Good link. Thanks

 

Psssst... Kalway.....

 

I did some more radiator research today. They are now making double pass radiators where the water flows across the rad. twice before going back to the engine. Is it a better system and how much more effective is the cooling effect it would have? Does anyone have any data to support using a double pass radiator?
Bernie

 

Not to recommend either aluminum or copper brass here..but this is interesting...

http://www.usradiator.com/default.htm

I agree with you...reasearch is important to get hard data before the investment as a radiator is an important component for C3's...

 

I went with DeWitt for 2 reasons:

1. Quality product in every way. I've got more things than that need to be done on my Vette than I'll ever get to already. I'm not going to spend extra time adapting a rad to fit when I know there is one that will just drop in.

2. Supporting vendor. This forum is one of the things that makes my Vette hobby so enjoyable. Seems rather hypocritical to shop for a product based on price only when you know a vendor is helping to support this forum.

 

Kid Vette There are many people on this forum that use Tom DeWitts products and then there are a few that would like to do things themselves. It is not just price but a preference. Gear Heads tend to look for a new or better mouse trap. If they can not find one they make there own. Sometimes they get the mouse and sometimes they get stuck in the trap but in the end they know more than they did when they started. And this information is passed to other Corvette owners which also helps not only the forum but also the Corvette Community at large.

And if you like to then please by all means do all of your shopping only with forum sponsors.

 

Supporting vendors like Tom do help the forum members with their products and expertise, but they are supporting vendors so that they also have an extra opportunity to sell their product. You shouldn't criticize anyone for wanting to experiment to come up with ways to do it cheaper, better or both; and thanks to members on this forum we have many ways to upgrade and make our cars better that vendors still don't offer. Besides, for some of us the fun is doing the research and doing as much as we can by ourselves. We don't just drive them and spend money on them we know them intimately; inside and out -. For some of us, it is the only way we can afford this hobby. I never criticize anyone for hiring mechanics or spending extra to make sure that the end result isn't a surprise. What we do with our cars also teaches our vendors what does and doesn't work and what we want. They then build a product that will work on our cars and the way we drive. There are many radiators of excellent quality that fit our cars and are made in America; and I will buy one of them as soon as I have satisfied myself which one gives me the most value for my money.
Bernie

 

Still beating around the bush. What's the thickness of the 77 - 82 radiators? Is it 2"? 2 1/4"? 2 1/2" if the thickness at the very top, where the upper brackets hold, is more than 2" it is not a direct fit for those that originally came with a 3 row c/b radiator.

 

I'm looking forward to one particular road test pending on an aluminum radiator which will test A/C operation in extreme temp conditions in a C3...I presently run C/B in both vettes..one with A/C,another without...my sole interest now is "performance data"....information hard to find...and particular hard data at 65-70 mph....
Some of us drive our vettes in harsh climates...so we must be particular about decisions on cooling systems...so this is not a rant on this guy versus this guy's radiator...it is simply.."show me the data".....or we will get it ourselves..

Finally...This is due to a total absence of standardized testing conditions (unlike the pump and fan industries). It is up to the consumers to insist on product descriptions based on real data from actual testing.

Rich

 

10 x 100 second runs at autocross isn't enough data for you rich? 200 degrees is all it got up to and it only had about a 5 minute break in between runs. When I get my A/C hooked up again, I'll make a drive out to Tucson and let you know how it does then.

 

I raced my 78 smallblock (stock HD C/B) there at Qualcomm from 1979-1986.Back then,our events were higher speed than allowed today...I never had a cooling issue (10 events/yr including those thru the summer)...and it ran around 190 F...in fact,I can't remember any other C3 having issues either that I raced with..

Yes,I'd be interested in your data...take notes..it will be of interest..

 

Just curious..what core thickness was your stock C/B radiator ? My 78 is 2 5/8".....and what core thickness is your new alum rad ?

Thanks,
Rich

 

Did I miss something? Surely someone has this radiator to tell the thickness

 

 

Since you chose to copy my statement. This line covers what you added.
Gear Heads tend to look for a new or better mouse trap. If they can not find one they make there own.

Which means if a Vender has something new or better they will go with it unless they feel that they can make something else work as good or better themselves.

It all depends on a persons perception.

But if you want to Boil some water lol.

 

My new northern Aluminum radiator is 2 1/4" thick. It would probably fit perfectly fine in yours. You MIGHT have to put a different cushion around the inside of your upper brackets. We just used some radiator hose and put that inside of em. Semi-bubba, but it's perfectly fine.

On re-coring. I looked in to that. It costs like $400 to have a copper/brass radiator recored. Definitely not worth it, in my opinion.

By the way rich, your '78 is also a 4 speed and mostly stock. My '81 is an auto and has slightly higher compression than stock and a bit hotter of a cam. 10 degrees difference I think the transmission alone generally adds about 20 degrees, usually.

 

Re-coring the 78 C/B for me is out of the question...I have pretty much narrowed my list down on C/B vs Alum rads...Just waiting for data on one of the alum rads and talking with a company on a new design C/B....may even visit their plant...
Funny...I remember the old days when money was tight in the 60's, we would pull our leaking C/B's and get them repaired in Tijuana....$5 bucks repaired,rodded out & painted...

 

Sounds like the typical thing you'd get done in TJ

My thoughts on radiators are that a c/b one should, in theory, last longer than an aluminum one IF it's maintained properly. Copper is a MUCH better heat transferring material and corroded copper is still A LOT better at transferring heat than corroded aluminum. One thing I've noticed lately, though, I think my mechanic hooked up my auxillary fan to always run now. I noticed that I could hear it winding down when I turn the car off. Fine with me, a little extra air sucking isn't a problem.

I'd probably recommend you get the same radiator I got rich. $308 for a lighter and superior designed radiator made in the USA, instead of a $200 some odd radiator of an old design made in China.

 

I know where you are going with this...you are trying to find fault with our product and that's why I've been egnoring your posts. You already bought another radiator, now you want to justify it by pointing out something wrong with ours. You (and a few others) are jumping into each radiator thread and stiring the pot just for fun. Thanks

Since we keep having these debates lately, I thought a C3 feature sheet might help some people. I spent about three hours the other night taking photos, creating a pdf file, and setting it up on our website for download. Did anyone see this or care?

Anyway, I have nothing to hide, yes, there were two models for 77-88. These were the standard three 3 row (2" mount) and heavy duty four row (2 5/8" mount). The "D" dimension or header on our radiator is 3" and that will not work with the smaller brackets. Anyone with a three row wanting to upgrade to an aluminum radiator, mine or any other ones, will have to buy another set of brackets or modify the old ones.

The factory rubber cushions are about 3/8" thick, so you have another 3/4" under the metal brackets. A lot of guys tell me they just wrapped the top of the radiator with some 1/8 neoprene and deleted the cushions. The larger stock brackets work fine that way.

I try to make a radiator a Direct Fit, if and when it is possible but when someone wants a bigger radiator but tells me I can't make it any bigger when doing so, that's makes it really hard. It's the ten pounds in a five pound bag story. For the record, and I looked this up, we have sold over 250 of this model alone since we introduced the line in 2004. Not one person, (zero) has ever called to tell me they didn't fit. I guess they just assumed that since they ordered a bigger radiator that it was ok to send them one. All two row aluminum radiators, using 1" tubes are 2.25" thick.

So, that's it for me. I used to enjoy checking in the forum and trying to help people out with cooling issues but not any more. You guys can have it all to yourself.

 

I thought the brackets were the same and the cutout on the rubber isolator was different.