Radiator help needed
I have decided to change my '67 L71's radiator out soon, after the regionals here in Oct. I would ask the experts here about 2 things. I have not done this job before, but it appears from the AIM that it is simple, just remove the fan shroud, remove the upper and lower hoses and petcock and the 2 upper radiator braces and pull it out from the 2 lower braces. Does that sound OK? Then I need a recommedation on a replacement radiator, one that will fit perfectly (?) into the old one's slots and yet be a good one for keeping this monster cool. What brands should I look for, to keep this Top Flight car that way? I have also heard Zerex is the antifreeze to use to refill. Thanks for any help here.
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Big Tanks In the High Mountains of New Mexico -
Re: Radiator help needed
Buy a core from DeWitt's, or better yet, send your old radiator to them and let them recore it for you.Dick Whittington -
Re: Radiator help needed
It's better by virtue of being new, without whatever junk clogged yours over 45 years or so...When I had a '66 425 car once it would idle all day and never overheat. (new core)Bill Clupper #618Comment
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Re: Radiator help needed
IMHO, get the complete new one from Dewitt's. Save the old one. I did.Jack Corso
1972 Elkhart Green LT-1 Coupe 43,200 miles
Top Flight 1994, 2018 & 2021Comment
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Re: Radiator help needed
Jack, my old eyes missed the complete radiatior. I am with you , buy the complete radiator. DeWitts BC67M http://bit.ly/dbscP2Dick WhittingtonComment
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Re: Radiator help needed
Sounds like a plan, get the new one. DeWitt's also just told me they don't do recores anyway. I suspect I could get their new exact fit aluminum one (30-40% more cooling than the original) and still not lose too many points and stay Top Flight. They also have an original style with the tags and embossing, but they don't recommend it as highly as the new aluminum one. I am assuming the removal is not a huge job as I have described? No hood removal, right?Big Tanks In the High Mountains of New MexicoComment
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Re: Radiator help needed
Hello Michael;
Search this site and google engine cooling. You'll find brass cools the best and air flow is crucial. A four core will not cool as well as a three core if the air doesn't flow through the fins.
As far as installation. BB C2 radiator replacement is difficult. Easier with two people. We take the hood off and remove the petcock.
Hope this info helps.
RayAnd when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
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Re: Radiator help needed
Hello John;
A little food for thought.
"Radiator Repair and Replacement
Copyright AA1Car
Most radiators in late model cars are aluminum. Years ago, they were mostly copper/brass. In the 1980s, only about 24 percent of all new domestic and import vehicles were equipped with aluminum radiators. Today, that percentage is almost 100 percent.
Why the change to aluminum radiators? Because an aluminum radiator is much lighter than a copper/brass radiator: 5 lbs. versus 15 lbs. Empty. Aluminum radiators also contain no lead solder (which corrodes and is an environmental pollutant). The average service life of a typical aluminum radiator is actually about 10 to 12 years, which is about two to four years longer than a copper/brass radiator. Also, aluminum radiators are cheaper to manufacture.
Copper/brass radiators actually cool better than aluminum (almost twice as good), but the added weight and higher cost of copper makes them too expensive.
Radiator manufacturers have developed new, lightweight lead-free brazed copper/brass radiators that weigh less than the traditional lead-soldered radiators, but the cost is still high. These new copper/brass radiators are about 7 percent lighter and 15 percent smaller than an aluminum radiator of comparable cooling capacity. The new brazing technology for joining the tubes uses a copper/nickel/tin/phosphorus alloy which provides a stronger connection and is more environmentally friendly than lead solder. Brazing the tubes also eliminate solder bloom corrosion that can form inside older copper/brass radiators if the coolant is not changed regularly.
The inside and outside of the new brazed copper/brass radiators are also electroplated to improve corrosion resistance, and the radiators are also easy to repair. Furthermore, the amount of energy needed to produce one ton of copper from copper ore is only about 40 percent of that needed to produce aluminum from its ore, so the overall energy picture for copper/brass is more favorable than that of aluminum. Both metals are also highly recyclable."
Just some research & my 2 cents.
RayAnd when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
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Re: Radiator help needed
Installation tip: Use the cardboard box the new radiator came in and cut out two pieces to cover the fin area of the new one during installation. Once it's in, remove the cardboad and you will have a perfect, no dinged fin installation.Jack Corso
1972 Elkhart Green LT-1 Coupe 43,200 miles
Top Flight 1994, 2018 & 2021Comment
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Re: Radiator help needed
This is what DeWitt's tests show, and the Direct Fit is a 2 core radiator too, vs. 4 for their exact replica. Is DeWitt's lying about the cooling tests? Ray's article seems to say so, but there must be something else going on here more than just aluminum vs. copper/brass. I asked DeWitts and they swear the Direct Fit is far superior in cooling capacity to the original style copper/brass. I would tend to believe them and have heard some other comments on the board here that would verify their new aluminum is better too. I would tend to go with the Direct Fit at this point, I am tired of replacing coolant after stop and go traffic overheating in 100 degree temps. But the old radiator has much mineral deposits on the tubes. Rodding it only helped a little, maybe that CLR solution will dissolve it all away?
Big Tanks In the High Mountains of New MexicoComment
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Re: Radiator help needed
It IS more than just copper vs. aluminum! It's a matter of being apples to apples in construction/geometry which is almost NEVER the situation.
Copper/brass is soft and there's a limit to how much you can scale down the geometry (wall thickness and cooling fin density are two considerations). So, in addition to aluminum being lighter in weight, you can achieve different/better construction geometry and thereby surpass the cooling characteristics of a copper/brass radiator given the same external outline dimensions.
Bottom line, with the same external outline constraints, the internal construction geometry of an aluminum vs. copper/brass radiator are seldom the same. Hence, you wind up comparing apples to oranges...Comment
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