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lt1 radiator

Old 12-11-2003, 10:25 PM
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Car: 1983 Camaro
Engine: Lt1 (383 project)
Transmission: 700R4
lt1 radiator

anyone know what kind of radiator in specific i need for an LT1, i was going to buy one from summit.. . but im not sure exactly what kind i need.. and i know icant use the one that i had for the old 305 that was in there...
Old 12-12-2003, 01:06 AM
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Car: 1987 Trans Am
Engine: Lt1
Transmission: T56
I used a stock V8 radiator from a TPI car. A lot of people will tell you to go with one from a 4th gen f-body but it is not totally necessary. My car runs extremely cool even on 95 degree day in slow traffic.

This is what Markolc did and I copied it....works perfectly. This is copied from another post........

Quote by Markolc:

You can use your stock thirdgen radiator to make things bolt up much easier. You can IM me with questions if you'd like...My SN is Thirdgen Camaro.
About the cooling setup, It's not very difficult to figure out. You can EASILY reuse your existing radiator and fan setup...you just run your lines slightly differently. Here're the pieces you need:

'94 corvette lower radiator hose
'95 Camaro Z28 upper radiator hose
3/8" brass coupling
18" 3/8" ruber cooling line
6' 5/8" heater hose
6' 3/4" heater hose
assorted hose clamps
Two caps for about a 5/8" tube.

Here's how you need to run this using the stock radiator: use the 'vette lower radiator hose to connect the radiator to the gooseneck on the LT1 water pump. Use the Camaro upper radiator hose to connect the radiator to the LT1 water pump. (you may have to grind off a little of your existing radiator shroud, but it's very minor work). Now on the upper radiator hose, there will be a 3/8" rubber line kinda splicing off of it. What you need to do with that is take the brass coupling, put it on, and take the 3/8" extra piece of tubing you bought and connect it to the brass coupling, therefore extending the tube coming off the upper radiator hose. Now route that 3/8" hose under the throttle body so it pokes out past the TB on the passenger side. There you will snake it around and connect it straight to a metal coolant line that runs along the bolts on the passenger side of the intake all the way to the back of the heads. That will eliminate the need for you using the TB to pass coolant, and giving you the cheap TB bypass mod. Now to route the lines to the heater core. Take 6' of 3/4" coolant line and run it from the upper port on the water pump all the way to the 3/4" opening on the heater core. Since you have 6' to play with, you can route it pretty much anyway the hell you want (they sell pre cut 6' rolls of this stuff for $3.99 at the auto parts stores). Now take the 5/8" heater hose and run it from the lower port on the water pump (BTW, both the ports for the heater core on the water ppump are on the passenger side) and run it all the way to the 5/8" port on the heater core. Now you have pretty much all the lines run. This is now an optional/conditional point of the coolant routing. Are you going to be using the stock LT1 oil cooler? If you are, you will not have to buy the 2 caps for mentioned in the parts list, but you will have to buy 6 more feet of 5/8" cooling tubing. There'll be one port one the drivers side of the waterpump for the oil cooler. You run a hose from that port to the oil cooler, and a hose from the oil cooler back to the opening in your radiator (which was originally used as a return from the heater core in a stock setup). If you do not plan to use the oil cooler, just block the ports on the radiator and waterpump. You'll be all set. That's the whole cooling setup. Not too hard if you understand it, and I think I explained it fairly well.

Again....thanks to Markolc.
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