The stock radiator has started to leak and I’m going to update the entire coolant system on my ‘73. What’s the latest and greatest? Anything out there better than the Be-Cool modules?

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/bci-83029

 

The radiator your looking at is fine. Many on here will say that the DeWitts Rad is the very best. I personally run a 4 row Champion.
The fans in that setup are less than the best. I personally have tried several types. Without a doubt, hands down the C5 Corvette fans work the best. And can be had new or used affordabily. Yes you have to trim a bit and make up a mounting system. But they are totally reliable and work the very best. You can actually see your temp gauge starting to drop when they kick on.
Make certain you upgrade your alternator and it's wiring if changing over to electric fans.

 

The Lincoln Mark VIII fan works well too.

 

Dewitts is cheaper than that setup and uses real Spal fans and gives a CF discount. I bet they will have a Memorial Day 12% discount plus free shipping for us.

 

🤔 I do like discounts! 🤣

 

I totally agree with Mr 4-Vettes. Champion 4 row is affordable and works well. And the C5 or late C4 fans/shroud is a drop in with minor trimming. And if a fan dies on you most local parts places will have a replacement...cheap.

 

Another vote for Champion rad with C5 fans. Never any overheating issues in my C3s with this setup.

 

A coupon for 12% off a product that costs 60% more that is maybe 10% better I don't call that a deal.

 

I have a BeCool Radiator with a pair of 11" SPAL fans on it. It works well but the fans are noisy. This got me to buy a DeRale PWM Electric Fan controller which starts my fans at 50% power/speed and slowly ramps up the fan speed until the heat is controlled.

This system is easy and A LOT less expensive than some of the gold plated radiators and cools just the same. With the DeRale controller at least the noise is under control as well. DeRale has recently replaced the unit that I have in my C3 and replaced it with a much hardened version of the controller. However the price is now over double what I paid.

For a good efficient cooling system you need to have the air flow going through the radiator and not around it. Good and effective seals are critical for this job. Then a good sold airflow pulling the heat will work better at keeping the car cool. The fans are for sitting still and most times will be off while driving the car.

The right amount of anti-freeze is critical here as many folks use the standard 50/50 water to anti-freeze. In warmer climates you do not need that much anti-freeze and can get around with 70% water and 30% anti-freeze. Water transfers heat, Anti-freeze does not (as effectively) so I personally want as much water in the system as I can safely run. For water I also use the water from our Reverse Osmosis system so it is free of any impurities.

If you have a engine driven fan and a good shroud like the original that came on your C3 then it would out-cool many of the electric systems out there on aftermarket installations. Many people are too eager to upgrade the parts and choose electric fans only to have their Corvette run hotter and have undercharged batteries...

The point of needing a larger alternator might be true, if so it is easy to wire a newer larger charge wire for the alternator to prevent you from having any issues.

Those packages like the one in your original post from BeCool don't seem like they are too good of a deal. Good shopping might beat them easily...

P.S. Be sure to save every part you remove from your Corvette! It might be easier and cheaper to have someone solder the old radiator up and keep the original system operating.. I wish you the best!

 

i have been running a 3 core champion i bought for $200 on ebay 13 years ago. I later converter to the exact same be cool dual spal clone fans you can now find on ebay for about $150 (be cool logo is ground away for some reason) with the same brackets as the be cool sells that I bought from summit... It works very well and set me back a total of about $500 with the dual spal fan controller and external relays for added reliability.
I assume this would cost a bit more now but still save you about half what that one size fits all kit on summit sells for... (the rads for the 68-82 c3 vetts do vary and are not really one size fits all)