My radiator just committed suicide last night. Now I'm in the market for a new one. So far my options seem to be a stock radiator ~$200, a Griffin racing radiator ~$190, or an application-specific Be Cool for $500. I was leaning toward the Be Cool, because frankly, I don't feel like doing a ton of custom fabrication, but after reading the Be Cool website, it looks like their radiator is nowhere near a bolt-in either.

So... I want opinions and suggestions. What I do know is that I want a radiator that cools better than stock so that I won't need to replace it down the road no matter what horsepower levels I reach. I also know that I don't want to spend a month installing this thing. I'd like one that allows me to keep the stock upper radiator cover, but I'm not opposed to fabbing one out of aluminum as long as it's not going to interfere with the TPI air box.

So... what do you guys suggest?

Oh yeah... how do I modify the Griffin to work with my heater?

 

Jim, I was thinking of the Fluidyne radiator. It is supposed to be, no they "gaurantee" it is a direct bolt in. However, it is not yet in production, even though they have a part number listed for it. This is info direct from thier tech guy I contacted. Not available to the public till after January of 2003. I found pricing of $504, but if not available, why does this place even list it?

In the meantime, I found this. Looks good, looks like it is drop in, and the price is right:

http://www.chargedair.com/xc/custome...&cat=12&page=1

 

Thanks Tom! I've never heard of them, but provided that it's a bolt-in, that doesn't seem like a bad radiator. It appears to have the boss for the heater hose. I'm going to fire off an email to see how much of a "bolt in" it is.

 

Jim, I bought a Be Cool for my 86 Iroc about 6 months ago and I love it. The instructions said I needed to "modify" a few things on my car to make it fit, but it dropped right in. Everything fits perfect. They give you an aluminum spacer that spaces the upper fan shroud back a little bit b/c the radiator is so big. Everything looks very nice, and you can still use your stock intake.

After installing the radiator my car ran so much cooler. It always used to get hot in the summer if I used the A/C, but not anymore. It's a lot of money, but it sure is worth it. I am currently running a ProCharger so I don't have an air dam and I have a big intercooler in the way, but my car still stays cool.

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

http://www.radiatorexpress.com/

I payed $140 for 3 row copper core brass ended radiator painted black. I will never have to buy another one, the best. I picked it up at the warehouse in my city and didn't have to pay shipping or tax.

 

Cool! Even the plastic upper piece that holds the radiator to the support fit?

 

Yes, the upper plastic piece that goes to the support fits. They give you an aluminum spacer that goes between the plastic piece and support. This spaces the plastic piece back a little so that you have the correct spacing between your fan and the radiator. This is hard to explain w/out a picture, but it all worked out just fine on my Iroc.