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C3 Corvette CHEAP VS EXPENSIVE Aluminum Radiator. Which one is worth the money?
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- Опубліковано 20 кві 2023
- I had a customer car come in with a leaking radiator. I thought that was strange because it had been replaced before recently. The owner decided to buy a nice $800 dewitts radiator. In this video I show the difference between the two. Which one do you think is best?
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I put an eBay radiator in my car was $139 it fit perfectly and works great! Just saying.
As someone who installed a Dewitt last year, I cannot express enough that it is completely worth the price! Definitely top 5 upgrades I put on the car. I also installed dual spal electric fans and got rid of the clutch fan and shroud. Incredible upgrade!
I would bet you would have the same feeling with Champion for 1/3 of the price. I have Champion and am happy with this, the best $300
I did the same but had to make a finned bracket to send some of the fan air flow back onto the engine & exhaust manifolds to clear the heat out of the engine bay as the fans blow the incoming air under the motor when idling. I only noticed because the heat was heating up the control arm rubber bushes & hardening them until they failed after only a couple of years of installing new ones.
My 1981 needs a new radiator- after seeing this and reading the comments I bought the Dewitt’s in black. It’s being installed this week fingers crossed
I couldn’t justify the price for a DeWitts, and i didn’t want to chance a cheapy, so I installed a Champion brand American Eagle series in my 76. Fit was great, drain opens as it should and It also has the 2 core 1” tubes. No complaints thus far. 🤞🏼
I used a Champion in my LS swapped 79. I think mine was 3 rows though. It replaced a 4 core copper/brass. No more electrolysis worries :)
I put in a generic summit aluminum radiator in about 20 years ago... works wonderfully.
Hi Ben. I have a 69 Convertible I bought new. Can't believe I have driven that car for 53 years. Anyway, about 25 years ago I put a Griffin in it when the original copper one started weeping. I now live in Florida and no matter what, traffic, ambient temp, etc, it never goes over 187 degrees in stop and go traffic at 95 deg ( I was hot, no A/C) with the fan on, and cruises at 175, no fan running. No mechanical fan, no shroud.
I run distilled water and pink antifreeze (1 Gallon) and Lucas corrosion preventer (aluminum heads and intake on original iron block) which is good to 10 degree freezing temp. Pure water has the best cooling ability according to Stewart water pumps. I find that to be true as I didn't pay attention to the water temp till it got to 195 deg in traffic with the fan off, but pulled it down to 187 in a couple minutes with the fan on and outside temp was 90+. Griffin says 2 rows of 1 inch tubes is better than 3 rows of 5/8 tubes.
Just past experience Ben, not doubting your advice or experience. But, I definitely agree that Chinese stuff is mostly s--t. I will pay extra for USA made product, just hard to find in some categories.
Thanks for the channel and videos!
Just look at the quality of the welds. No comparison. Great vid!
I’ve had an American made aluminum radiator in my 79 Vette for five years now. Made by champion radiators. Haven’t had any problems with it yet. Paid $324 for a three core included shipping.
I really appreciate your content thanks again
Love to see the install!!
Hello Ben thank you for your videos very helpful! Did you ever do one on where to lut the foam seals for your radiator?
My 77 has a stock four core and in 95 I had it taken apart and rodded out instead of replacing it and haven’t had any problems since.
I would have been nice you showed it fitted in the car,so you could se how it sat with new seals and rubber plus the drain plug,feels like half a video 😉
Just got my Champion 3 core back in today! Installing it tomorrow!
Show the install that’s what we want to see.thanks John from Arizona
Great video. Would like to see how to do the radiator seal install. I did exactly what Ben was talking about tearing a hole in the radiator trying to remove the shroud during front suspension replacement. My radiator is a bass copper $450 replacement that was functioning fine so I had it fixed and cleaned for $80 by American Radiator in Richland WA. If & when it fails I’ll go high end aluminum. But for now, cause I need the $$ for suspension parts. I’ll keep it all stock cooling system. Thanks Ben for providing support & parts for great prices.
I've always installed champion radiators. They're cheap, but I've never had one leak and they cool great.
Good afternoon Ben, thanks for posting the radiator video...I have bought a few but not the Chinese ones, have a connection local for these. I remember you going through these, the seals, and how they cool
Everyone get in here Ben posted!
No way I'm paying $800.00 for a Radiator !
Bought a Dewitts radiator for my 73 & it was good for about 2 years & then it started leaking around the radiator cap tube. $800 price, i paid, wasnt a gauge for quality.
