Which Radiator
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 751
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From: Lufkin Texas
Which Radiator
The 79 is getting refurbished so I thought I would put a new radiator in it since it needs one. The local rad shop said do not go with an aluminum one they wont hold up like the old brass ones, is he for real he is a old guy that I thought should know any suggestions?
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 4,071
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From: San Diego CA
Heh well good luck finding any copper/brass radiators that will fit your '79 that are made in the USA. 
How much are you looking to spend? If you want the highest quality with a vendor that stands behind their product, www.dewitts.com . Give em a call and he'll tell you why aluminum is better than copper, now.
If you're looking for a radiator that will do the job well and is of good quality, but on a budget I'd say get the same radiator I got. That's a Northern Factory #5066. They're a bit less expensive than dewitts, made in the USA (just like Dewitts), but not quite as snazzy. You can get em at hotrodsusa.com under the Cools-USA name, but it'll be shipped to you in a Northern Factory box and will say Northern Factory on it. I replaced my original C/B 3 row with one and it has worked great for me.
Most others on this forum have used Dewitts to great success, also. So it really boils down to what your budget is. Mine was low so I went with the Northern. If I'd had more money I probably woulda went with Dewitts, but we aren't always blessed with having funds available to us like that. The difference in price is ~$200, but may be less now. I haven't looked.
But yeah, the BS on aluminums not holding up as well as copper is just that BS. The C4 uses an aluminum radiator and how often do you hear of cooling issues with them? Not very often. All of the newer vettes use aluminum. It's not because of the materials used, either. It's the design that makes aluminum radiators better.
Hope that helps.
How much are you looking to spend? If you want the highest quality with a vendor that stands behind their product, www.dewitts.com . Give em a call and he'll tell you why aluminum is better than copper, now.
If you're looking for a radiator that will do the job well and is of good quality, but on a budget I'd say get the same radiator I got. That's a Northern Factory #5066. They're a bit less expensive than dewitts, made in the USA (just like Dewitts), but not quite as snazzy. You can get em at hotrodsusa.com under the Cools-USA name, but it'll be shipped to you in a Northern Factory box and will say Northern Factory on it. I replaced my original C/B 3 row with one and it has worked great for me.
Most others on this forum have used Dewitts to great success, also. So it really boils down to what your budget is. Mine was low so I went with the Northern. If I'd had more money I probably woulda went with Dewitts, but we aren't always blessed with having funds available to us like that. The difference in price is ~$200, but may be less now. I haven't looked.
But yeah, the BS on aluminums not holding up as well as copper is just that BS. The C4 uses an aluminum radiator and how often do you hear of cooling issues with them? Not very often. All of the newer vettes use aluminum. It's not because of the materials used, either. It's the design that makes aluminum radiators better.
Hope that helps.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 751
Likes: 0
From: Lufkin Texas
Thanks for the input.
Originally Posted by Kalway
Heh well good luck finding any copper/brass radiators that will fit your '79 that are made in the USA.
How much are you looking to spend? If you want the highest quality with a vendor that stands behind their product, www.dewitts.com . Give em a call and he'll tell you why aluminum is better than copper, now.
If you're looking for a radiator that will do the job well and is of good quality, but on a budget I'd say get the same radiator I got. That's a Northern Factory #5066. They're a bit less expensive than dewitts, made in the USA (just like Dewitts), but not quite as snazzy. You can get em at hotrodsusa.com under the Cools-USA name, but it'll be shipped to you in a Northern Factory box and will say Northern Factory on it. I replaced my original C/B 3 row with one and it has worked great for me.
Most others on this forum have used Dewitts to great success, also. So it really boils down to what your budget is. Mine was low so I went with the Northern. If I'd had more money I probably woulda went with Dewitts, but we aren't always blessed with having funds available to us like that. The difference in price is ~$200, but may be less now. I haven't looked.
But yeah, the BS on aluminums not holding up as well as copper is just that BS. The C4 uses an aluminum radiator and how often do you hear of cooling issues with them? Not very often. All of the newer vettes use aluminum. It's not because of the materials used, either. It's the design that makes aluminum radiators better.
Hope that helps.
How much are you looking to spend? If you want the highest quality with a vendor that stands behind their product, www.dewitts.com . Give em a call and he'll tell you why aluminum is better than copper, now.
If you're looking for a radiator that will do the job well and is of good quality, but on a budget I'd say get the same radiator I got. That's a Northern Factory #5066. They're a bit less expensive than dewitts, made in the USA (just like Dewitts), but not quite as snazzy. You can get em at hotrodsusa.com under the Cools-USA name, but it'll be shipped to you in a Northern Factory box and will say Northern Factory on it. I replaced my original C/B 3 row with one and it has worked great for me.
Most others on this forum have used Dewitts to great success, also. So it really boils down to what your budget is. Mine was low so I went with the Northern. If I'd had more money I probably woulda went with Dewitts, but we aren't always blessed with having funds available to us like that. The difference in price is ~$200, but may be less now. I haven't looked.
But yeah, the BS on aluminums not holding up as well as copper is just that BS. The C4 uses an aluminum radiator and how often do you hear of cooling issues with them? Not very often. All of the newer vettes use aluminum. It's not because of the materials used, either. It's the design that makes aluminum radiators better.
Hope that helps.
