Third radiator came in today. I was home briefly for lunch and it was on the front porch, checked it out it looked OK. Got back from work around 5 pm and went at it. Got it in and running, I think I have an air pocket in there so it's not over yet. But so far so good.
Take two: Cooling systems are my nemesis. Always a pain to bleed/burp out the air pockets. Always make a big mess, etc. BUT I may have it now. I'll let it cool down fully again and test it again in the morning, if things look good then the front end goes back on.