts.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 6,808
Likes: 24
From: Westport CT
Thanks for the quick comments. I really want this radiator repaired as it is the original that came with the car. I understand Dewitts is the one to use if i want a correct looking replacement. Survivor cars are a little different in that you want to keep it original when possible, unlike restored cars where you can use all the great looking new reproductions. If i can not have it repaired I will purchase one from Dewitts.
I would still be suprised if your local radiator shop was really capable of fixing the radiator that was originally delivered with your 65 Corvette, not too many folks can properly repair an aluminum radiator.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 26,118
Likes: 1,874
From: Greenville, Indiana
Just so I don't sound like a little echo box. Dump a bottle of Barr's stop leak in it and stand back and see what happens. One of two things:
Your radiator will stop leaking and may get you another ten years out of it.
Your radiator will stop leaking but it will be so full of corrosion that it will not transfer enough heat to properly cool the engine.
You have nothing to lose except a few bucks for the stop leak. When these radiators get to a certain point (rotten as your radiator man said) it's no longer feasible to try and repair them by pinching off tubes and/or laying epoxy over the leak. They'll soon sprout one or many leaks somewhere else. The Barr's will fix them as they pop up but like I said, when that radiator gets corroded enough, it's done. It will no longer cool the engine.
As I see it, Barr's or DeWitt.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 26,118
Likes: 1,874
From: Greenville, Indiana
Chevrolet used to have aluminim radiator repair locations scattered around the country. I know there was one in Indianapolis. I think it was called Capitol Radiator Repair or similar. I don't know anything about their repair process though.