cdw

going to have my stock 4-row radiator checked out next week. i'll have to compare what it cost to rebuild to what a new aluminum one cost. which is my question, has anybody used any of those e-bay aluminum radiators that cost about 150.00 bucks? they say they will fit my 71 but i wonder if they have the exact inlet and outlet tubes like the stock ones have. could be a real pita if the in and out are not curved like the stock ones.

'75

There are several threads about aluminum radiators. If you search the forum for Champion, you will get a ton of posts to read.

Bloodzone

Get the best you can afford. A quality radiator is a worthwhile investment.

76C3forme

I've used Champion on several cars (but not on my Corvette as of yet). Very pleased with the quality / performance.

The13Bats

From what I see reported back on here by members the import budget champion is a winner, they seem to cool just fine and the only down side is some people say the fit is perfect others say they had to bend a mount or modify a piece of rubber cushion,
If 150 and the possibility of tweaking a mount offends you then you might consider pony up the dues several 100 more for the name brand that while they do sell at extra costs their own rubber cushion I have not read of anyone saying they the hold down had to be tweaked

rcread

Yes! Your Corvette deserves something better than a cheap POS radiator. Tomorrow is the 4th of July. Buy a quality American made product.

carbster09

One word, DeWitts. Job done, its a cheap investment in a quality US made product.

The13Bats

I must have missed the tread where all the buyers of the budget champion import called it a cheap pos unworthy of a corvette,
Actually the threads I have seen members seem happy to have saved like 400.00,

rcread

Some people are happy buying Hyundais, too. We aren't those people. We're Corvette drivers. We buy quality radiators.

cooper9811

CDW - I agree with this statement, buy the best (not necessarily most expensive) all-around rad you can afford that aso fits your goals. Do your research and make up your own mind about what is right for you.

I would also suggest making sure your shroud covers the entire rad surface and it is sealed between both radiator/support and the rad/shroud if you expect it to cool properly. It's easy to assume an installed rad is no good, but other issues like proper airflow were not addressed first. I would tell anyone to check that before you make a major investment in hardware.

On buying brands other than the "popular choice" - Nothing wrong with Champion if you aren't concerned about stock look and want to save some cash. I have yet to talk to someone with a champion that has failed. Like wise, nothing wrong with a Dewitts that is known for high quality and you will likely fit w/out tweaking a bracket or modifying a cushion.

cdw

thanks for all the replies, very good info.

gguillot

I brought my original, leaking radiator to a local shop to be refurbished. They told me it was beyond saving and sold me a new one for about $250. It was a Taiwanese made brass/copper radiator. The hoses lined up properly, but I could never get the radiator to mount properly in the support bracket and fit with the shroud. I tried forever to get it to fit. Finally gave up, flipped the radiator on CL and went with the DeWitt. I am very happy with the investment. Everything fit back together properly, and the car runs extremely cool, even in traffic in the Texas summer heat.

Vette-kid

I couldn't be happier with my champion radiator. It fit great and cools my 425hp stroker no problem. Some people rag on them as cheap compromises, but imho, if that's the way you feel you should have bought a Ferrari. same performance at a higher price.

The made in America argument is valid, but it is hard to justify the extra cost when performance is comparable. I'm happy to pay for a superior product, I just havnt seen the eveidence that the champion is inferior in anyway. Plenty of people have reported negative experiences with both products, and MANY more have had positive experience with both.

The13Bats

"WE"?

sorry you might speak for every other corvette owner /driver but not this one...

I never owned or drove a Hyundai but being a late model I just bet it has fuel injection and air bags which my 69 doesn't...hum,

Don't get me wrong while I love old school builds with these classic c3's I do like upgrades here and there and in that I see zero reason to try to toss insults at people who do not buy the same brand part I do.
you buy whatever radiator you desire and let the next cat buy what he desires.

I would love to always buy American parts but I simply can not for reasons ranging from lack of availability to not being able to afford to pay several times the price for an American made part that works no better than it's imported counterpart.

for me the forum is all about sharing camaraderie and information,
Do you have any first hand information and feedback that a certain brand radiator is a POS as you put it, if so please do share that information it would be far more helpful that just saying import radiators are a POS, feedback and replies on this forum prove they are not.

7T1vette

Folks should realize that, when these cars were new, Copper was dirt cheap and Aluminum was somewhat pricey. So, the factory radiators had copper cores...even though aluminum would have cooled better.

Today, those costs are reversed, so Aluminum radiators are relatively cheap and Copper cored radiators are rather expensive [if you can find them at all]. So, if you have your stock radiator recored with copper, it's going to cost you..but it will be like the stock unit. If you swap over to aluminum, you will get a better performing radiator for less money.

rcread

I only have my own experiences of buying cheap radiators and replacing them 10 months later. The good thing about that was I got really good at replacing radiators. If that were an Olympic sport, I would be making travel plans for Brazil.

The13Bats

No one likes doing the same PITA job over and over, sounds like you did this a lot,

How many have you swapped out that were bad?

What brand were all these crap radiators you had to keep swapping out, were they all on corvettes?

rcread

They were cheap imported radiators, but I don't remember the brands. I did several on my BMW 5 series. It was an annual ritual on that car. My parents' '77 Corvette had one that lasted two years, my 240SX had one last about 18 months, and our kid's VW GTI radiator lasted about six months. Now I just get factory when I can, or the best available when no factory radiator is available. They last two radiators, for our Triumph TR6 and '78 Firebird, were quality units that have lasted for over five years. The Dewitts in my '71 Corvette is almost ten years old.

The13Bats

...so not really a corvette thing for you as much as a no name radiator thing,

Lots of people on this forum have proven that the 'budget" champion radiator a lot of members are buying to save 400.00 plus over the name brand performs and last just as good as that name brand unit, so I wasn't poking at you at all but rather trying to gain extra information on the subject, since we do not know the brand of the radiators you have problems with it only helps so much.

I was just trying to clarify that you were not saying the "budget" champion was the POS....

cdw

thanks.