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e-bay radiator install in 97 base

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Old Feb 4, 2024 | 04:21 PM
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cdw
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From: carroll ohio
Default e-bay radiator install in 97 base

just gonna tell my personal install that i just finished. this will be for the install only i'll report on how it worked later this spring. been looking at these e-bay and amazon rads for a few years. i have installed three of these on three different hot rods of mine in the past 10 years. 71 c3 81 malibu and a 70 chevelle. never had a problem with any of these but these are not c5 vettes. was delivered to my front door for 148.68. this is a 2 row for a c5 vette. they claim a drop in and it will drop in without a problem. i have an automatic and the bottom trans line was very close to a frame member but went in good. i installed this radiator without the coolant fans or the condenser installed on it. just too much stuff in there to work around and without that stuff hooked to it it went in easy and everything lined up. pass side rubber is good but driver side rubber will need to be cut a little.talking about the bottom. fan motor on left side is very close to the sway bar,like right on it. this is a thicker radiator so i had to modify the top radiator cover a little.had to cut a little plastic off.rubber does not seem to do any good. what i did was put a blanket on the work bench and install the coolant fans to see if they lined up to the tabs. they did. i figured the condenser would line up to. WRONG. top left tab was too low. had to make a small tab extension. not a hard job. so i would advise to mock up everything on the work bench to make sure of a good fit. anytime a aftermarket bigger rad is installed the accessories will be the ones that will need a little help. the rad is about 5/8" taller and thats why the top cover needs a little modification. all in all this was not a hard install and looks like it will be a good addition. i hope it wears as good as the past three i installed in my street cars. i'm sure i forgot some little things so i hope this helps someone wondering about these cheap radiators. btw my nephew is a career tig welder and he said the welds looked very good. thats just an eyeball test though. Denny
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