While surgering my brat, I realized that, on one side of my radiator, the top and bottom support bars had come detached from the end tank. Upon inspection, it appears that these were brazed together. I cleaned them up pretty good, but I'm having no success in getting the bronze to adhere to the tank. Has anyone else had any success brazing the radiator? Or perhaps with another method of adhesion?

They are typically soldered - not brazed. Brazing is usually too hot of an operation and you would be in danger of blowing holes in the brass of the tanks and tubes.

 

Personally I have had bad luck with radiator repair - I just take mine to a radiator shop. The cost is not significant enough to warrant the frustration IMO. Usually costs me about $65 to have a radiator flushed, sealed up, and painted. I typically have any plastic plugs and drain cock's replaced with brass or plugged off at the same time. Just not worth the frustration of doing it myself.

 

GD

Edited November 26, 201114 yr by GeneralDisorder

Just went through this with my 87 Brat. When it was time to replace the radiator I discovered that the top mount was missing completely. Ordered this

http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=272007. One thing to be aware of, the little cap from my Brat doesn't fit this radiator. The bigger cap from my 4.9 liter 1995 Ford pickup does.

 

Bill

Oh, and I spent 35 years with a soldering iron in my hand. You probably won't be able to get your surfaces clean enough to hold without disassembling them and cleaning the whole thing, then use some silver solder and the best flux you can find.

 

Bill

I have repaired two upper supports as you described (not pressure boundry seams-although have done so in emergency)... I used a typical propane torch for soldering copper, solder (copper pipe solder or what ever type I had around...) and lots of flux. This is all low temp soft solder, not brazing/accetylene.

 

Rough up mateing surfaces.. I use a 1/2" copper fitting wire brush dipped into the flux, warm area with torch and use wire brush, flux and heat to clean surface to remove paint or grease, wipe, apply lots of flux, align parts, give it the heat and add solder. Assure not to over heat area and melt solder out of joints in tank... this is a quick, heat the bracket/area get the solder on it and cool.

Edited November 26, 201114 yr by Indrid cold