Question for you all,

 

My 1984 ke70 is overheating, changed the thermostat... flushed the rad.. did all the common things you would think of but my gut is telling me I need to either replace or recore the rad.

 

Ive been getting quotes an hunting around for a replacement but they are insanely expensive...

 

so heres my question, will like an SR or CA or similar rad bolt on easily?

whats my best option here?

Determine what the problem actually is, otherwise you'll replace things and be none the wiser. It could even be a problem with the head or head gasket. I'd take it somewhere, get a pressure test etc.

Yes exactly. You need to check for bubbles in the coolant. Has it had proper antifreeze and demin water or has it just had crusty old tap water in it?

The ke70 radiators are expensive cause they a fully metal and I think twin row. They arereally quite excellent at cooling.

But the full metal ones I think are way better than the newer plastic/aluminium radiators as they can fail at the rubber seals.

 

So if you do determine that your radiator is cactus id spend the money on a replacement, well worth it if you intend to keep the car reliable.

Cheap 'upgrade' is a Hyundai excel rad. Plenty of write ups and they're a dime a dozen.

 

But determining what the cause is definitely should be first on the list. May just need a good reverse flush.