I hope that Champion set up works out better for you than me. Mine leaked within a few months. It did say "direct fit", but mine wasn't. Using big block mounts and isolators fit perfectly though. I had the MC716 or something close to that.
CK5
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My "Official" Stepside Restoration Thread and LS Swap 2021
- Thread starter Chevy305
- Start date
Did champion make good on their warranty?
The one I have is the MC616 which is the shorter version.
Honestly, I didn't try because I paid a guy to weld brackets on it for my electric fans, and I read more about a lot of people having similar issues, and even again after warranty. I went with another inexpensive all aluminum, KKS, and it leaked after a few months too. They straight ghosted me on the warranty. I sent like 5 emails and maybe 10 voicemails over a few month period...not worth the time for any legal issues. I decided an off the shelf parts store rad might work. I went with the 433730 Murray with aluminum core and plastic tanks. It doesn't cool as well as the all aluminums, but it still does really well and it has been on 3 years now with no issues and a lifetime warranty with easy access.
I'll put it this way, I'm keeping the box just in case.
Finally progress on the radiator! The wife was nice enough to let me have the day off kid duty to get it done and not be rushed. Tip of the hat to her.
So the Champion Radiator I got is the shorter 17"ish core which is what I originally had in this truck and it's supposed to be a bolt in replacement. Well like all things it's not a 100% bolt in thing. I knew that going in so I bought a new set of upper brackets from LMC to modify. The side tanks are a little thicker than the factory Radiator so to fit the rubber mounts that came with the radiator, I had to trim off the end of bracket off. I also had to trim the passenger side bracket to clear the radiator cap.
I also had to drill out the threads on the cap flange for the overflow tank. The one that came with the radiator is a 5/16" barb with some sort of pipe threads smaller than 1/8" NPT that some monkey at Champion galled up pretty bad. Now my overflow tank uses a 3/8" hose so in order to transfer the barb fitting over from the old radiator which is 1/8" NPT I drilled and tapped it to fit and re-use my 3/8" hose.
The finished product (minus some wiring loose ends)
So far zero leaks, and the fans kick ass. One fan moves at least as much air as my former single large fan from a early 90s Cougar. So right now I only have one fan hooked up to be triggered by the ECM. I'll try to tie them together and see how the alternator likes 2 fans kicking on at one time...
I also installed a 195° thermostat and it seems to hold temp right at 203° according to the ECM. I'll have to see how it does in traffic later on.
So the Champion Radiator I got is the shorter 17"ish core which is what I originally had in this truck and it's supposed to be a bolt in replacement. Well like all things it's not a 100% bolt in thing. I knew that going in so I bought a new set of upper brackets from LMC to modify. The side tanks are a little thicker than the factory Radiator so to fit the rubber mounts that came with the radiator, I had to trim off the end of bracket off. I also had to trim the passenger side bracket to clear the radiator cap.
I also had to drill out the threads on the cap flange for the overflow tank. The one that came with the radiator is a 5/16" barb with some sort of pipe threads smaller than 1/8" NPT that some monkey at Champion galled up pretty bad. Now my overflow tank uses a 3/8" hose so in order to transfer the barb fitting over from the old radiator which is 1/8" NPT I drilled and tapped it to fit and re-use my 3/8" hose.
The finished product (minus some wiring loose ends)
So far zero leaks, and the fans kick ass. One fan moves at least as much air as my former single large fan from a early 90s Cougar. So right now I only have one fan hooked up to be triggered by the ECM. I'll try to tie them together and see how the alternator likes 2 fans kicking on at one time...
I also installed a 195° thermostat and it seems to hold temp right at 203° according to the ECM. I'll have to see how it does in traffic later on.
What did it cost you with the wife? I do the dishes, laundry, and yard and I still can’t get a day to myself in the shop. Teach me your ways!!!
Big update! LS Swap is finally going to happen!!
I was selling a set of headers from my Silverado and ended up trading them for a complete 5.3L. It's a '05 5.3 L33. Which means it's aluminum block, Gen IV rods, 243 heads, and flat top Pistons. Kind of a unique engine. I was able to see it run and drive it before it was pulled. It ran great with no noises or any piston slap on a cold start which is surprising because the truck it came from had 315k miles however after seeing the engine out, I found some LKQ tags on the heads so it's definitely not the original engine. Unfortunately there's no way to tell how many miles are on it but it is clean with really only minor leaks so it's got to have less than the truck did.
