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Can anyone shed some light on questions regarding BB radiators? I have a (what was described to me) 67 BB radiator.It has the filler neck on the pass side positioned straight up.Is this the same as a 68 BB?
I also have the oportunity to buy a (advertised) 68 BB radiator with no filler neck,using,I resume, an expansion tank. no numbers are available.According to my NCRS book,68 BB radiators all did not use an expansion tank,but 69's did. Anyone want to jump in? thanks
The '69s used a variety of radiators which were also used through '72 but not shared with '68. The early C3s suffered from potential overheating issues due to the new nose shape and more severely slanted radiator mount. I'm thinking the '69 design using the expansion tank was a response to this problem. Whether a '69-'72 radiator will fit in a '68, I believe, would depend on the mounting frame.
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
2019 C3 of Year Winner (performance mods)
2016 C3 of Year Finalist
Yes the 67 will work I have the Dewitts 67 BB ( and that is how they ar sold. You can’t use a 69 or later in a 68, it’s too wide and won’t fit between the frame rails) which is also for the 68 small block 327 automatics (but they both need the BB radiator support if you were doing a conversion) Are you looking for a functional radiator or the NCRS version. I have the filler neck and just run the overflow hose to the overflow spout on the expansion tank
I don’t know what that list is from but it doesn’t apply to what’s available now
Last edited by Rescue Rogers; Jul 16, 2020 at 03:26 PM.
1968 BB radiators were the same as 67. They have the filler neck on the tank and the sharp 90 degree inlet/outlets. DeWitts offers an exact reproduction if you are trying to keep it stock
or you can go with the aluminum "Direct Fit" product
The radiator I have is the same as the one shown by Tom Dewitt,which is correct for my car. The one in question was offered to me as a BB68 radiator for a "cant pass this up" price. So it obiously isnt for a 68.Thanks all for responding.
The 68 only core support (radiator support) was a carried over design from the 63-67 Corvettes. That was a big mistake. 63-67 Corvettes had a huge grille in front and so they cooled okay.
The C-3's actually get their cooling air from two large holes under their chin.The headlights block the air coming in and so does a front license plate if you have one.
69 Up Corvettes have a much larger open area in their redesigned radiator support and so can have larger radiators. Lou.
The 68 only core support (radiator support) was a carried over design from the 63-67 Corvettes. That was a big mistake. 63-67 Corvettes had a huge grille in front and so they cooled okay.
The C-3's actually get their cooling air from two large holes under their chin.The headlights block the air coming in and so does a front license plate if you have one.
69 Up Corvettes have a much larger open area in their redesigned radiator support and so can have larger radiators. Lou.
Yes and no. The radiator was a carry-over, the support was not. The 68 support is unique to 68 only. 69-72 supports require major modifications to get them into 68 but it is possible.
Tom, what I meant is that the one year 68 radiator support is basically the same exact design as the 63-67 supports. The major difference is the outer shape to the two side panels due to the different inner fender shapes.
I worked in maintenance at MTD, Modern Tool and Die in Cleveland (Parma) Ohio. We made all of the 1960-1982 Corvette radiator supports. A few supports were hanging on the wall in the spot welding department and I could
see the difference in the supports. I started working there in 1974 and we never made any 68 radiator supports for GM while I worked there for 34 years. One sad day I found out that GM ordered all old obsolete dies that we had
were to be destroyed. The newer 69-up radiator support dies were sold. Corvette Central now makes reproduction 68 radiator supports. Lou.
Radiator question
