FASTAZU

I would also look to see if the overflow hose is lose, as to the brown water it does sound as it needs to be flushed. I wonder if the thermostat is stuck causing the overheat a very common issue with a car not driven much. I say this because you stated it did not boil over until you stopped and it was shut off.

Just a thought.

txdoglover

Texastechdad: good thing I can forego the strip clubs since I don't like girls! makes it easier to start a sock drawer (or bra drawer??) for my vette $$

txdoglover

Arkyvette and wegone: I'm pretty sure the water was coming out the side of the radiator, the temp gauge was 1/2 way until I got to the gas station, then it was in the red. The overflow had no cap on it, which the prev owner mentioned and I was going to find one. The overflow is plastic, which makes me wonder why, if hot water is going to overflow into it, why is it plastic? I don't think my jeep wrangler has an overflow, if it does I've never seen it. If the thermostat is stuck would the gauge seem to read correctly? I thought an aluminum radiator would not just drop in, it would need modifications? So many questions.......

Arkyvette

I would have taken the tstat out, jb welded or crimped the offending tubes in the radiator and nurse it home while watching the temp carefully. I'm sure that's not a widely accepted method though... Heck, your problem could be a faulty rad cap not allowing pressure to build up, therefore boiling over. The rust could be from running straight water or not enough coolant mixed in. A buddy of mine ran straight water in his brand new engine for a month during break in this summer its full of rust now. Bet he wont do that again.

edit: guess we were typing at the same time! New radiator for sure if your side tank is leaking.

Arkyvette

No mods needed for a direct fit radiator. Mine dropped right in like a factory unit.

sweeet76

Just a tip for you. Don't let this upset you and your decision to buy something you really wanted. The car is over 30 years old and if it was still perfect, you would have to pay the perfect price for it. You have just hit a bump in the road so don't let it rain on your parade. When you get the car home, have your mechanic look it over, you will learn all of the little things that you and only you will know what to do each time you drive it. This can be an enjoyable hobby but learn to deal with the little things or it will be a hobby you will learn to hate. By the way, there are a lot of people walking around on this earth that would love to have what you have just bought. For whatever reason, they just can't seem to pull the trigger.
Good Liuck,
Bill

txdoglover

thanks Arkyvette, I'm thinking since the cap was on really tight, it wasn't a faulty cap. I'm just going to pretend that it's the radiator that needs replaced, since I'm paying money for a new one. If only you had been there you could have welded it for me, crimped it and taken out the thermostat. Since I don't know how. haha. Going to have to start watching Girls Garage.
Aww, Bill, you really are sweet. Thanks for the kind words. I know I'll be happy with it when it ever gets here. I am glad I bought it and a little scared that I bought it all at the same time. Thanks everyone!

Sunstroked

I put Dewitt's radiators in both of my older corvettes. They are crafted in the USA, very well assembled and they are a direct fit with no additional modifications or parts to buy. As for blaming the mech for shoddy work, sounds unfair. These things happen and always at the worst time. Get the car home. Then go to your trusted mech. Probably cheaper than paying a dealer their shop rates.
For additional power in the future, don't put a big block engine in that thing. If you want big block power consider rebuilding your engine to a 383. Lots of hp and torque. But you'll need that better radiator too to keep that engine running cool

Arkyvette

Just for reference, cap can be both tight and failed. They contain a spring inside that is designed to hold a certain psi in the cooling system (to raise the boiling point), like 15 or 16 psi. The spring normally fails along with both gaskets on the cap. They are cheap enough to replace anyway.

txdoglover

Thanks Sunstoked, I'm going to go to my mechanic first thing when I get the car here. His hourly labor is $100.00, 5 more than the dealer is charging. We live in a small town and everything is expensive. But he knows classic cars. I don't think I'm being unfair to the mechanic that worked on this car, seeing that $250.00 was spent on repairing the headlights vacuum, and they still don't raiser/lower. Also, he knew that there was going to be a long drive and seems he didn't even bother to flush the radiator, which I think checking the radiator would be a obvious thing. His total bill was $1140.00 (the prev owner gave it to us) and the only thing that was done properly (as far as I know) was the axcel seal. Which I understand is mostly labor to get to it for a really cheap part. Arkyvette, I didn't know that about the cap, now I do. Thanks!

scrappy76

No offense to the people you bought it from, but I think their mechanic was a loser. I also think its possible the hole was there before you bought it and they used stop leak in the radiator which also changes the color of the coolant to brown. I also hope he did more than change an axle seal for $1140. You can buy an aftermarket aluminum radiator that is direct fit into your car. Just make sure you get the one that fits your car.
Bra drawer,

Easy Mike

You may not need a new radiator. Have your original inspected and tanked. A good cleaning might be all it needs.