I was selling a set of headers from my Silverado and ended up trading them for a complete 5.3L. It's a '05 5.3 L33. Which means it's aluminum block, Gen IV rods, 243 heads, and flat top Pistons. Kind of a unique engine. I was able to see it run and drive it before it was pulled. It ran great with no noises or any piston slap on a cold start which is surprising because the truck it came from had 315k miles however after seeing the engine out, I found some LKQ tags on the heads so it's definitely not the original engine. Unfortunately there's no way to tell how many miles are on it but it is clean with really only minor leaks so it's got to have less than the truck did.
beags86
Eastbound and Down
Don't you have 450hp now?
So my plans are to give it a rattle can rebuild with a cam and springs. The engine is rated at 310hp stock, so with headers and a tune I'm probably at 350hp, and with a cam I'll be over 400hp which is close to my current engine. I could build it more and bore it out or stoke it but I really don't want to go down the might as well hole and tie up a whole lot of time and money into this. My budget is tighter now than some of my previous projects on the truck but selling the current 350 and the EZ EFI should actually cover most of the cost.
I did a compression test. #1 was a little low 13% but I was doing it cold and with a little oil down the hole it shot up to the highest. Leak down test also confirmed almost zero pressure loss through the rings so I decided it wasn't worth tearing it down. I really only put about 1-3k miles a year on my truck so no sense in overbuilding this engine just to pull it in a few years when I get tired of it.
I did a compression test. #1 was a little low 13% but I was doing it cold and with a little oil down the hole it shot up to the highest. Leak down test also confirmed almost zero pressure loss through the rings so I decided it wasn't worth tearing it down. I really only put about 1-3k miles a year on my truck so no sense in overbuilding this engine just to pull it in a few years when I get tired of it.
It's probably less than that more like 425hp. There it a potential that I could be going backwards in hp or just not gaining anything but I believe I have far more opportunities with the LS platform. I've really pushed my current 350 as far as it can go while keeping it reasonable idle and power band.
beags86
Eastbound and Down
Huh. Reading your last post. Your going to swap an engine for another one. The original one runs fine.....With no advantages in power. For 3k miles a year max?
Yup makes very little sense. But it gets me into the LS platform that's just so much easier to play with.Huh. Reading your last post. Your going to swap an engine for another one. The only one runs fine.....With no advantages in power. For 3k miles a year max?
beags86
Eastbound and Down
I'm not at all interested in a big block. Again it's the LS platform that I'm after, my end game is to likely build a 6.0 stroker or turbo the 5.3.
I'm not currently happy with my 350. It has enough power but I still can't iron out the little quirks of the EZ EFI and at the cost of swapping to some other EFI, I'd be money ahead to just LS swap.
Don't spend too much on wiring and tuning when you can have a Terminator X for under a grand that will handle most anything you can throw at it with or without a laptop.
beags86
Eastbound and Down
Well, while I don't understand the whole love affair with the LS engine. I will admit that the L33 is a nice find. It's one of the few that I believe is a good starting point. If your going to go that route.
It's the only one of the few I would look for if I was going LS. And the only 5.3 I would find acceptable. It's basically a LS6 from what I remember.
Good deal that you got it cheap. I would like to know what you actually spend to swap it.
I myself wouldn't bother with the gm computer. I would spend the money on the holley stuff from day one. It will make adding a turbo so much easier down the rd.
It's the only one of the few I would look for if I was going LS. And the only 5.3 I would find acceptable. It's basically a LS6 from what I remember.
Good deal that you got it cheap. I would like to know what you actually spend to swap it.
I myself wouldn't bother with the gm computer. I would spend the money on the holley stuff from day one. It will make adding a turbo so much easier down the rd.
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Great find on the L33. Having an all aluminum engine is going to take some weight off the nose for sure.
It should be a fun project to get going on too.
It should be a fun project to get going on too.
seems like a great trade for a set of headers!
