Aussie84

So guys, my stock radiator died today. ruptured during some spirited driving last night, without me knowing. went for a 5 minute drive to find steam and no coolant in it this morning.

So I'll be replacing it with a 3 row full aluminum one off ebay which will either be EPI branded or Worley - says specifically to be for L83 corvettes so it seems right enough to me. It's not the DirectFit labeled one, but it should still drop straight into the original brackets, right?

Now, I like to upgrade things when the factory ones die, I'm no purist. So I've been considering some more parts to go with the fresh rad. Key things on that list:

- lower temp thermostat (probably going 160, but would be happy with 180 too)
- new hoses, as mine are showing a little wear (just some future-proofing really)
- possibly going a new water pump too.

Anything I need to be mindful of when replacing the things on that list, or replacing a radiator in general? Also, some brand recommendations for cooling system parts would be great if you have 'em. Thanks!

david1988c4

here is a pretty good video for swapping out the rad i found helpful.


also sometimes you have to modify the bottom rubber brackets to make the rad fit snug and to get the housing back on.

84Z51J

the lower isolation mounts may need modding. Fortunately this will probably be as simple as cutting/scraping some of the rubber away so it will fit your new radiator. HOWEVER! The top of your new radiator, and your OEM A/C condenser may end up far enough off level that you'll need a new "creative" solution up top.


The Champion 2-row I went with sits a few inches lower than its predecessor. As there was no refrigerant left anyhow, my condenser is currently removed for that reason. If it gets hot enough I may end up fabbing something & hooking everything back up, but I've got bigger fish to fry for now project-wise.


Know that the thermostat temp only sets the minimum operating coolant temp--you almost certainly won't see any difference between 160 and 180, unless you ever encounter cold ambient temps that will allow the car to run as cool as 160. And you wouldn't want that anyway; open loop burns a lot more guzzoline!


New hoses are great cheap insurance, and no harm in swapping the pump while you've got the coolant drained, if there are many miles on it already & you have funds to spare. If you have a shop nearby that will do it, you can also get your OEM pump rebuilt, rather than relying upon the somewhat hit-or-miss nature of Chinese quality control. I believe there are mail-rebuilders out there too, but shipping from/to your area probably drives the cost up.


Make sure you pull the knock sensor on the passenger side, and the corresponding plug on the driver's to drain and flush the block completely. Old coolant & crud will collect and interfere with the KS, to the point that when I removed mine, nothing flowed out until I poked a screwdriver up through the sludge! Flushing the block & heater core with hose water, and filling with 50/50 distilled water/coolant mix will be more cheap insurance for your new parts

david1988c4

Looks like great advice, and in replacing my stat i noticed a bunch of crud. How would you flush the block out? Not sure where the drain plug for that is on the block. And would you remove the stat and flush the block out from there? Appreciate it bigtime.

Aussie84

you can drain the block by removing the knock sensor

ghoastrider1

[QUOTE=Aussie84;1592086679]So guys, my stock radiator died today. ruptured during some spirited driving last night, without me knowing. went for a 5 minute drive to find steam and no coolant in it this morning.

Same happened to me in the 86 last week. Coming home from work. Thank goodness I was only a few miles from the house. Now, since I have the radiator out, thinking about changing cams, heads, intake, runners and getting a high flow water pump. Already have the rest of the stuff. Ahh,a new thermos also. goodluck with your fix.

ex-x-fire

Make sure you check the old lower hose for the spring inside, transfer it to the new one.

Aussie84

Transfer the spring from the old bottom hose to the new bottom hose?

ex-x-fire

Yeah. Some lower hoses have a spring inside them to keep the hose from collapsing.

84Z51J

Yep, plug & or knock sensor(s) removed will drain the block completely. I know the one on my '84 has a splash shield attached to a couple of the oil pan studs--look for that and you'll find yours. I would remove both sides just to make sure all the crud comes out.

I actually got a brass adapter with one end being female garden hose, and the other end male the same thread as the sensor (1/4 NPT IIRC). Reverse-power flushed the crud out of the bottom of the block; did one side at a time. It exited the lower hose into a large drain pan & I flushed 'til the brown turned clear.

If you plan on using the heat, flush the heater core hoses now while you're at it, with the climate control in the "max hot" range.