Good call on the Dewitts. Great customer service and made in the USA. Put one in my 67 Camaro, got rid of the dinasour shroud and got a Spal fan with sluninum shroud 1/4 in from the radiator. Runs at 180 in Houston summers.
You get what you pay for. You go cheap and you will lose. Great video Ben.
My 72 c3 has a 4 row radiator it's really heavy but it does a really good job!
DeWitt's HP series radiator with a Spahl electric fan in my 510 horsepower 454. Made in the USA, excellent fit and keeps the engine cool even in 115-degree summer days. Made in USA, just like my Corvette was.
Have a 71 convert and installed a Champion 3 core with dual 12" Spal fans. Mounts OK but had to modify the "saddle" mounts to make it fit. The bottom hose fitting (to the water pump) was not clearing the front sway bar (1 1/8" diameter). Called them and they didn't have an answer. Had a friend who knew how to anneal aluminum and we put the dimple in it to clear. Know the DeWitts come with the dimple (but didn't see it in your video). Had I known about this issue when I bought it, would have gone with the DeWitts in the first place.
Surprised only one person commented on the worst welds I’ve ever seen on an aluminum rad. You can get good fitting well made Al radiators for $250 to $350. I’m sure the $800 is good too but you don’t really need to pay that much.
DeWitts Direct Fit with the SPAL dual electric fans = 🧊 during even the hottest summer seasons
I got my 76 without the radiator and the shroud cut in half lol I put in a 600 dollar Cold case aluminum radiator and fit perfect no over heating at all. I bridged plated the cut in half spots and still working.
Installed Dewitts rad in my ‘75. It’s worth the money and it’s fits perfect. One tip, get the upper and lower rad cushions from Dewitt’s and not use the stock GM ones. They complete the installation perfectly…..
i installed a Champion aluminum radiator to replace an original with some leaking tubes, 2 years ago, and the fit was very good. i took the extra time and effort to clean and repaint the brackets and frame, replace the rubber mounts, and seals, as well as the hoses. Replaced the old fan clutch which was causing parasitic power loss, and noise. (Don't go with the cheap plastic tank to aluminum construction.)
Details make a difference
Not only can the metal securing bracket rub through aluminium, rubber can too, in my case. Not a Corvette, but a rubber hose lying across one of the aluminium pipes, which goes through the firewall, for the air conditioner. This was hidden under the intake ducting to the throttle body, and unseen by me. Over time, the hose was able to rub a hole in the pipe, and let all the aircon gas/oil out. After installing a new pipe, I checked to make sure nothing was lying across it.
I put a Dewitt in my 1991 Corvette two years ago not because the original was bad but because I wanted to increase the cooling capacity with a larger core. Summers are hot in Arkansas and the trouble came from getting caught sitting in traffic with the AC on the temp gauge would get close to the red line with no air moving even though both fans were working and there was no debris limiting the air flow.
Also there was a difference in size of upper radiator hose diameter at the radiator; an early 1979 C3, and changed late 1979. So ensure you purchase the correct to match your new radiator.
I just pulled the trigger on an EBay special with a 4 core aluminum radiator and dual electric fans for @ $300. I’m running an 82 corvette with the crossfire still installed, AC still works, new design CS 130 alternator and aluminum water pump. I’m hoping it turns out better than this. It definitely looks better quality shape and welds.
I bought one of the cheaper radiators for my 72. Pretty happy with it but the threaded ports for the trans cooler were tapped NPT and would not take the factory flare fittings.
Man, if someone gave a darn, they could TIG up that el-cheapo rad, and move the drain-cock, and have a decent rad for a C3 or something else.
The new one has a more OEM look to it with the dimpled tanks.
I used a b cool radiator in my 79 been in 2year working great temp down about 30 degrees from old radiator. I got at summit I think cost was around 400 dollars.
My 74 overheated at idle but not at high speed. I replaced the rad seals which definitely helped but the biggest help was replacing the missing chin spoiler…the C3 really depends on that to shovel the air into radiator. I’d say also make sure the fan is positioned correctly in the shroud to get maximum pull
Just purchased a front air dam from Ben as it was missing when I got the car.
Thanks Ben! Any recommendation on where to find a nose and tail for my '74? They've cracked pretty much beyond reasonable repair. Thanks!
Thank you, Ben! Quality is rarely cheaper in the short run. But, over time, quality IS cheaper.
