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Swung by a junkyard in Tulsa and changed my mind about aftermarket radiators
I always figured OEM was the only way to go for cooling parts. But a guy there showed me a 1992 F-150 with a two-row aluminum radiator that had been in for 8 years without a leak. The thing looked better than the stock one sitting next to it. Has anyone else had good luck with the cheap all-metal ones?
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jason_kelly83mo ago
Grabbed a cheap all-metal radiator for my 87 Chevy about five years ago (complete gamble, honestly) and it's still holding up fine. I was nervous at first because everyone told me aftermarket stuff was junk. But the thing is, these old single-row plastic tank radiators just don't cut it for towing or hot weather. The two-row aluminum one I got actually cools better and hasn't so much as seeped at the seam. I'd still be picky about brand names, but the horror stories online seem overblown.
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nancy3913mo ago
Yeah, but that "all-metal" thing is a bit off (most aluminum radiators still use plastic tanks on the sides, just not the core). Yours probably has metal tanks though, if it's an all-aluminum one.
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