40 Ford Drake radiator saga
 

Ok guys, got my Drake radiator back from the radiator shop today. He said it had probably 8-10 tubes plugged off. With solder I suppose. He ran a rod though the rest and he said it flowed good and seen no reason why it shouldn’t cool. I put it in my coupe drove it around a 10 mile loop. The temp rose up a little past the normal mark . With The original radiator I took out of the coupe and put in my sedan the temp hardly ever got past the normal mark. So the jury is still out on this thing. I plan on taking it out tomorrow and really stretch it’s legs. We’ll see how that goes.

Re: 40 Ford Drake radiator saga
 

Are the Drake Radiators made overseas? Johnson Radiators and Brassworks would be good USA options.

Re: 40 Ford Drake radiator saga
 

They probably are. Was just trying to keep it looking correct. I’m already into this stupid thing for a Grand.

Re: 40 Ford Drake radiator saga
 

I am fairly certain all, or nearly all, of Drake's stuff is produced in China.

Re: 40 Ford Drake radiator saga
 

As is most all reproduction parts from the large vendors. Had a quote last year for 45,000 bolts. USA made the cheapest of 28 quotes was 0.34 each unplated. The only overseas quote just for comparison was 0.12 each plated to my specifications. I went the USA route but I can see why the old saying money talks.

On to the original topic. I have used a drake radiator in a 40 once with no issues. But as a drake dealer I won’t stock them due to the risk of Ken’s situation

Re: 40 Ford Drake radiator saga
 

Hey Michael - thanks for the perspectives. One of the challenges that we all face is putting the desire for the cheapest price against quality, country of origin, material specifications, correct form/fit, etc.

Too many of us "consumers" were somehow conditioned that "price" was the most important - and were not taught enough (or simply didn't care) about the other things. So, we kept shopping on price and more and more of the manufacturer's gave us exactly what we showed them we wanted.

Then we tend to wonder why you can't go to Home Depot of Lowes and buy a dang garden hose or a quality shovel that isn't a complete POS. I can buy a lot of cheap ones but can't even find a good one anymore.

We've contributed to the problem - sad to say.

Now - this was NOT meant to be a political statement - so those of you chewing your coffee . . . relax! :D

Re: 40 Ford Drake radiator saga
 

I could not agree with you more.
My wife and I have a retail garment business. On occasion, a client will demand USA produced garments. The issues with that? It is nearly impossible to find USA garments and once I do, the price is triple (at minimum) of the comparable foreign supplied pieces. The other issue? The quality of the USA stuff is total crap compared to the non-domestic.

I have always (might be the OCD) purchased the best quality "anything" as I look at my purchases as investments. How long will the cheap one last vs. the more expensive one?

Re: 40 Ford Drake radiator saga
 

Mike, the shirts you made me 7 years ago are still holding strong!

Re: 40 Ford Drake radiator saga
 

Need more?

Re: 40 Ford Drake radiator saga
 

Well Folks, I took my 40 Coupe on a 25 mile run this afternoon. Pulled couple hills on the trip and the temp gauge kept creeping up so I turned and headed back home. when I got back the temp gauge has rose to the 3/4 mark on the gauge. With the other radiator that is an NOS 91A service replacement radiator the temp gauge hardly ever got above the normal mark even on the hot days. So, I carried another radiator over to the radiator shop this morning for him to be sure it’s clean and pressure checked. The Drake radiator just isn’t getting the job done.

Re: 40 Ford Drake radiator saga
 

So, does this mean that Bob & crew are going to refund your purchase price?

Coop

.

Re: 40 Ford Drake radiator saga
 

I seriously doubt it. I’ve been on the phone twice with them and they were gonna call me back but that never happened. So that’s $900 plus as we say in the south throwed up a hogs ass. !

Re: 40 Ford Drake radiator saga
 

In Mississippi it is "throwed up a WILD hogs ass and hollared SOOEY."

Re: 40 Ford Drake radiator saga
 

Did you pay with a credit card? You might be able to get some relief from the card company. But I'm sure they'll say its been too long since you purchased the radiator. Still worth a call and getting passed around from one department to another. You never know it might work out in your favor.

Re: 40 Ford Drake radiator saga
 

I bought that radiator in December 2020 cause they had a sale on. So it’s been a while went by before I got around to installing it.

Re: 40 Ford Drake radiator saga
 

One of the things that affects prices for parts in the USA is any form of plating. The EPA regulations on heavy metals are likely among the stiffest regulations in the world. A lot of plated items were farmed out to Asian countries before we started doing business with Mainland China in the 1990s. Taiwan manufactured a lot of plated items that the US couldn't compete with but their labor expenses are higher than some of the other Asian countries now so the manufacturing has been slowly shifting to other not quite as friendly countries. Many of these countries have little of no pollution regulations so this really give them an advantage plus many have very low wage earner economies compared to the West.

We still have electroplaters here in the US but the cost to operate has made the retail prices higher for this type of stuff. The plating here is generally very high quality or a company won't be around very long. When it costs that much it better be good.

Re: 40 Ford Drake radiator saga
 

Took my 40 on a long road trip today just to see if the temp would reach a peak. It didn’t, just kept climbing. I went little over 40 miles. It was approaching the H mark by the time I got back. The engine is a stock 221 with std bore and has never had any heating issues even in the hot summer time.

Re: 40 Ford Drake radiator saga
 

Did you ever put a heat sensing gun on the engine. While not doubting your reports, gauges sometimes go bad when you least expect it (if we ever expect it). Could be a gauge gone sour or a sending unit gone sour.

Re: 40 Ford Drake radiator saga
 

Country of origin isn’t the issue. China and many other countries can manufacture fantastic, high quality items. But just like in America, it is going to cost you. There isn’t a new car manufacturer that is produces 100% in America. We all carry cell phones in our pockets, and not a single one was produced in America. I know a lot of us here have cell phones that truly cost $1000 and were made in China. Quality costs, no matter where its produced.

Re: 40 Ford Drake radiator saga
 

Yeah, Temp gun 198 degrees. That engine never runs that hot. I’ve driven it all over Alabama,Georgia,Tennessee, N.C. Never had a heating problem.