I've read through many, many threads here in the CF as well as elsewhere about C3 radiators. From the dirt cheap eBay stuff to the dual spal Dewitts setup. As with most, budget is tight and a few hundred $ saved here goes elsewhere (such as a new storage compartment).

Here's my current setup:


I'm switching my 350 manual tran aluminum rad for the larger one that has the trans cooler built in. I've puts ads here and elsewhere looking for a decent used 350 automatic rad support and shroud. I've searched quite a few Craigslist cities looking for the same. But so far nothing, and spending about $500 for both new support and shroud pushes me further from my budget than I want.

So I finally feel comfortable with spending the $ on a Dewitts setup and a new support, but I'm looking to save on the shroud setup. My thinking was is it possible to re-use my original shroud with the new alum rad and support?

The SB supports for the manual vs automatic look very similar with how they connect the top of the shroud. That's why I came up with this idea. This way I get the new rad and support and save money by reusing my shroud. If later I want to move to the correct shroud or electric setup I could quite easily.

My motor is the 350ci/270hp and I'm not looking to upgrade that anytime soon. Heck I haven't even driven the car once since I've owned it last August because it was not drive worthy yet.

Does anyone know if this setup would work?

 

The in-tank cooler you mention is for the automatic transmission. You do not it on a 4 speed car.

Clean up your stock aluminum radiator and keep it. No support mount or fan shroud problems. No harm to the budget.

 

EM, but I do have an automatic. It was originally a 4speed but the PO changed it to a TH400 3speed from what I can tell. It was a bank repo so no prior history is known.

The alum rad I have has a leak near the inlet. Can it be fixed for not a ton of money, maybe. But it has other problems and I think it's past its prime. I'm looking to get rid of the haphazardly attached trans cooler the PO put on that you can see in the pic above.

Here is my old one for reference:

 

I came across another thread hello-from-the-proud-new-owner-of-a-68-a.html that shows a '68 automatic with exactly the setup I'm talking about, a 26" or 27" wide radiator with top brackets using a metal shroud.

The major vette suppliers all show the support changed from 69-72 so not sure if this configuration would work in my 71 with a 69-72 support and my stock manual shroud.



Did all of the 68s with automatics come with this shroud configuration?

 

You can use that shroud with the DeWitts Direct-fit made for automatics, but you will have to drill a 3'8 hole in the bottom right to allow the upper trans fluid cooling line to pass through(bottom connection is not covered by the shroud)

Someone converted my 68 from stick to auto at some point in its life also, and the original Harrison rad was too rotten to fix, so after running a copper rad that barely did the job with a 327, I went with the DeWitts when I installed the 383

 

Awesome intel.

Hmmm, not sure if I want to drill through my shroud. I may just have to cut back on other fixes and spend the money on a proper shroud or go electric.

Could I just buy a decent radiator that replaces my manual rad and keep my external trans cooler and reuse my rad support and shroud, sure, but I'm trying to look forward to the future of any changes that may require the bigger radiator. Maybe one day a bigger engine (383). I do want to go back to a manual trans which would not require the trans cooler, but I don't know when I'll have the $ for the Kiesler RS400 I want, so it may be years of keeping the TH400 I do have.

Ugh, I hate indecesion

 

Now that I've had some time to think about it, I'm confused as to why I'd have to cut into my existing shroud. If you look at the very first picture at the top of this thread, you can see my existing trans lines are outside of the 18" radiator shroud right now. With the newer 26" alum, the right side of the radiator where they connect to would be even further away from the shroud. So I'm not 100% clear on how the holes could be obstructed by the shroud.

