Bonneville 1977 heatercore (copper?)

I am getting a CM Stacker for my new rig. I'd like to pop a '77 Bonneville core in there for my watercooling system, in the front of the case. I know I have to get one of these part no.:

Napa Auto Parts (Item#: BK 4603056) ($19.99)
Fedco 2-302 ($21.88 advance auto)
GDI 399078 ($17.99 autozone)

However, I'm gonna have to order this puppy since they don't have it in stock. I am concerned about the heatercore I'm going to get.. will it be made of copper, or brass ? or something pathetic like wood ?
If I stick to one of the above, am I garanteed copper ?

Will I be happy if I get brass instead of copper ? Can I still mod her ok for 1/2 tubbing and without too much trouble ? I don't have any tools so I'll have to get them from HD or Walmart.

In the event there would be an online store that ships to Canada that would have a core that is a safe bet according to your experience, please advise.

I'm hoping Weapon will come along, he seems to know his cores..
I hope I don't end up getting a retailer's pc heatercore from an expensive online store... but I might have too.

Thanks

from reading the mod the heatercores in the stickys seems to say u want the copper instead of the brass.Nice case where did u buy it from?

before placing the order make sure you tell them copper and make them write it down so when they get it in and you check , if its the wrong one make them re order it

I am getting the case soon... I don't have it yet. I think the Bonneville core will fit nicely.

Thanks guys... I'll try to get them to make sure its a copper.. if not, I'll return. No sure bets with item numbers huh ?

Performance wise there is very little differnce between copper and brass. The benifit to the manufacturer is that brass is cheaper to aquire as a raw matierial. But for the asthetic value copper wins the day, especially when you have buffed it up to a high shine!

the ones with copper tanks and sides are usually easier to mod but the ones that have brass sides and tanks still have copper cores (at least the ones I have gotten a hold of had copper cores).

it's kinda hard to verify that without ripping a section of the core out or some creative use of light and angles but a quick check of the cores I have laying around comes down to this:
2-302 - brass sides and tanks - copper core
2-302 - copper sides and tank - copper core
2-199 - copper sides and tanks - copper core
2-372 - brass sides and tanks - copper core
oddball caprice core I have - brass sides and tanks - copper core.


as far as the factory tubes go you try to find one that has the nice round tubes at the point where they meet the tanks on both sides. the oval ones are a pain to deal with.

fittings by brand name? hmmm...maybe but I havent had a chance to verify it -
GDI - can be either funky ovals or the nice round ones - the differences might be due to the buy out of fedco...
SPI (Spectra Premium Industries) - I haven't seen one with ovals yet.
Stant - I've only seen ones with round matching holes.

other weirdness - I saw a SPI version of a 2-199 the other day that came with a full coat of paint straight out of the box.

Thanks guys... I have yet to decide on whether or not to gamble on getting a core with round fittings. After reading your posts and weapon's guides again, you have convinced me that getting a brass core ain't so bad a thing..

While I was getting my car washed (premium perk at the deal I got my new car from) I found a heater core at a local Rad shop one block away. $30 Canadian, cash. Figuring that I got it that instant and no tax/shipping it's not bad.

When I got home later I did my usual messege board surfing of game forums, OC forums, etc...and guess what the first post I see is...

Anyways from what I found on the internet quickly, "brass" is any mixture from 85% copper to 98% copper and remainder zinc (i think) as well as a number of different metals depending on needs.

So if my thinking is right, it should be close to copper as even the other materials conduct heat too, just not as well as pure copper would.

Gonna see how it works when my parts arrive, worst case senario I lose 30 bucks, or just mod to have two rads.