This historic cooling design uses hundreds of thin brass or copper tubes with flared ends stacked together and soldered at the edges. Coolant flows through the narrow spaces between the tubes while air passes directly through the hollow centers. The resulting hexagonal pattern maximizes the cooling surface area but is highly labor-intensive to manufacture and difficult to repair when a leak develops.
We had to send the honeycomb radiator out to a specialist shop because soldering those core tubes takes a delicate touch.
Because of the complex soldering required, a pinhole leak in a honeycomb core often means replacing a large section of the matrix rather than a simple patch job.
Related terms
Radiator
A heat exchanger that cools engine coolant by passing it through a network of finned tubes exposed to airflow.
Coolant
A fluid circulated through the engine block and radiator to regulate operating temperature.
Engine bay
The engine bay is the structural compartment of a vehicle that houses the motor.