I am sure this question has been asked before, but with the search not allowing V-6 and V-8 as being long enough characters to search for it becomes hard to find. I have a little project 84 Z28, LG4, auto; nothing special. Well when I got it it had the rad in the back, I didn't pay much attention, but now I know its a V-6 one because its exactly backwards to the V-8, plus probably thinner. Its a good aluminum radiator, doesn't leak, what I am wondering is will it keep the car cool, or should I just go get the V-8 radiator? I don't have A/C, so that is one less strain on the cooling factor.

iirc the radiator isn't thinner... just backwards. Alot of people who do V6->V8 swaps keep the V6 radiator with no cooling problems, so I can't say I've seen any reason other than the hose routing nuciance to avoid them.

that radiator will cool the car just fine if you could hook up the hoses which you cannot ....it is impossible to run the lower hose like that ....you need to look for another radiator either one from a v8 car or a 90-92 v6 car it had the same radiator as the v8 (hose routing) and you will be set

Hose routing isn't a problem, I have already got it in the car, just that the water pump leaks bad, so I was wondering once I put a new water pump on it to drive if I should change the rad too, or if it will keep it cool. Thanks for the answers guys.

The outlets are completely different on an early one, its smaller, the 3.1 V6 got the same radiator as the V8 thats when its ok to use a V6 radiator with a v8 swap, otherwise get what fits.

yeah theres no way to use a 2.8 rad for v-8 or 4 cyl

theres nice rad in this 87 z29 out here but its 2.8 so im leaving it in it for shredder, and i sold the last 2.8 rad i had, from an 84 s/e

just is a useless rad


good luck

I am confused as to why it won't fit. I have the hoses routed to it, or do you guys mean it will not keep the car cool. Is it really that much smaller, I have seen a few other threads the 2.8 rad is the same thickness, just hard to hook up.

Obviously I did not use the stock hoses, I Pieced together the one for the bottom so it works fine and used a different hose for the thermostate to the top.

go outside and take a picture of how you routed the hoses i dont think its possible to use a 2.8 radiator at all

the bottom hose would have to go from one side of the engine bay to the other

the outlets are exactly backwards on a 2.8 compared to a 3.1 or v8 radiator

Will the hose in front of the engine melt, is that the problem?

It isn't touching the engine, I don't have a picture of the bottom hose, I won't have a picture for a while, I am not where the car is located.

I guess I will have to dig this post up in a month or so with a picture.

I have a picture of the top hose, but that really doesn't help. The hose is not kinked as it looks in the picture it is a 90 degree bend in the hose.

wow what a mess...LOL....but it should cool okay if you get it hooked up okay but the only real problem will be with the bottom hose kinking on you i would think with it being so long and bent as it would have to be but it should cool okay i would think

Yes it is a bit messy under the hood in that picture. Its a bit cleaner now as that picture is not the most recent, and I hope to clean it up more, and re-route everything in an orderly fashion once I know it all works fine and is run correctly.

Hey.... why dontcha put the raduator in upside-down? Then the hoses would go on! ha ha he he

Did you get your setup to work ok?
Seriously, I tried it once and it was not worth the time to try and make it work. Just buy the correct one. If $ is an issue you could go to a junkyard and spend the same $ that you would be spending on flex hose / fabrication parts and get a used radiator. Make sure that the junkyard will let you exchange if it does not work. Also there are some radiator shops that will flush / clean a radiator and pressure check it for a reasonable price, it was 25$ at one place I checked a while ago.

I dont blame you for wanting to make use of a good radiator. I was seriously disapointed when my 2.8 radiator split open and I tried to drop in a new v8 3rd gen radiatior I had laying around. Good luck!

Well I guess once I get home again and put a new waterpump on I will see if it works, if it does I will post, if not I will post...and go get a used V-8 one. Its just like you said, I have all the materials there to work with (no need to buy the hoses, have ones from previous cars), and the rad is good, so I want to use it. Its all hooked up, just that the waterpump is pumping water out around the seal so it doesn't stay cool very long.

So if it works its basically a freeby, and if it doesn't work it should not cost more then 50 bucks to find the right one used.

I might say screw it, one of my old friends works for a local bone yard, so I can score one of several for 30 bucks... But I might hook it up to show it can work.