Summit has a warehouse outside of Reno. They ship to my house in 1-2 days usually regular shipping
I drive past their HQ in Ohio several times a year. I'm going to order something and pick it up one of these days. Just because
Summit has a warehouse outside of Reno. They ship to my house in 1-2 days usually regular shipping
The last one I had re-cored was $500, that was about 10 years ago now. I'd bet that price is closer to $7-800 now. Aluminum replacement radiators on Summit for the same car are currently $3-500.
I drive past their HQ in Ohio several times a year. I'm going to order something and pick it up one of these days. Just because
Did you look at your radiator yet?
I'm about an hour away from home at the moment rocking the wife's minivan. I certainly will tomorrow morning though. It's hard top time so I gotta play with the Jeep anyways tomorrow
It's probably not done as much anymore so that would probably lead to a higher relative price ... although not as bad as chroming now vs. back then!
I was looking in to getting the bumper on my Cutlass rechromed in Japan. Cheapest option was to send it to the Philippines where it could be done fairly cheap, but shipping sucked. Wound up just getting a whole new bumper sent from 'murica.
I used to have my bumpers done at a little hole in the wall chrome shop next to Ramona Gardens in LA.
Still there 30 years later:
[URL][URL][URL][URL]https://partsfocus.com/places/new-california-bumpers/[/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL]
Great job and cheap prices $ 150 a bumper.
The drawback was going thru Ramona Gardens a completely gang infested area. Ever see the Movie Colors?
I learned real quick that at about 9am was the best time as all the gangbangers were asleep.
Go out to your TJ, lift the hood and prop it open. Carefully examine how the mounting flanges attach to the radiator. Note the small pocket cast into the plastic tank to stop the head of the fastener from turning, a very small fastener at that. Extrapolate that out to understanding if there was enough flex in the grill shell to hurt a full aluminum radiator, it would rip those little bolts right out of the end tanks.
I'm trying to wrap my head around this. Are you talking about the 2 studs/nuts on the side near the top of tank?
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Precisely. That and I know from removing many grills that they are not at all flexible and they do have that V bar brace in front of the radiator that makes them even less resistant to flex.Okay, I see what you are talking about. Those bolts are weak links that should break with any significant amount of stress from grill flex, thus there must not be much flex to kill an aluminum rad.
The only answer is inconsistent quality. I know for a fact that at least 2 of the problem Griffin versions are in rigs that do not spend much if any time at all offroad so they are seeing no worse vibration than a street car on short suspension and needfully stiff shocks will deliver.Do you have any guess as to what might make the aftermarket aluminum rads die so quickly in TJs but last forever in street cars?
Interesting. I've never thought about or looked into that. Maybe I should look into chroming in Mexico. I know from experience the "Bumper Boyz" in CA are a no-go (reasonable price, bad quality). Advanced Plating in TN is our go to quality shop, but they are pricey. $2-2,500 for one bumper on my Chrysler, depending on required metal work. Their work is top-notch, but I'd be dancing around $15,000 to do the bright work on just one car.
Interesting. I've never thought about or looked into that. Maybe I should look into chroming in Mexico. I know from experience the "Bumper Boyz" in CA are a no-go (reasonable price, bad quality). Advanced Plating in TN is our go to quality shop, but they are pricey. $2-2,500 for one bumper on my Chrysler, depending on required metal work. Their work is top-notch, but I'd be dancing around $15,000 to do the bright work on just one car.
Thanks for all the replies, opinions, and experience. These forums sometimes make my head spin but they are probably the best source of information available, even though it turned into a partial conversation about chrome.
It sounds like OEM is out of the question or at least too long of a wait for me.
The website articles are killing me. I swear every link to a recommended replacement radiator I click ends with me reading several negative reviews about leaks, poor performance, or ill-fitting units with misaligned mounting points....and then worst of all....bad customer service and shitty return policies. This one for instance: https://www.jeepzine.com/best-radiator-for-jeep/. It's actually hilarious that anyone would recommend these products with the terrible reviews they get. (Unless obviously the reviews happened afterwards.)
Is this really just a matter of luck, trial and error, and patience? If so, just tell me now so I can give up and take the crap shoot and see what happens.
Any other recommendation for a specific radiator? No? How about a specific retailer/vendor who will help when their product leaks or doesn't fit correctly? Am I just asking too much here?
Seriously, thanks for all the input and help with this. I'm trying so hard to give someone my $$$ but I need something good in return. I sound like a big baby too.
Check these guy out in Asbury NJ, they did a set of TR6 bumpers for me back when they first opened and when I lived locally. They do beautiful work.
I've learned being here for a few years now, if your radiator, heater core, cam or crank position sensors shit the bed and you can't find a OEM replacement, just ...