One phrase that gets me is “uneconomically repairable”. In certain situations, I understand why something can be uneconomical to repair…say you were off-roading and you went into deep water. Your fan got traction and managed to pull itself into the radiator and the result looked like a mass of shredded aluminum cans. In a situation like that, you’d go ahead, bite the bullet, and get a new radiator, there’s no way you’re fixing that kind of mess. But say you’ve got a pinhole leak, or the radiator just needs a good clean-out. That should be simple, right? Take it to a radiator shop, let them do their magic, and get a fresh piece ready to go. The sad truth is that most people I know would rather replace than repair, even if repair is an option, and it comes down to convenience. Why hand off an old radiator and my money when I can just hand off my money and get a brand-new, never ran radiator?
You guys really ate up the first Pakistani Truck video, and I understand why: the work that these guys do with the most basic of tools and shop space that most of you wouldn’t go near is incredible to watch, and their workmanship is to the nines. This is a simple radiator restoration, nothing too fancy. Other than being dirty, it doesn’t seem like this radiator had anything wrong with it. But the teardown, clean, and rebuild is almost zen-like to watch. It’s garage-work at it’s most stripped-down, it’s all about the process, and it works. Cost? Just time for a skilled individual and some basic consumables. Pretty economic from where I’m sitting.
That’s a lot of heavy work and skill. Bravo!
(I liked the little blob of rosin)
Nicely done gentlemen.