Beck TD, Part 86 - Stupid Wooden British Cars!

 After the recent radiator work (Part 85), I asked Troy Nace to help me get Beck's body panels aligned. I had already figured out that it was going to be a fussy and time-consuming task! But we had to take a little side trip, due to the way some British cars were still made in 1952. The bodywork has a substantial wooden frame, and wood has a nasty habit of rotting...

Beck TD, Part 85 - A New Radiator!

 One of the consistent threads of Beck TD's 7-year story in my shop has been "messing with the cooling system." In the early days, just getting the radiator and hoses sorted took effort, and since then, the cooling system has been barely adequate on hot days. In Part 82, I went to significant expense to make some changes to the radiator, and while it improved the fitment and look, it still ran hot on 90+ degree days in city traffic. That 70-year-old radiator just wasn't up to snuff!

Members of the Volvo Engined MG group had identified a replacement radiator for sale on eBay from Winner Racing that looked promising, and one member had contacted them to request a custom version for our Volvo application. Their response was, "Sure - just tell us what you need!" I contacted them, and across several emails we worked out a custom version that I bought. In the photo below, their stock TD replacement is on the left, and my custom design is on the right. You'll notice several changes, including a flat tank, relocated inlet and outlet, a custom filler with pressure cap, and more.