dgeist wrote:
Mark, what's the difference in time to add the brass fittings vs. leaving it with the default plastic (and do you have parts extras)? I know I'm next on the list and figure I should tell you if I want the brass
Also, is there any concern over galvanic corrosion between the brass and aluminum? I suppose as long as there's no electrolyte between the threads, its okay...
Dan
kapalczynski wrote:
I don't believe corrosion to be an issue as the Antifreeze is formulated to have brass in the system seeing as it was already used in the previous thermostat housing in the thermostat and the factory temp sensor that screws into the housing is brass as well.
That being said, I cannot guarantee the brass is the same formulation and cannot guarantee no corrosion. It's your call if you want the plastic or the brass. I will tell you however the fittings are sealed/installed with JB Weld which is fairly inert to most chemicals and I highly doubt we will see any corrosion other than the traditional slight greening of the brass due to exposure of oxygen.
As far as lead time...I have 2 more sets of brass machined already so there won't be a difference for you. If everyone goes brass the lead time may compound a bit down the line though so others may get longer lead times.
In addition to that...the brass is fairly simple to machine and a pleasure to work with compared to aluminum. It chips and doesn't string while machining. It shouldn't hold things up much.
Sorry, I don't think I got back to you on a price. Prices/options are still current on page 1 of the thread, but Brass fittings are available for $12 each or $24 for both to replace the plastic ports if yours are damaged or if you simply want to upgrade to brass for longevity. As far as I can tell your plastic fittings are fine, but I haven't pressure tested the unit yet to see if they are leaking around the fittings. Some of the older units leak around the plastic fittings where they appear to be glued in or held in with some sort of adhesive. The leaking ones are easy to get out, the newer units are harder to get out w/o breaking them. I have never broken the large plastic port removing, it is a pretty durable piece. The elbow I have seen broken off 2x on cores and have broken one myself removing it to upgrade to brass.
At the moment I have enough parts for brass for you. If you want to keep plastic, but want them resealed i have extra plastic elbow spares in case yours breaks coming out, but they are used - removed from other cores. It's all entirely up to you.
For an update on your unit, I just finished cutting both gaskets and cut and ground the studs to length. All I have left is removing/sealing/replacing the studs, removing/cleaning threads/sealing the ports (brass or plastic your option). At this point I just need to know what ports you want and I can finish your unit in a few hours and then pressure test it. I'll shoot you a PM with this info as well in case you aren't on the forum today.