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BradleyG	We are installing a new Ron Davis aluminum Radiator in my car. And it is an awesome piece of cooling art. It has 2, one inch rows of cooling fins and the capacity is about 50% more than the stock radiator. This should fix my running too warm problem for good. I was able to polish the exposed surfaces of the radiator to a high shine and it looks great. Here is my question.. During this process, we noticed that the radiator support is also aluminum. Have any of you stripped the paint and polished the radiator support?? How long did it take you?? It may just be easier to have it chrome plated, but the polishing only cost me time. Any thoughts?? This message has been edited by BradleyG on 11-30-2008 at 01:03 AM
BeWare	I have seen some polished but can't remember who's Kats they were.
toys	Polished right they look like chrome
catfish	brad,wish,you had told me about your rad.sorry you just threw about 800.00 away.ron davis builds probably the nicest rad out there.fyi-it will not cool any better than a stk one.my first one from him lasted 4 months,before it started to leak.he replaced even though it was 1 month out of warranty.second one,vibrated itself to death,leaked,lasted 3yrs,died middle of 07.sorry.even though its mounted in 4 rubber mts.it will still vibrate itself to death.i went back to the stk rad.as for polish the rad support,there is no choice except chrome.wont cost that much more over polished.polished ,must be repolished all the time.and never will have the deep shine of chrome.no matter what you do polished still has that im not quite as shiny as chrome look.brad,sorry i had to tell you the rad.tale,but i thouht you should know.if they tell you different pm me.you maybe drive yours less than i do,that may extend the life somewhat.theres no doubt its the ptettiest rad.made.makes you not want to install it. ------------------ This message has been edited by catfish on 11-19-2008 at 07:15 PM
BradleyG	Jan, That is exactly what I wanted to hear. NOT!!! I read old posts that you had installed a Ron Davis radiator. I knew that your first one had leaked ,but didn't know about the second one. The radiator really looks like it is VERY well built. Why do you suppose that it vibrates and fails before the chinsey stock one does? The reason I got the Ron Davis one is because the stock radiator from Chrysler has been on back order for FIVE MONTHS. I was tired of waiting, so I got the BEST. My old one failed.. Leaked and was partially blocked. Only 50,000 miles on it. So, at least for now, my new one will be better. At least I can drive my Prowler again. I have polished much of the aluminum on my car, but didn't realize until today that the radiator support is aluminum. I think it would be a lot of work to do it right, but you make a good point.. Nothing shines like chrome. I may try polishing it and then decide if it is too much work.. But for now, I am going to go Prowlin. I am in the midst of Prowler withdrawals. I need a fix!! Thanks.. Brad
catfish	both of mine leaked at the top where the cross rows go into the tank.started to crack right there at each end..just to much vibration for the aluminum,is all i can think of.you will also need to add alot of extra coolant.i believe it holds 2 times the amt of a fact rad.i would use the newer longlife coolant,not the old green stuff.in the meantime you have a gorgeous rad to look at.i use zerex g05 in mine.i guess what i like about the g05 is that when it does develope a leak somewhere and it dries it turns white and is real easy to spot.dont forget to use distilled water also.good luck.not sure if youre aware of it but ron davis makes among others all the nascar rads. ------------------
catfish	brad,try this to cut down on the vibration,might help.the top 2 rubber upper mts.have a large hole in the center/which allows it to move more.take some masking tape,and tape shut one side of that hole.from the open side fill that hole,with 100 percent silicone and let dry about 48 hrs.the silicone should cut down on some of the side to side ad frt to back movement,but not enough to make it rigid,cause the silicone is flexible.try it,sure cant hurt anything,just may help. ------------------ This message has been edited by catfish on 11-19-2008 at 07:56 PM
SuperDave	Backordered for 5 months? Bummer! If anyone needs a stock radiator let me know, I have an extra. Sorry, Brad! Brad: Call me on my cell phone when you get a chance, I have something I need to get to you! Dave
toys	I don't know anything about these but you can check them out if you need one real bad. http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs&sbrftog=1&satitle=%28plymouth%2Cchrysler%29+prowler+radiator&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC6&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D2&sadis=200&fpos=06037&sa bfmts=1&saobfmts=insif&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&sadis1=100&fpos1=06037&lsot1=&fsop=1%26fsoo%3D1&fgtp=&sadis2=100&fpos2=06037&lsot2= hope it helps toys
Eddie Powell	Brad the support will have to be stripped and polished some before chroming anyway,so try it and let us know.Having it that far along in the chrome process is the worst that can happen. That is the mindset I had when I polished my front end. But--as everyone says-- it looks nice but there's nothing like chrome. Just more $$$$.
