radiator question
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 135
Likes: 0
From: Horicon Wisconsin
radiator question
I am wondering has anyone ordered an aluminum radiator off ebay? There is two sellers on there that offer one. Radiator Classic (own brand?) and Reliable Radiator (sells American Eagle Radiator). The car its going into is a 79. Thanks for any help and advice
Racer
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 295
Likes: 2
From: Concordia KS
I wouldn't buy it unless you are sure it's made in USA. There are some really poor quality radiators on ebay.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 2,008
Likes: 38
From: Space Coast Gator Territory
Palm Beach, I'm near Melbourne, small world! I bought a Champion aluminum four row radiator off a reseller on ebay for my 79 and had nothing but problems. The trans cooling bungs were 3/8ths inverted flare, not 1/4 NPT, and the only carburetor fitting that came close was a loose fit. Even if it did, there are no 3/8ths inverted flare fitting with a 90* bend for the top trans line. This was needed to clear the control arm cross shaft on my radiator bung location. My stock radiator brackets did not fit the Champion radiator. I had to notch the inner frame rails to get it to clear. Since the trans lines did not fit, I had to buy a stand alone trans cooler, actually I ran two in tandem to cool the trans. Making custom top brackets and modifying new rubber isolator cushions was a time intensive project. Generally, Champion sold me a nightmare and the reseller cut me loose in a hurry. Spending the extra money for a Be Cool direct fit started looking real good. After making it all work, there was another surprise, the radiator cap tank bulge did not clear the inside of my hood. Needless to say, Champion and ebay resellers will not get any of my future business.
Last edited by Red 69; Aug 8, 2011 at 10:08 AM.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 135
Likes: 0
From: Horicon Wisconsin
Racer
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 338
Likes: 9
From: South Bend IN
NCM Sinkhole Donor
Once I had the old one out the new one slipped right right in. I had to put the shroud back first then slid the radiator right into place. You do have to remove the upper passenger control arm which for me was the toughest part. I did the whole thing by myself and didn't think it was too bad.
Pro
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 691
Likes: 25
From: Boynton Beach Florida
I don't think there is such a thing as "drop in" on a corvette 
they are a pain due to the upper control arms. If your doing it along (which I did) with the hood on it is more of a challenge. The biggest thing is moving the radiator support as far forward as you can. There are 3 bolts down each side accessed through the wheel wells and then 2 bolts underneath, once removed you can wiggle the support forward.
If you have a/c then you'll probably need to remove the condenser since it will hit the hood. If you can remove the hood you have a lot more room to work with. You will need to wiggle the radiator along with the shroud to gain some clearance and for part of the removal they come out together then you can lift the radiator out.
When I ditched my electric fan set up and bought a new shroud for the clutch fan I removed both the control arms which made life 100 times easier. If I had to do it again I would start by removing the control arms since they cause the biggest headache.
You do have to install the lower hose side of the radiator first on an angle then the drivers side, again this is mostly due to the control arms.
they are a pain due to the upper control arms. If your doing it along (which I did) with the hood on it is more of a challenge. The biggest thing is moving the radiator support as far forward as you can. There are 3 bolts down each side accessed through the wheel wells and then 2 bolts underneath, once removed you can wiggle the support forward. If you have a/c then you'll probably need to remove the condenser since it will hit the hood. If you can remove the hood you have a lot more room to work with. You will need to wiggle the radiator along with the shroud to gain some clearance and for part of the removal they come out together then you can lift the radiator out.
When I ditched my electric fan set up and bought a new shroud for the clutch fan I removed both the control arms which made life 100 times easier. If I had to do it again I would start by removing the control arms since they cause the biggest headache.
You do have to install the lower hose side of the radiator first on an angle then the drivers side, again this is mostly due to the control arms.
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 2,487
Likes: 10
From: Palm Beach Florida
St. Jude Donor '12
You do have to install the lower hose side of the radiator first on an angle then the drivers side, again this is mostly due to the control arms.
Funny you mention that. I have heard ALOT of people complain about that. But when I installed mine, To me it went on very quickly. I had the car up on jacks, and was able to get under there and push it on. I did spray it with wd-40 so it would slip on easier. But lucky for me I never had the problem most talk about.
Funny you mention that. I have heard ALOT of people complain about that. But when I installed mine, To me it went on very quickly. I had the car up on jacks, and was able to get under there and push it on. I did spray it with wd-40 so it would slip on easier. But lucky for me I never had the problem most talk about.
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,986
Likes: 21
From: Columbus MN
I just installed a Champion 3-row radiator from eBay in my '80 today. I attached shrouded dual 11" fans to the radiator before I dropped it in. That didn't go so well the first time. I am using Be Cool dual fan stainless steel mounts and centered them on the radiator. The fan shroud hit the A-arm on the drivers side. I pulled it out and moved the fan mounts all the way to the passenger side. That worked from a horizontal perspective.
Vertically I had to bend the upper radiator mounts to fit on top of the tank tightly.
That's not "drop-in", but the fit is pretty good once in.
Vertically I had to bend the upper radiator mounts to fit on top of the tank tightly.
That's not "drop-in", but the fit is pretty good once in.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 5,116
Likes: 5
From: Livonia MI
You didn't mention anything about the price, but quite honestly, e-bays the last place I'd ever go for quality new products. Had a broker auction some used classic home audio gear for me, and just think of it as more that environment.
