OK, the end of this saga is here, for the most part.
Got my radiator back from the shop. It looks great. For all you SS guys in the local area, this guy does fantastic work, doesn't charge for testing to see what is wrong and doesn't gouge you for his time either (Woodstock Radiator and Repair, Woodstock CT). Although 82 years old, he hoisted my radiator with little to no effort, so he is still going strong.
Repair included full brass and cooper 4 core, re-solder of all connection bungs, rehabbed the tanks and installed a new radiator cap neck.
Got it home and installed, hooked up and filled. No leaks, runs, drips or errors.
Ran her for about an hour, heat on full blast. Waiting for her to cool down so I can check the coolant level and for any leaks.
As for the aluminum one, I am going to have the stripped oil coolant line bung repaired with a helicoil and that one should be ready to go. I will repair because I Just hate to chuck $300 out in the trash.
That's it for now, thank for the help and suggestions.