i was making a joke not a political comment. my point was that it is
a big continent & while i live in a Volvo ghetto much of North America
has never seen one (hyperbole again). sometimes the most technically
elegant solution is not the right one. there are other factors to
consider, the nature & consquences of failure & the possibility of
repair.
your new radiator may very well have been put together w/ "HEAVY
SOLDER". i wouldn't & didn't buy such a part. it screams of small
shop fabrication. the difference between soldering & brazing is
temperature. brazing raises the joint temperature high enough to form
a "chemical" (a wood term & not really correct) bond. this is much
stronger. an industrial concern has the resources (mainly an inert gas
kiln) to do this w/ fewer & lower-skill manhours.
i could actually repair an oem radiator (well not every time) but i
wouldn't. the possibility of another failure (thermal cycling) & the
time required aren't worth it. it might have made sense when i was 16
but i didn't know enough back then. go figure!
