Radiator repair on Gen 1...

[Coasty]

I was riding all day through mud, slop, high speed and low speed stuff. I'm 1/4 mile away from the truck screwin off and clipped a tree and laid the bike down on the only rock within 20 feet and now my radiator is leaking. I've found the leak and it's at the bottom of the outer tube that runs from the top part of the radiator to the lower part. It's not a huge leak but it was big enough to dump all my antifreeze and make me push that cantankerous mule all the way back to the truck.

Last time I took a radiator to a regular repair shop, the guy handed me back a melted mess so, wanting to avoid that, what's the best way/technique to repair one of these costly gems? I have brazed plumbing hardware before and I've solderd miles of wire but I'm not sure if any of these skills are gonna help me with this. Oh yeah, I'm also and expert mason with JB Weld but I'm not sure if it's the ticket for this.

Any advice would be appreciated...

Patrick

[ISBB]

There is a radiator shop in utah that is really good and for some reason the name mylers pops into my head.. Ill see if i can find out if thats the proper name of the shop..

[britincali]

JB weld will work for a temp fix, long term I would take it to someone competant with a TIG welder.

[Nodge]

The last radiator I had fixed by a rad shop blew up TWICE before I just JB welded it.
Make sure it is cleaned with some brake cleaner before hand, and rough everything up with some emery cloth or sandpaper.
Lots of thin coats with drying time and a heat lamp is better than one big glob.


Mine has been holding for a year now.

[ShanMan]

do not use JB Weld. For a proper, permenant fix that you can do yourself, please check out this site:

http://www.muggyweld.com/index2.html

This stuff is the real deal and works on tons of stuff, including filling in guages, pits and deep scratches on those pesky beer can frames!

[mxracr121]

Yup, Mylers. They are the real deal.

[ShanMan]

agreed...Mylers does a great job, particularly if the rad is bent. If it's just a pin hole or a small tear, the Muggy weld works awesome due to the capillary action that you cannot get with JB Weld, plus it is aluminum filler on an aluminum part. In fact, it is likely what a radiator shop is going to use to plug-fill the hole...especially when TIG is a poor option. That was the point I was trying to make.

[Coasty]

Mine has a small pinhole that wouldn't be too hard to repair, I just want to use the best stuff for the job. I've had great experience with JB Weld but it seems the Muggy Weld products are designed specifically for aluminum. I looked at the link Shaman posted and my only question is which product to buy?

Super Alloy 1 seems like the best choice since it's a low temp (350*) solder.

Super Alloy 5 has may do a better job but I'm sure it's harder to work with since it's melting point is much higher at 600*.

So which one should I go with?

[AlisoBob]

Numero uno...