1966 BB radiator
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Intermediate
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 35
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From: Grayslake IL.
1966 BB radiator
The weather man said sunny no rain!!
Well that means a great opportunity to drive the corvette to work on Saturday. So, it pours on the way home. It’s like a rain forest in my convert. When I get home, it’s nice out no rain. I clean the car and pull it in the garage. As I start to put the car cover on I hear a hissing under the hood, open it up and there it is, a steady stream of coolant spraying out my left side tank. Now to the point, it’s the original radiator with an extra core added a few years ago. Do I fix it, or replace it? If I replace it, what should I buy?
Thanks
Mike
Well that means a great opportunity to drive the corvette to work on Saturday. So, it pours on the way home. It’s like a rain forest in my convert. When I get home, it’s nice out no rain. I clean the car and pull it in the garage. As I start to put the car cover on I hear a hissing under the hood, open it up and there it is, a steady stream of coolant spraying out my left side tank. Now to the point, it’s the original radiator with an extra core added a few years ago. Do I fix it, or replace it? If I replace it, what should I buy?
Thanks
Mike
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 12,678
Likes: 3,129
From: Shamong, NJ
If you need a new radiator, DeWitts is the way to go.
DeWitts makes a very nice aluminum replacement 66 big block radiator. It's not an identical show car radiator, but unless your going NCRS, it's an excellent radiator and most people won't know the difference.
If you want to stay 100 point correct, DeWitts now makes a repro 66 copper radiator, with correct tanks, inlet, outlet, Harrison markings, and tag.
The aluminum one sells for about $500, and the copper one's $200 more.
DeWitts makes a very nice aluminum replacement 66 big block radiator. It's not an identical show car radiator, but unless your going NCRS, it's an excellent radiator and most people won't know the difference.
If you want to stay 100 point correct, DeWitts now makes a repro 66 copper radiator, with correct tanks, inlet, outlet, Harrison markings, and tag.
The aluminum one sells for about $500, and the copper one's $200 more.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 35
Likes: 0
From: Grayslake IL.
Thanks guys! After I remove it I will determine what to do. There's a good shop buy me and I may have it repaired. Wouldn't be nice if someone made an aluminium radiator that was an exact reproduction? If there was one of those I would buy it. Paint it black and you're done!!!
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 12,678
Likes: 3,129
From: Shamong, NJ
Thanks guys! After I remove it I will determine what to do. There's a good shop buy me and I may have it repaired. Wouldn't be nice if someone made an aluminium radiator that was an exact reproduction? If there was one of those I would buy it. Paint it black and you're done!!!
Race Director
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 15,453
Likes: 8,910
From: northern california
C2 of Year Finalist (track prepared) 2019
Taking absolutely nothing away from DeWitt radiators (I have two of them; they work perfectly), Griffin makes (or made at one time) an aluminum drop in replacement for the original 427 radiator. I swear the thing could make ice cubes.
I ran this radiator in my Grand Sport track car. In 108F weather and at full racing speeds, the temperature gauge never went above my thermostat temperature of 160F. I was then and remain to this day impressed by that.
It looked like this:
I ran this radiator in my Grand Sport track car. In 108F weather and at full racing speeds, the temperature gauge never went above my thermostat temperature of 160F. I was then and remain to this day impressed by that.
It looked like this:
