1965 Aluminum Radiator Judging Question

[Joe L.]

Re: 1965 Aluminum Radiator Judging Question

Dave, my small block aluminum radiator has a hex-head aluminum plug. The big blocks has a steel or brass hex-head drain plug, not a petcock.

Michael-------


What's the DATE on the radiator with the aluminum plug?

[Michael M.]

Re: 1965 Aluminum Radiator Judging Question

Joe, the date on my radiator with the aluminum plug is 66D. The production date of the car is late April. I brought the car in 1978 and the car still had the original radiator. Why someone would take out the petcock and put a hex-head plug in it does not make sense to me.

[Joe R.]

Re: 1965 Aluminum Radiator Judging Question

Michael,

You need to refer this to the team leader for 65 Corvettes. I have owned and sold over 50 NOS BB Aluminum Radiators in the original boxes and sealed in plastic. Each of those had the aluminum petcocks along with several other SB aluminum radiators which all had aluminum petcocks. Been in this hobby long enough to know never say never. Anything could happen.

JR

PS. If your 1965 Corvette has a radiator dated 66D it would be a replacement radiator from GM. Not the original that was installed in St. Louis.

[Joe L.]

Re: 1965 Aluminum Radiator Judging Question

Joe, the date on my radiator with the aluminum plug is 66D. The production date of the car is late April. I brought the car in 1978 and the car still had the original radiator. Why someone would take out the petcock and put a hex-head plug in it does not make sense to me.

Michael------


As JR mentioned, a radiator with a 66D date code could not have been the original radiator installed in any 1965 Corvette. It had to have been a replacement installed sometime after April, 1966. This is the point I was getting at. Some SERVICE aluminum radiators may have been fitted with a plug instead of a petcock, although all that I have owned had the petcock. The fact that it's an aluminum plug almost certainly means it was original to the radiator. Aluminum pipe plugs are extremely uncommon.

[Michael M.]

Re: 1965 Aluminum Radiator Judging Question

Fellows, I guess I made this thread more confusing then it had to be. First the 66D is on a radiator in a 1966 corvette. Second I was going by what the 1966 judging manual said about hex-head plugs and petcocks.

[Tony S.]

Re: 1965 Aluminum Radiator Judging Question

New '65 JG will specify alum petcock for both s/b and b/b cars. Tony