Paul L

That is a possibility. GM used these pellets in the weepy Cadillac Northstar cooling system. But really that is a band-aid solution. A new rad is a more permanent fix.

qwank

I can't believe the dealer isn't paying for the repairs. the problem was obviously there before you bought the car

Mike Ward

Maybe I missed it, but have you figured out exactly where the water was coming from? If the car was missing the hose from the rad to the plastic coolant recovery tank or it's leaking, it would be perfectly normal for water to squirt everywhere shortly after shutdown, especially a long hard run on the highway.

It might be an immediate free or $2 fix instead of being stranded waiting for an expensive rad that you don't need.

AdamMeh

A radiator has to be VERY bad before it's beyond repair. Although I don't like or use radiator sealers, I keep a can of black pepper in with my tool kit when on trips. Seals up small holes in a radiator quickly and it doesn't take much. It's a last resort type of thing for me - only if I'm stranded on the side of a road somewhere.

txdoglover

Scrappy76, Easy Mike, Paul74,Qwark,Mike Ward, Adam Meh: $1140 was for axcel (axle?) seal, the headlights (still not working) and some other misc stuff (inspection, oil change, etc), my husband has that receipt with him, so I can't refer to it. The deal we made with the prev owner was that we would pay part of the bill (for the things we wanted fixed), since some of it were things he wouldn't put into it himself, like the headlights, as he never drove it at night. He's 72 and probably isn't comfortable driving at nighttime. He did tell the mechanic (who I believe did substandard work) that we needed the car to be able to drive and to make sure it didn't have anything that needed maintenance not done. Not sure if I worded that the way I meant. The prev owner has called me a couple of times trying to see what he can do, he has called one of the head honcho's of Chevrolet here in Texas to see if they can expedite our repair and maybe decrease the price. We bought the car, he really doesn't owe us anything, I think he really does feel bad that this happened. He did have it in the shop for enought time for the mechanic to find any problems if he was looking for them. A presssure check on that radiator would have been nice and a good flushing. A lot of people wouldn't even bother to call again to check on things like he is. The water hose was intact, one of the military guys who came to my rescue said it was pouring out of a hole in the side of the radiator. We were not stranded as my husband was driving the Sporttrac, so we got the car to the nearby Chev dealership and left it after hours and drove on home. I am having the dealership put in the new radiator and working on getting it transported. I will have my mechanic check it out and make sure it was done properly and also make sure everything else looks okay. I had a radiator drop shipped today and am getting price quotes on transport. My hands are kinda tied, I just want to get the car here and start getting it reliable. Thanks for all the input. I would like to know how the black pepper trick works. And where the hell Ontariariario is. I'm betting somewhere near Ontario.

ddawson

How many hours away? I'd see if a close TX guy with a trailer can pick it up for you.

I know there are a few guys around me that help out when needed.

AdamMeh

Black pepper can be used to seal up small holes in your cooling system. Again, I don't recommend using any sort of a sealer in your cooling system because it can and will plug things up, especially if too much is used. Not a good thing at all.

But, if it's an emergency situation and you're stranded on some lonesome stretch of road or something, it can get you rolling so you can get the car somewhere and have it repaired correctly.

You would just pour a little of the black pepper into the radiator (once the car has cooled off, and you have added water / coolant if needed) with the car running - once it starts to warm up a little and the coolant starts to circulate in the radiator, add in a little of the pepper at a time until the leak stops. The pepper just sticks together basically and will plug up the hole. This won't work for a large hole obviously, but small pins holes etc, it does work very well.

A tip passed along to me YEARS ago by the owner of a radiator shop.

Adam

txdoglover

DDAwson, the car is about 7 hours away, we live in a really small town with only 2 trailers and my friend here who owns a closed trailer can't go for 2 wks and our Sporttrac isn't strong enough to pull it. Need a dually. The quote prices are coming down to probably what it would cost us in gas and hotel to go get it. I will verify the transport company and their rating and get insurance if I need additional than the State Farm coverage I already have. I have a friend who live only a couple of hours away who has a trailer, but he just started a new job and can't get time off yet. I may see if he can do it this weekend. It's a lot to ask of someone even with paying them for their time/gas.
Adam meh: the pepper is interesting, good to know if stranded. thanks.