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Radiator install

S

socal chevy

1/2 ton status
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Nov 18, 2004
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Location
San Clemente, CA
I want to buy and install my own....Is it simple? Anything to watch out for?... How do you drain the radiator?... Any other tips?

Thanks.
 
kindof a noob question but thats ok. Their should be a pet-cock(sp??) at the bottom left or right of the radiator facing the rear of the truck. If you cant find it just pul the lower hose off and have the drain bucket ready. As for the simplicity? it doent get much more simple. just pull thehoses off, pull the tranny cooler lines off (their will be two i think they are 1/2 " wrench) then pull the bolts that that hold the bracket that holds the radiator and possibly need to remove fan shroud bolts. as for stuf to look out for? theire isnt much to look out for just check the condition of your hoses and if they are no good replace them they are like $8 a hose or somthin like that. and get a new radiator cap if it doesnt come with one. thats about it any more questions, just let me/ us know good luck
 
not noob if ive never done it. =) Thanks... I was just making sure.. AFter all removing the dissy is easy right?.... WRONG. Once you get it out you gotta get it in! I found that out the hard way.
 
I ordered a aluminum radiator from summit racing. Its a summit radiator 31" x 19" 2-core radiator. My stock radiator thats in there now is 34" x19". Will the new summit radiator work ok?
 
socal chevy said:
WHY?... Aluminum cools good they told me.
Click to expand...

Aluminum cools good, yes. But that radiator isn't a perfect size swap. Plus, image that each "core" is a single thin radiator. A three core radiator is thus thicker and cools more. Now a two core cools less. But aluminum cools more. You probably didn't gain anything, although a four core probably would have been best. I think that's what they were getting at. All that money on some bling, and you really didn't get that far away from stock.
 
guido666 said:
Aluminum cools good, yes. But that radiator isn't a perfect size swap. Plus, image that each "core" is a single thin radiator. A three core radiator is thus thicker and cools more. Now a two core cools less. But aluminum cools more. You probably didn't gain anything, although a four core probably would have been best. I think that's what they were getting at. All that money on some bling, and you really didn't get that far away from stock.
Click to expand...

It cost me 160.00
 
That's not too bad then. I retract my former statement about the bling. It still is probably only thermally equivalent to stock though, and watch out for corrosion.
 
corrosion would be a bigger problem on a stock-type radiator than an AL one. Also, most all AL ones I have seen use hella-larger tubes than stock rads... if it doesn't cool better than stock, something is probably wrong. All about surface area, right?

j
 
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