In the process of going through my newly aquired Viper before putting it to bed for the summer, I was surprised to find a few rows of stud gouges in my front heat exchanger. I didn't measure how deep the grooves are, but I would guess that they are about 1/16 to 3/32 deep into body of the exchanger (that is they have gone completely through the fins and into the solid part). I am surprised that it is still holding coolant! I have a TIG welder and am pretty good at welding aluminum, but I am curious if anyone know how thick the base metal is? If the exchanger is made out of 1/4" or 3/8" stock, I may not repair it, but if it is only 1/8" stock I think I had better fix it.
Anyone have firsthand experience repairing these things? Tips???
Anyone have firsthand experience repairing these things? Tips???