Help Identify This Radiator ...
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 103
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From: Alpharetta GA
Help Identify This Radiator ...
This is on my 71' L48. The inlet and outlet are different than in my AIM. Also the bottom posts are off about 1/4" from the rad suppoort scockets
looking up
looking up
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
That radiator could be out of anything...and it may not even be a GM radiator. Unless you can get some kind of a part number off of it...I doubt anyone will have a specific answer. I could be wrong though.
Either way...ditch it, and buy a Dewitts.
Either way...ditch it, and buy a Dewitts.
Former Vendor
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 5,593
Likes: 631
From: Brighton
It's not an original Corvette radiator, but rather a copper replacement for the (GM3155316) aluminum unit. I'm not familar with an L48, did you mean L46 (350/350)? The pin mounted aluminum radiator was used on base models only, meaning no AC, no Auto, and no RPO engine. So if you think that is the original core support your car might have been a base car with no options. The pins are sapposed to be exactly 11" apart so it might be the aftermarket radiator that doesn't fit or it could be the core support is slightly bent. We have several options as far as a new radiator depending on if you want to keep the existing core support or convert it to something else. This is what the oe unit looks like
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
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From: Columbia Missouri
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 103
Likes: 0
From: Alpharetta GA
Yep, I have a DeWitts in my C5 and use waterless coolent, Love it. I'm not sure how I'm going on the C3 lots of things to fix at this point in time and I'm just not ready to do the radiator yet.
Thanks
Thanks
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2001
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From: North Easton Mass
Rick B.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
That alone will improve cooling.
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Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 103
Likes: 0
From: Alpharetta GA
BTW yes it is an L46 base
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
Former Vendor
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 5,593
Likes: 631
From: Brighton
We are the only company that publishes heat rejection rates on each radiator and we do this because A: we know what they are B: so customers can make an educated decision. So lets look at the two above radiators. The original (Restoration type) is rated at 4600btu/min and the replacement (Direct Fit ) is 4100btu/min or about 10% less. The copper unit you currently have is rated at about 3300btu/min, assumning it is a 4row.
Now, will the 4100btu cool your car? Maybe but it is a downgrade. I have many people using the A63 with AC and working fine. Cooling is also very dependant on the local ambient air and I usually use three items to help make the decision on the downgrade. The three items are 1. HP 2. AC 3. Climate So if someone has a high HP engine, with AC, and lives in Arizona I wouldn't go with the Direct Fit. Another helpful feedback item would be what kind of temps you are hitting with the copper unit now. If the copper unit at 3300 is doing pretty good, that would mean you have a low heat generating engine and adding the AC won't hurt to bad. I hope that all makes since
Former Vendor
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 5,593
Likes: 631
From: Brighton
The application above is a little unique because the original radiator was already aluminum. A very good aluminum plate design and no matter what I do, I couldn't make a better one. In this case, the Direct Fit aluminum is actually a slight downgrade because we are going from PLATE ALUMINUM to TUBE ALUMINUM and you lose some core surface due to the addition of the end tanks. The Direct Fit model on any other C3 model is a major upgrade because we would be going from COPPER to ALUMINUM. I just want to explain that in detail before someone assumed that all Direct Fits were downgrades.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 103
Likes: 0
From: Alpharetta GA
Engines are like snowflakes...no two are alike. I know many people that have identical cars with identical options and totally different results with the same radiators.
We are the only company that publishes heat rejection rates on each radiator and we do this because A: we know what they are B: so customers can make an educated decision. So lets look at the two above radiators. The original (Restoration type) is rated at 4600btu/min and the replacement (Direct Fit ) is 4100btu/min or about 10% less. The copper unit you currently have is rated at about 3300btu/min, assumning it is a 4row.
Now, will the 4100btu cool your car? Maybe but it is a downgrade. I have many people using the A63 with AC and working fine. Cooling is also very dependant on the local ambient air and I usually use three items to help make the decision on the downgrade. The three items are 1. HP 2. AC 3. Climate So if someone has a high HP engine, with AC, and lives in Arizona I wouldn't go with the Direct Fit. Another helpful feedback item would be what kind of temps you are hitting with the copper unit now. If the copper unit at 3300 is doing pretty good, that would mean you have a low heat generating engine and adding the AC won't hurt to bad. I hope that all makes since
We are the only company that publishes heat rejection rates on each radiator and we do this because A: we know what they are B: so customers can make an educated decision. So lets look at the two above radiators. The original (Restoration type) is rated at 4600btu/min and the replacement (Direct Fit ) is 4100btu/min or about 10% less. The copper unit you currently have is rated at about 3300btu/min, assumning it is a 4row.
Now, will the 4100btu cool your car? Maybe but it is a downgrade. I have many people using the A63 with AC and working fine. Cooling is also very dependant on the local ambient air and I usually use three items to help make the decision on the downgrade. The three items are 1. HP 2. AC 3. Climate So if someone has a high HP engine, with AC, and lives in Arizona I wouldn't go with the Direct Fit. Another helpful feedback item would be what kind of temps you are hitting with the copper unit now. If the copper unit at 3300 is doing pretty good, that would mean you have a low heat generating engine and adding the AC won't hurt to bad. I hope that all makes since
thanks
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
Former Vendor
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 5,593
Likes: 631
From: Brighton
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 103
Likes: 0
From: Alpharetta GA
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
