When I looked at my 1969 442 4 speed radiator it had factory looking plugs in the tank that would have the transmission lines if it were an automatic.
Is this correct?
Should there be no provision at all?
It still has the metal tag and appears to be original to the car.
Thanks
Bernhard

 

My 69 442 had that provision, they were blocked off with screw in plugs, so i would say your radiator is correct..

 

Interesting. I'd never heard of a 4-speed radiator. Transmissions, yes, but not radiators.

 

That's right, no 4 speed radiators, the factory just installed removable screw in plugs...

 

What would be interesting is to look down into the thing and see if the AT cooler is there. The tank, which is stamped then rolled then bungs welded in, is going to be a common part for AT and MT, and, like said above, plugs screwed in. The AT cooler, which is a separate part inside the tank, may or may not be there; their design philosophy could have been MT units don't get the cooler, but are essentially an AT radiator without a part, or the radiators could have been truly either/or, by just not using the AT cooler circuit.



I do know that the 67 MT radiator cars called for AT radiators as Olds consolidated parts in the following years.

 

Thanks for the reply's.
With all the A body radiators I have had over the years I never cut one open.
In hind sight it would have been cool to cut one open and check out the trans cooler inside.

 

You can see it through the spout.

 

Same for the original radiator in my 1970 W-30 4spd.

 

My 65 442 4 sp. car has no plugs.

 

I do think earlier cars had no provision for transmission cooling lines on MT cars. I don't think my old 66 442 had them and I know my 65 Jetstar I doesn't (both 4 speed cars).

 

66 down, individual rads. 67 up one rad with or without the plugs. All the MT ones i have had also had the cooler coil in them. May have something to do with going to the horizontal rad and consolidation. Other makes like chevy had two different rads up through 70

 

My original 1970 442 MT had screw-in plugs and the AT cooler was inside.

 

Wrong,66 HD 3 row radiator stick cars used the automatic radiator with block off plugs. However,the 2 row stand cooling radiators used smooth/no cooling line provisions. The 2 row standard cooling had a FH code,the HD cooling 3 row radiator used in stick cars had a FU code and the automatic HD cooling radiators had a FT code.

 

Great feed back thanks
Bernhard

 

Cant argue with That,you are the one for the 66"s

 

The 'wrong' was a little out of line,I could have worded it better,sorry. I have spent a great deal of time researching the 66 radiators. I have taken probably over a hundred 66/67 442's & Cutlass's apart during my time I have learned a lot about them. Thanks for the compliment but I'm just a regular guy who loves learning about these cars and I do learn all of the time.

 

Not really the right year for the conversation but the 62 crossflow f-85 and Jetfire radiators were manual or automatic. The radiator in our 62 4 speed car has no provision for automatic cooler lines.

 

As others have stated, standard transmission radiators for Oldsmobile in the 1968-72 years used plugs. The radiators would still have a transmission cooler inside the tank though. In other divisions and earlier years, some standard trans cars would have radiators with no provisions for trans cooling lines.
The reasoning being it was easier and more streamlined to used plugs than to manufacture two different style tanks.

 

My thoughts also.....

 

Another consideration is,with using just one radiator,it cut down on inventory & space. They only serviced the automatic radiator in the parts book but it also fit the stick cars.

 

Has anyone recored their radiator?
This was common back in 70's and 80's.
I have not had any repair or restoration of a radiator since then.
I have just replaced them.
What is the going rate for a restored copper brass rad?

 

Workers didn't have time to look for a pacific radiator, Keep the line moving.....

 

I had my 66 FU coded 3 row radiator re cored with a 4 row core that fit in the 3 row tanks. I think it cost me $375 a few years ago. It works absolutely perfect and even on the hottest day with thew A/C on,no issues.

 

Just be careful if you get one re-cored. Many radiator shops are doing crappy work and using China cores. The guy I use in Indianapolis uses cores made in Michigan. The price changes with the price of copper. I had a 4 core done for my W-30 in 2014 and was $450. I had a 4 core done for a 70 Pace Car in 2017 and was $425. Also had a smaller Jetfire 4 core radiator done in 2012 that was $500. They do keep the old core for part of the price.

 

Thanks
Who did you use to recore the radiators and do yo know the source of the Michigan US made cores?

 

Kenny's radiator service in Indianapolis is who I use. 3981 W 10th St, Indianapolis, IN 46222. I do not know who in Michigan is making them for Kenny's. I will say though. Any radiator shop that is going to recore your radiator, tell them you want the original top and bottom rail used. They have to order the core without the rails to do this. The replacement rails are not like the originals. They work but if you are looking to be original you need to have them reuse the original rails.

 

I got about 3 radiators for them to do.

 

Port Moody Radiators in Port Moody B.C. is who i have used in the past.
As Eric stated the price varies. Its been between $450-500 CAD in the past.
They have been doing radiators since the early 70's.
I do suspect the cores will be from China though. My friend who drives a truck, said he has seen shipping containers filled with 8 foot length cores that radiator shops cut down to the appropriate application.

 

Thanks
That is a very very good tip to use the original top and bottom rail.

 

That might be harder than you might think. The difference is,the OEM unit has the top hat looking rail on top/bottom for the weatherstrip seal. The aftermarket units have a channel style top/bottom rail and is hollow in the middle. All I did was add a flat sheet metal strip to the top/bottom rail. It's the same height/dimension as the OEM rails and can't be seen when installed. The reason I say this is,those rails are made into the core and I would be scared to take them out. If it was a visual thing,that's one thing but beings it's not a visual thing.......well. Just giving my experience with this situation and I hope it helps.

 

The place I use has the cores made to specs. He has them made without the rails. He attaches the original rails himself. This is how I do all my radiators and never had a problem. If he gets a core in with rails he will not remove them, He has to order them this way. You can see just a little of the original top and bottom rail if it is a 4 core on a 70-72. I would say that if the radiator shop cannot order them like this I would go somewhere else.