I asked garage-ghost from his thread where I first saw this combination if he could get me some pictures of his connections: hello-from-the-proud-new-owner-of-a-68-a-3.html

 

It's an affliction we all have at one time or another

If you go with the Direct-Fit, you don't need a different support, and the cooling capacity will be there in case you want to go with the 383(speaking from experience here), As for running just the trans cooler, if it worked fine before it should be alright (that's how my 68 was set up when I got it), but I'm not going to make that call there are two sides to that, one side says it's alright, the other side says run through the rad first. Good thing I ran through the rad first, then a cooler, because when I bought my 200R4 the vendor would not warranty the transmission otherwise, something to think about if you decide to go this route

 

If you go with a rad brand other than DeWitts(Northern, Griffin), it may put the connections right where you want them without drilling into the shroud, but you may to fab your own mounting brackets

Took a closer look at the rad set-up on the link, he has the rad with the expansion tank and cap on the rad itself-not the separate tank on the inner fender like we have. A pic from that side should tell where his trans lines are connected

 

They did post some pics in that thread that show there is clearance for the lines (from what I can see). I would assume that the Dewitts would measure about the same width, so anywhere the line connections are I would think would still be easily accessible.



Interesting about the warranty on your new trans. I'd be bummed if I did all this work and then years later find out I still have to mount a seperate one in front. What would I do if I later added A/C (Vintage Air), have 3 stacks of radiators?!

But I don't ever foresee where if I did take out my TH400 I'd go with another automatic, I'd change over to a manual 5 speed and not have this problem to begin with.

Can these built-in rad trans cooler lines be later used for A/C?

There is something else I can throw into this mix, this oddity I found from Griffin (6-563AF-BAX):


It's the original manual rad size and should slip into my existing setup and it has the trans cooler built-in. Not sure how well everything would cool with it being the same size as my existing radiator but now adding the trans cooler line as well. I can find one of these cheap for about $300 and be done with it.

[edit]
The only unknown with this one is there now really might be an issue with the lines fitting around the shroud. I couldn't get any true dimensions of this bad boy online.
[/edit]

Me

 

A bit confused, the Dewitts Direct-Fit 26" wide aluminum won't fit into those pegs holes, I thought it used only the brackets that are available on the other support?

I have no idea of exactly what worked or not on this car and I've *never* driven it other than starting it up. It was a bank repo so I really don't have a history of it other than there was a lot of bad work done on it. Don't really feel like calling the PO who had the car taken away and asking, if you know what I mean.

 

Might be a good idea to take some measurements of the support, measure the opening and the distance between the peg holes and call DeWitts Monday. I'm curious to know why a direct-fit won't fit, unless the wrong support has been installed at some point, and was made to fit

Did some checking, here is the replacement rad for the car in the pic from the link

http://www.dewitts.com/pages/product...asp?ProdID=342

 

I believe there are 3 versions of the support for 71:

#1 a SB with no A/C and manual trans that had the only aluminum rad 18"
#2 a SB with A/C and/or automatic trans had a copper/brass rad 26-1/2"
#3 a BB with copper/brass 27-1/2"

I have option #1 and the supports on the bottom are different I believe between #1 and #2. It's not that the Dewitts wouldn't fit, it's that the support brackets to hold up the radiators are different.

 

That would explain it.....

 

So I finally made up my mind and decided to switch to the SB 350 auto/AC 26" radiator support and a Dewitts radiator.

I ordered the support from Crane Corvette Supply in San Diego. It's American Made, so I was expecting it to be flawless. It's made by Coffman Corvette in Mansfield Ohio as you can see here:


However, as I was going to put my rubber bumpers in, I noticed that one of the holes for the rubber nub to go through to hold it in place was not drilled out:




Sure it's not a big deal to just drill the hole myself, but when I paid close to $300 total I was expecting a bit more precision. It's not like I bought it from Radiators-R-Us, it's from Coffman Corvette. If they don't know how to manufacture it right, then I don't know what to think.

Maybe this was a one-off error, or it happens all the time. I emailed them as soon as I got it but have not heard a peep back from them at least acknowledging the error.

Was I expecting too much? Is there not supposed to be a hole there?

Onwards and upwards...

PS - the radiator looks beautiful. I had Dewitts put in the temp sensor hole in case I ever decide to go electric.

 

I don't know how I missed this thread, so the point is moot now, but, IIRC, DeWitts does make the wider rad. that will fit in the post holes of the original aluminum one. By cutting out the sheet metal plate to the right side of the rad. as needed, you keep the original support, and the metal shroud bolts back in as stock. Did you talk to Tom directly when shopping around?