Hi Ben - great videos - thanks. Is an electric fan better for these cars ( in traffic ) ? In the UK we very often convert cars of this era to an aftermarket electric fan for better cooling in heavy traffic. Value your thoughts.
The Chinese radiator appeared to not be installed correctly with new rubber seals. Cannot justify $800.00+ Plus for a radiator vs $150.00 - $200.00. Just my opinion.
As you might recall, the fitment was all-wrong. Not only with regard to the stopcock at the bottom being in the wrong place, but also in the fact that the top mounts were rubbing steel against aluminum. I'm not saying that the steep difference in cheap versus expensive seems exhorbitant, because $800 for a damn radiator is ridiculous. But I'd rather the thing fit correctly, than have to be replaced in a couple of years.
Dewitts will not fail you..
Will or can you do the 1982 pinion seal
I wish you'd cut one open. I'm going from ECP to DeWitts for no reason on a C5Z06. I've had no issues with the ECP, but I wonder about contamination on the inside. The welds on both look good, the USA is surely better but my temps never went over 205° pushing the car hard, coolant. We need someone to cut these open. Those C3 seals are getting beat up and the C5 only uses one little rubber mount. Thanks 🎉
Are factory service manuals for c3s still available?
I was just wondering ben. What happened to your 1973 big block coupe that had the intake full of carbon and a misfire? It's been over a year with no updates.
Rebuilt engine and trans will be installed soon.
@@TheCorvetteBen sick
The real difference is the cast tank.
Obviously depending on engine and year in general what is the optimal engine temp that the car should be running at? Say I am a guy in the market for a 67-73……….
cold case is quality
Well you get what you pay for but if I'm spending $800 for a radiator it better make my breakfast as well. 🤣🤣
More cores means less air flow. Two is better on a Vette. You need to reduce the flow of coolant to give the fan or air flow time to pull the heat out. More cores means faster flow. But you need to get a higher flow fan and seal it better to compensate for the reduced air flow from to many cores.
Less flow is less cooling.
What about champion radiators??
My 75 came with a new radiator. I bet it's a cheap-o. I'm still putting it back together so it isn't installed yet. If you already have one laying around would you use it?
do you have 1-year production 1955 corvette engine and trans the first gen
I ALWAYS have the factory original radiator recored, unless it's missing..... then I find an original one and have it recored, as I hate all aftermarket radiators. The aftermarket ones are like reproduction parts they NEVER fit correctly!
True story the majority of Corvette owners are Uber tight and have difficulty finding a decent sandwich. Then have to eventually pay out in the end.
The question is, what radiator do you run in your C3s ?
dewitts all day long. It is hard enough to keep a big block cool and I am not gonna trust an engine I paid thousands for on a $150 ebay special
@TheCorvetteBen I hear ya Ben. BTW I'm looking at a 1950 2 door Cadillac. Loons so much like yours. Really low miles. Making sure my money is all there. What do you think about 34K as a price ?
Young fellas fixture original radiator I have a 73 with the original radiator I've had leaks leaks on the side Take It out and your leaks
Riiiiiiggghhhttt
The airbdam really isnt enough to keep the engine cool i had to put fans on mine
Hey Ben wouldn't it be better to rebuild the original if you still have it ?
You make a good point! As long as the original tanks (which back then in the 60's and 70's were made of copper) is not corroded with pin-holes, they COULD be reused.
sure... IF you can find a place to do it. And if you do, your looking at $600+ in cost. Makes that dewitts at $800 look better
@@TheCorvetteBen sheesh.. didn't know it'd be that expensive! Thanks, Ben!
Daily request for Corvette ben to EV convert a c3 for fun
(Not daily, but still)
Id pay to see that
sorry you are on the wrong channel for that. Gasoline forever
Theres some cheap parts you can get away with
A radiator isn't one of them
You get what you pay for and China junk is just that. I paid about $450 for my Corvette radiator 6 years ago.
People should just read the reviews before buying an item, but make sure the reviews aren’t from dumb people, like people who write a review on an item, giving it a 1 star, even though their complaint is about shipping. Yeah, there are people writing terrible reviews, clueless that reviews are meant to be ON THE PRODUCT, not a bad review because it was delivered late or the wrong door.
I just hate the fact if you want good parts that you have to mortgage your house to enjoy this hobby
Buy cheap, buy twice.
Yeah no thanks. 800$ 😂. I will take my chances with a cheaper one.