FE/FC original radiator details

[JohnBM]

Q: when the car was originally designed, was the radiator produced with normal operating/ driving options in mind a two row core only ? or was there a three row available for , say taxis or vehicles prone to hot weather , or prolonged high speed ? . I have found in my shed , would you believe after nearly sixty years of owning FEs  a new radiator I didn’t know I had . It’s a two row . Tab on core says Natracoolercore. A product of national radiators mfg pty Ltd Australia . It looks brand new ,just small indent in the core .so any ideas. Cheers John .

[ardiesse]

John,

I'm guessing it's a recore.  How thick is the core?  Do the fins come to level with the tanks and frame, or not?

Rob

[mcl1959]

The original radiator core came out flush with the sides of the radiator - it was very thick but I’m not sure if it was three core or just two fat cores.   It was much thicker than replacement 2 core radiators
Ken

[JohnBM]

Thanks for the reply , no it’s a two row for sure , the one I have in the FE is a three row ,I had that done when I was having the heating issues with the car . If you go onto the fe/ fc Holden enthusiast group site, I have a couple of photos of it. It’s tab fixed on the core says Natracoolahcore . To me it looks as new . Just a slight indent in the core . There is also at the top of the tab , HOL.902l2S that’s the letter EL, between the twos .

[ardiesse]

John,

That's definitely a recore.

Rob

[JohnBM]

Thanks Rob&Ken, for that , it makes you wonder if they came out as Ken says , why would you replace it with a two row . They did a good job for sure .even the support tab holes are perfectly round & the pipes top & btm  are as they were straight off the assembly line . Anyway thanks for your input(s) cheers John .

[JohnBM]

How about this one ? Looks original , full width core . & the core itself seems to be of the 50s era .this was a spare I would carry with me to the nats etc , being an over cautious type .cheers John

[ardiesse]

John,

That one's carrying a diamond, which would make it a NASCO core.

Evan Green wrote a story about say 30 years back, called "Dust and Glory", which was an account of the 1956 Redex trial (if there had been one).  Jack Davey was driving a new Holden, but his navigator insisted that they carry a spare cylinder head, two rear springs, a replacement diff, a crankshaft, a clutch and pressure plate, and so on.  Gelignite Jack Murray was winding Davey's navigator up about all the extra stuff he was carrying.  The navigator said, "Holdens do diffs."  And Murray said, "Yeah.  And you'd break springs too, if you were designed for one ton and had to carry two."

Your car won't break.  Leave all the heavy stuff at home.

Rob

[JohnBM]

Thanks Rob, I must admit to having being told that on one or more occasions . LOL . Cheers .John

[mcl1959]

The core with the Nasco diamond is a new replacement core from Holden. It is identical to the factory unit. The factory fitted radiators did not have the Nasco diamond on them though. It’s a good radiator to have as a spare.