Need a new radiator 1982 Bronco 351W w/AC

[Gsmblue]

Kinda said it all in the subject.. the radiator in my Bronco has a slow annoying leak and is really rusty, so I am looking to update it. This will be my birthday present so I am looking for something that will last and be nice. Shiny would be good too 😝

This peaked my interest, but I have never shopped for radiators before..

https://radiatorexpress.com/product/radiator/ford/1982/bronco/base/58l-v8/222183/1105726#vehiclefitmenttab

Any and all advice would be welcomed!

[PetesPonies]

There are lot of choices out there, more than ever. But I can't see you going wrong with the one you linked.

[Gsmblue]

Cheers. I am getting sucked into copper vs aluminum. 1,2 or 3 row. Plastic sides or not. All that stuff.

I told my wife it would be about $300 for my birthday present... but now I am thinking I could get a spectra for ~$180 and then a tire for the spare wheel for $150 and that would be a good spend..

So, with that said is anyone familiar with the Spectra Premium CU560 copper 2 row
https://ecat.spectrapremium.com/products/CU560

Or the CU561 aluminum 1 row
https://ecat.spectrapremium.com/products/CU561

[Rembrant]

Gsmblue wrote

So, with that said is anyone familiar with the Spectra Premium CU560 copper 2 row
https://ecat.spectrapremium.com/products/CU560

I recently installed a Spectra Premium CU559 ordered from Rock Auto. It is basically the same radiator as the CU560, it's just that it's about 6" narrower (for non-AC models).

It seems fine so far. I've only had it 2-3 months, and put a couple thousand miles on it.

It appeared to be very similar to the original radiator that I removed.

[Gsmblue]

Thanks Rembrant. I think this will come down to bank balance :)  I like the shiny all aluminum radiator, looks like it would last well. but the spectra premium would be more then up to the task - from what I can see...

[Rembrant]

I was the same way. By the time I got to the radiator (final reassembly of the front end) I was pretty tired of spending too much...lol, and I wanted a stock replacement that would fit right in place of the old one.

For what I'm doing with the truck, I won't need any extra cooling capacity, so a stock replacement is fine.

[Gsmblue]

I went with the CU560 for $160 on Amazon. I had a $118 credit to use, so that worked out! Hope to install late next week.

Next issue - which coolant to use!