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I am still halping and advising my friend with his 1936 120B Dietrich Convertible Sedan. We finished putting in the new head gasket last week but after starting and running the car for about five minutes, I thought that I detected rumbling and boiling so it was shut down promptly. Feeling around the back side of the original honeycombed radiator, I could definitely feel both warm and some significant cool spots. So I am suspecting some serious blockages exist. I've told my friend that having some radiator cleaning done with commercial cleaners and lots of fresh water would be my next step, if it were my car. Currently, I help him with about 4-6 hours of my free labor every Tuesday, so any prompt advice from the PI forum members would be appreciated.

If that doesn't remedy the problem, then I am thinking that removing the radiator and shipping it to someone in the annual Packard Directory "Yellow Pages" might be my next bit of advice. Without looking too deeply, I suspect that the best way to extract the radiator is to take part of the front clip off to access it without damage. By comparison, my 56 is a piece of cake for accessibility. Any suggestions as to how to do this, where to begin and more importantly, where to stop the disassembly?

If there are competent radiator shops willing to take this on in a metro area of five million people, I haven't found them yet. My friend would like to keep his father's car in the home garage as much as possible while he polishes and cleans while others work on removed parts. He's newly energetic with this precious project, so I don't want to do anything to discourage him at this formative stage. Any advice gladly accepted..

DaveB845,

Before pulling the radiator, I'd suggest a reverse flush using a power flushing tool similar to the following:

http://www.tooltopia.com/otc-tools-6043.aspx?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=paid_search_google_pla&scid=scplp6824371&gclid=CIOsksSx_MUCFcQSHwod9akAew

This tool uses shop air along with water to loosen up deposits and rust. Forcing this water / air stream in the reverse direction as the cooling flow thru the radiator will help dislodge deposits.

A radiator cleaning solution would be my next suggestion, in addition to the reverse flush. Prestone has a decent one available at most Auto stores, or Oxalic acid can be used as long as you follow up with a neutralizing agent.

Finding someone who knows how to properly repair a honeycomb radiator is not easy. The Brassworks and Topsham Radiator are two that come to mind.

Hope this helps you out.

Dave

Also see Packard Vendor Catalogs, post #23

http://www.ftrs.com.au/honeycomb/intro.php