catfish	toys ,those are a/m rads.aluminum cores,which dont last as long as brass.prowler fact rads are brass core.thats why the hugh price difference.new cat rad,about 800.00 list. ------------------ This message has been edited by catfish on 11-20-2008 at 10:11 AM
wallygator310	Larry Hiss had his support rods and radiator support polished and they look good, almost like chrome. I agree that they are a lot more trouble to keep a mirror polish on, but the price is right if you do it yourself. Wally
Sunshine	Brad, I thought you paid $99.00 for the Ron Davis radiator. My own personal opinion it's a nice looking radiator, I guess No Problem Raceway will put her to the test!! Have Fun
BradleyG	Hey Sunshine, $99.00 WOW!!! No, You heard me wrong, It was $9.99 and $0.15 Shipping. I bought it on E-bay from a former Prowler owner who never installed it. It is brand new and WAS still in the box. I polished it up and Neal installed it for me at Preston Chrysler. I gave it a good workout last weekend. A 600 mile road trip and I got my Prowler fix for a couple of days. It worked great!! Now ... No Problem Raceway MAY be a problem. I was hoping to beat you again, but I just might have trouble at NO PROBLEM with a certain RED KAT that got gears, Nitros and a CRAZY woman driving. Just don't forget to let off the gas at the end of the track.. LOL I will strip and attempt to polish the radiator support this weekend. I will post some pictures as I work on it. Thanks everybody for the good information. Jan, I will try the silicone in the rubber top cushions. I hope this will keep it from failing. I checked with Ron Davis Radiator and they get $822.90 plus shipping for this radiator. So far, it runs MUCH cooler. Thanks again..
BradleyG	I found a way to spend 14 hours on your Prowler. Remove the radiator support, strip the paint and polish it. Because of the small areas, it was necessary to do most of the sanding and polishing by hand. I started with 180 grit sand paper , then 220, and then 0000 steel wool. I used a 4 inch hand held grinder with a buffing wheel and a solid stick metal polish (still had to do much polishing by hand). Most of the time was in the sanding, about 11 hours. First picture is after the paint was stripped and I set it back on the car. The other pictures are after polish. ALSO, Notice the Ron Davis Aluminum radiator (PRETTY). This was a lot of work, but I think the effort was worth it.
GenoTex	quote: Originally posted by BradleyG: Hey Sunshine, I will strip and attempt to polish the radiator support this weekend. does that help??? Taking your clothes off first? j/k Brad. Finished result looks awesome imo. Nice job.
garysss	Brad you will most likely get better each time you do one. I'm willing to help. How about I send you mind to do and if it turns out better than yours, just keep mine and send yours back to me. LOL I think it turn out great!
toys	Brad If you know of a Zep dealer get their 5-star aluminum polish (it's like semi-chrome polish) it works wonders on aluminum it really makes it looked chromed, what I also do on aluminum after I polish it is get a soft cotton rag and flour (YEAH FLOUR) sligthly dampen the rag & dip in the flour, you won't beleive how much black residue you will still get off with it & how much brighter it will get. I like the looks of your Radiator support polished better than chrome. Their's an old biker saying that Chrome don't get you home, besides who wants a radiator support that might look like the inside of their peeling blistered rims in a few years JMHO. toys
TFischer	Wow - that looks great!!!
BeWare	Lookin Good Brad
BradleyG	Along about 8:00 pm Saturday night as my hands and fingers were hurting, I was thinking that Scott Curtis' $400.00 exchange was a good deal for a polished radiator support. But, there is a lot of satisfaction in knowing that "I did that Myself". Geno, It was too cold to keep my clothes off and besides all those young pretty neighbor girls kept coming over to check me out and I couldn't get my work done. OH.. The trials of being the sexxiest 60 something year old man in the neighborhood. Do you suppose that is why Sunshine wouldn't help me?? Honestly, I did enjoy doing this. I didn't have to go shopping on Black Friday.
dbudner	quote: Originally posted by BradleyG: OH.. The trials of being the sexxiest 60 something year old man in the neighborhood. You forgot the most modest too This message has been edited by dbudner on 12-02-2008 at 08:07 AM
syswayne1939	quote: Originally posted by BradleyG: We are installing a new Ron Davis aluminum Radiator in my car. And it is an awesome piece of cooling art. It has 2, one inch rows of cooling fins and the capacity is about 50% more than the stock radiator. This should fix my running too warm problem for good. I was able to polish the exposed surfaces of the radiator to a high shine and it looks great. Here is my question.. During this process, we noticed that the radiator support is also aluminum. Have any of you stripped the paint and polished the radiator support?? How long did it take you?? It may just be easier to have it chrome plated, but the polishing only cost me time. Any thoughts?? I sanded my with fine sand paper and then I sprayed them with clear finish and they look great.