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When it comes to C3 radiator threads everyone has to remember there were a lot of changes made in the 15 year run and you have to be model specific when talking about these things.
1968-72 SB model base cars actually came with a factory aluminum radiator that was used during the C2 era. Cars that received any options like automatic changed the radiator to a copper/brass unit.
These two radiators mount completely different and have core supports unique to there own model radiator. This is just two variables for C3 and then you have BB car, SB cars, special rpo engines, surges tanks, manual and automatic transmission.
So when you fire off a comment on someones question, make sure that you are even talking about the same application. With that in mind, my guess with this one is that the small champion was probably for the base car, like this
And the one for the automatic would be this one
Zip sells a version of this radiator without the extruded GM rails for $400
which is not "double" the champion.
I am far from an expert on radiators but I do know that aluminum dissipates heat better.
The reason this discussion goes on forever is because copper material is a better conductor of heat than aluminum and people cannot get past that one item. The trick to better cooling is wider tubes and shorter fin. This increases the “tube to fin” contact area, which determines the radiator efficiency. A typical 4 row copper radiator uses 7/16" (4 x .437 = 1.7") wide tubes while the aluminum radiators use two rows 1" tubes. 2 x 1 = 2.0" surface area.
Then the copper radiator uses 1/2 tall fin while the aluminum radiator uses 3/8" fin. The shorter fin increases the number of tube layers in a given stack up. For example a 18.5" tall radiator has 30 layers for the copper unit versus 40 layers for the aluminum. So you have more layers per stack up and more surface area in each layer. Finally, the tubes and fin in a copper unit are bonded together with lead, which has horrible heat transfer capabilities. The aluminum radiator is 100% aluminum, furnace brazed. That is why aluminum radiators work better than copper ones. If you could build a copper radiator the exact same way we make the aluminum ones, it would work better than the aluminum. It would also weigh about 90 pounds.
Last edited by Tom@Dewitt; Jul 2, 2014 at 09:41 PM.
When it comes to C3 radiator threads everyone has to remember there were a lot of changes made in the 15 year run and you have to be model specific when talking about these things.
1968-72 SB model base cars actually came with a factory aluminum radiator that was used during the C2 era. Cars that received any options like automatic changed the radiator to a copper/brass unit.
These two radiators mount completely different and have core supports unique to there own model radiator. This is just two variables for C3 and then you have BB car, SB cars, special rpo engines, surges tanks, manual and automatic transmission.
So when you fire off a comment on someones question, make sure that you are even talking about the same application. With that in mind, my guess with this one is that the small champion was probably for the base car, like this
And the one for the automatic would be this one
Zip sells a version of this radiator without the extruded GM rails for $400
which is not "double" the champion.
Tom,
The problem with the Champion I was shown had smaller (thinner tanks) and it did not have the indentation to accommodate the front sway bar. Even if I was able to get the radiator mounted, I would have had clearance problems with the sway bar. Looking forward to installing my DeWitts.
FYI this is how the newer 3 row champion looks and fit for me last week. I had no fitment issues with anything including the lower hose on my 74 auto setup.
