MG-Cars.net

Welcome to our resource for MG Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Radiator Info

There is a company called Reliable Raditor in Oregon, USA. They are offering American Eagle and Champion aluminum radiators for MG midgets. Their prices are very reasonable. Is this "to good to be true"? Does anyone have any experience with either this dealer or these radiators?
TCW Tom Westcot

If there the same company that sells the china made aluminum rads on ebay...ive heard there are very good

There not an exact plug and play but easy enough to fit into the spot with some minor imagination

There certianly worth dropping a dime for a chat...if its the ebay folks

Other then not being OEM fit... it was a good experiance all.the way around ive heard from several differant folks

Prop
Prop and the Blackhole Midget

The prices really were a nice change. Speedweel is at $650 and these people were at $200 or less. If I can get some input from somebody who has tried one I will probably give it a try. They boast a pretty good warranty too.
TCW Tom Westcot

I want to say phil burk out of florida got one when he was rebuilding his midget from a head on crash

Over at the mg experiance web site there are Several members that got them ...that was my antidotial source of info....should be easy enough to search there archives and look up the people that posted back then....with in the last 36 months

But i have to warn you....do not under any circumstance talk about dead hookers in the trunk of the midget....the administrator, gets very touchy on that subject

Trust me... I got some dead hooker panties as tourist tee shirts as proof....just dont go there on that topic he will ban you in a heart beat for life

luckly... I got an angry warning

Prop

Prop and the Blackhole Midget

Tbh... @ $200 you wouldnt loose much in wosrt case senerio If you recycled the aluminum if the rad didnt work....heck, you might even make a Profit, if you sell at the right market time


I think I paid around $500 for my custom made aluminum rad from a company in bloomington Il. Several years ago its a split racing rad. It flows the coolent twice before reentering the engine...and I just love the looks and the performance it gives

I cant think of the name right off... but they make alot of race parts for dirt track in the midwest

Prop
Prop and the Blackhole Midget

Prop, what are you smoking?

Aluminum is worth about $0.80/lb, and an aluminum radiator only weighs 5 ~ 10 lbs.


By the way, aluminum is not as good a conductor as copper (the original radiators have brass tanks and copper fins), so make sure your fancy aluminum radiator has more surface area or you will actually get less cooling from it.

Not much of an issue on a 1275 with the crossflow radiator because it has a fair bit of extra margin, but the 1500s, and 1275 minis used in California, they have not much to play with in that department.



Norm

Norm Kerr

I did fit an Asian radiator after my wreck, and a Prop stated it was a bit fiddly to fit. The top two bolts are metric.
Before the accident I never had an overheating problem and still don't, even in the South Florida heat.
I was always an advocate of re-coring what you have ($60.00), but that wasn't an option after I ran into the back of an old Celica. I couldn't see spending $6-700 on a Speedwell.

My $175.00 alu radiator works very well, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone not concerned with originality.
P Burke

Hey phil

Good to see you agian.... hows life happening for you

Is the new profession going well....im guessing your with a firm full time by now...

sooooo you miss kitchen design and installs yet...LOL

Prop



Prop and the Blackhole Midget

ooh, here's a good write up on the differences between radiator materials, as well as some very good insight into tube density for each material, also, I will stop saying any worries about thermal properties and instead link this article which makes it easy to check whatever radiator is being considered.

http://www.caparadiator.com/aluminumvscopper.html


Norm

Norm Kerr

I dont know norm...

I think the motivation point here is price.. not heat control

I havent checked moss but its hard to beat a $200 new rad even if it is fidgety to install the 1st time

Im still a fan Of aluminum...It works amazing....but then agian, it may not be the aluminum that made it great ... maybe its because I designed it myself...hahaha

And lets face it, aluminum is sexy cool

I have to belive that the aluminumbrad at $200 will work fine as it did fir the others that purchased one of those china made rads

Its not the aluminum thats worth 80 cents a pound that makes them worth $200 ''''its the hidden cocain ....hahaha

Prop




Prop and the Blackhole Midget

Norm my midget is a '67 and it has a vertical flow radiator. You're right about the cross flow I had a '74 with a crossflow and they are adequate. However I also had a '67 and a '64 before this and they were both vertical flow and were fussy about hot weather. That's why I'm thinking about changing to an aluminum unit. A guy I know has a Healy and had temperature issues. He switched to an aluminum radiator (I don't know what make)and it fixed the problems.
TCW Tom Westcot

Phil, have you got somebody in Florida who will recore a vertical Spridget radiator for $60? I talked to people here in Wisconsin and they won't do a vertical.
TCW Tom Westcot

Missed the vertical part.
I don't know much about them.

If you're going to the trouble of fitting an alu, is it a lot more effort to change to x-flow? As I said, I have no experience with them.

For me it was a matter of timing and what was available. The alu looks good,fits ok,appears to be very well made and cools fine.
P Burke

with existing rads you have to also consider their internal and external condition and if they might be full of crud inside reducing its efficiency

a thorough clean and flush/back flush/flush again whilst giving it a good shake up costs next to nothing to do and a brush and straightening if required of any fins externally

I don't how much a professional clean out and refurb would cost now on the original rads but that's what we used to do with the rads

a couple of years back I went with a mate to a place that makes ali rads of all shapes and sizes (IIRC from F1 to giant applications) and basically for cars there's a top and bottom and the middle is just in sizes made up as required so you could pick the area and size of rad you wanted only needing to match the top and bottom to your hose requirements
Nigel Atkins

As it turns out the aluminum one I was looking at is a crossflow. Their listing says "1967-1974" which is wrong. The crossflow was not in use in 1967. There is good news however, I'm pretty sure I found somebody to recore the one I have. I am considering updating the system and I want the radiator to be right. I am thinking about adding an overflow tank and possibly a 15 pound cap.
TCW Tom Westcot

+++++I am considering updating the system and I want the radiator to be right. I am thinking about adding an overflow tank and possibly a 15 pound cap++++

The crossflow rad dosnt have a cap... its a large bolt on the corner top left of the rad...the cap goes on a brass over flow tank on the right side of the rad when facing it

Prop
Prop and the Blackhole Midget

according to Terry Horler's book there might have been changes in (late) 1967 that included crossflow rads in North American cars, as with a lot of these things exact change over points may not have been recorded and perhaps there was a bit of some with some without until the change is more consistent

I had an expert on the model tell me that a car I was as good as giving away to him had the 'wrong' colour dash trim yet as far as can be told that's how it left the factory and delivered to the (only) previous owner who had the car delivered brand new 25 years before
Nigel Atkins

So I took my radiator to the shop to get a price on recoring. Because of the tank and shroud being soldered on this is a very expensive radiator to recore. Estimate was between 5 and 6 hundred. I said I can buy a new one for $260. The guy also said my radiator is in really good shape so I'm going to run it and if I have temperature problems I'll buy a Speedwell.
TCW Tom Westcot

This thread was discussed between 22/06/2013 and 28/06/2013

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG Midget and Sprite Technical BBS is active now.