Radiator: Repair vs. Replace, Plastic vs. Metal

[erict@cta.com (Eric Thorstenson)]

Hi all. Was replacing the rad fan on my 5kS a few days ago, and
happened to notice that the rad was leaking. Seems to be at the
junction between the plastic end cap and the Al core. Went back
about a year in the archives, and found some discussion on the
topic, but didn't find any real consensus on the issue, so I
figured it might be worth revisiting...

Here's a list of the pros and cons I've come up with so far:

             Pro                  Con
----------------------------------------------------------
Repair       cheap                expensive (when it breaks unexpectedly)
                                  core deposits (unless cleaned)

Replace      longevity            $$$
             no deposits

Plastic      originality          somewhat fragile
             lightweight

Metal        higher thermal K     heavy
               (only if copper)
             more durable ??

Currently, I'm leaning toward replacement with an OEM unit.
Thoughts anyone?

Eric T.     '86 5kS
erict@ra.cta.com