2-302 may not be copper?

[BGP Spook]

(Scared watercooling noob = me!)
I have my 2-302 heatercore on hand and it does not look much like copper. It is yellowish over most on its sides. Although, it may be some sort of spray on protective coating. Near the tubing the yellow kind of "fades" slightly to bare copper with the tubing obviously being copper.

I want to be sure of myself before I start chopping on it. As it is now I can still return it and get a full refund. (My family does almost all of our own car maintenance so we are frequent customers at a local auto parts store and they really like us. :D )

The only metal in the loop that I had planed for is copper.

So:
1. Is it brass or copper (or something else)?
2. If it isn't copper should I return it and try another store?

If needed I can try to supply some pictures. But it would be a hassle and take a while.

[n00b 0f l337]

It may be brass, if so try and get a copper one.

[Bloody_Sorcerer]

If it is brass (which it sounds like it is) only the outside is brass; the guts (fins and flowtubes) are still copper. The only problem with the brass-bodied ones is that they're harder to swap fittings on.

[cartmanea]

If you are planning on just cutting the tubes shorter and brazing adapters on or using JB Weld then the brass ones are fine. If you will be desoldering the tubes and putting fittings directly on the tank then the copper ones are the way to go. The tubes just come out a lot easier in the copper version.

[BGP Spook]

Are there any flow/restriction advantages to sweating the tubes out and welding replacements?

[cartmanea]

Only so the barbs don't stick out so far. Personally I would just cut them off and JB Weld some barbs in, otherwise you could get it too hot and create leaks elsewhere.

[MaxxxRacer]

sounds like brass.. there really arnt any problems with it.. I dont remeber which parts of it are brass, but it should perform similarly to the copper versions.

weapon might pop up and tell us what exactly is brass and copper in the rad.

[JasonDTM]

Weapon has a thread at OCF that shows the brass vs all copper, said the Brass was marginally harder to work with and whatnot.

[saratoga]

I think most heatercores have at least some brass in them. Its stronger then copper, so it makes sense to use it. That way you can build a lighter, less restrictive core while still getting the same structural strength.

[Bloody_Sorcerer]

sounds like brass.. there really arnt any problems with it.. I dont remeber which parts of it are brass, but it should perform similarly to the copper versions.

weapon might pop up and tell us what exactly is brass and copper in the rad.
i'm 99% certain (i just KNOW i read this in a post by weapon) that the only brass parts are the tanks, fittings, and outside... side thingy. The insides (fins and flow tubes) are copper on all of them.