Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
F & S RADIATOR REPAIR
F & S RADIATOR REPAIR. Anthony A. "Mike" Fincel and Arnold B. Schmidt were both eastern Iowans serving in North Africa during WORLD WAR II when they found themselves "volunteered" by their commanding officer to repair a radiator. They were so successful that they were permanently assigned to the duty for the rest of the war as their unit moved from Africa into Italy.
Returning to Dubuque, Fincel and Schmidt decided to use their wartime experience to begin a business, F & S Radiator. In 1946-47 they purchased a building at the corner of Third and Iowa. Fincel eventually bought out his partner. Mike Fincel, the present owner, began working at the company part-time at the age of seven.
In 1963 the business moved to its current location on Jackson Street. Radiators were assembled by the company and shipped to as many as 350 customers throughout the Midwest. The development of fully assembled radiators, the death of Anthony Fincel, and the loss of industrial customers placed a heavy burden on the company. Mike Fincel had left the business to sell insurance, but returned to buy out his mother's share of the business by 1992.
In 2010 F & S Radiator fabricated from scratch aluminum radiators and industrial oil coolers for semi-trucks, custom built radiators for hot rods, and was involved in gas tank preservation with the use of liners.
The 1957 and 1959 Dubuque City Directory listed 281 Iowa.
The 1964 through 1989 Dubuque City Directory listed 850 Jackson for F & S Radiator Shop.
The 1993 Dubuque City Directory listed F & S Radiator at the same address.