I have a shot radiator in my 92 Camaro rs im not as mechanicaly Knowledgeable as most and was wondering how much it would cost to replace it including installation and whether to switch to an aftermarket or stick with the oe radiator. Thanks and by the way this is a great sight and would appreciate any help i can get.

 

dude. can you change oil? if so, get a haynes manual or a chilton's, get a screwdriver and some pliers to remove the clamps on your hoses, and a 10mm socket and ratchet to remove the top shroud. there are 8 bolts that hold the shroud to gether. 4 on top, and 2 on each side in the middle holding the 2 halves. undo all 8, remove the top shroud carefully, (without breaking it) and voila, the rad slides right out. stick in the new one, and installation is the reverse of removal. if you plan on keeping the car and doing future mods, I'd stick a griffin or a be-cool radiator in the stocker's place. just make sure to get one that is dimensionally the same. oterwise you'll have a little more work to make it work wih the car.

 

Thank you for your response but this has just furthered my quest for radiator education. i Looked at the becool and griffin radiators and was wondering do any of these fit the car the same as the stock radiator would with minimum modification 0 if possible.

 

you got an auto or a manual?

 

i have an auto

 

flyitlikustolit has some good advice. As far as brands are concerned, I replaced my radiator with a modine. Napa sells them and I paid about $129 one year ago. I believe it comes with a lifetime warranty. It is a direct fit and requires no modifications. The Be Cool and Griffin radiators are the very best. I do believe they require some modifications to fit properly and they are more expensive. The modine is all aluminum and your factory original is copper. I believe copper dissipates heat better, but the modine may have more cooling fins. Bottom line -- I have a 383 stroked motor in my Firebird and I live in Texas and the modine radiator works great at keeping my engine cooled properly. You may want to consider replacing your hoses and thermostat while everything is out. That is what I did and recommend it.

 

I'm with him. the griffin and be cool units are a direct fit, but will cost you 550-600 bucks. the modine unit is more cost effective and is a direct swap. the fact that it is potentially so much cheaper than the other two seals the deal, in my opinion. good luck, and welcome to TGO.

 

also, new hoses and a thermostat and gasket won't hurt either. you have to take off one end of both hoses anyhow, and when you remove the rad, it will be easy to oosen and remove the lower and upper hoses. the thermo is underneath the pieace that the upper hose is attached to on the motor. 2 bolts and some elbow grease, maybe even some moderate whacks with a RUBBER hammer will pop it loose and enable you to CAREFULLY remove the gasket. or you can cheat and not use a gasket, just use a thin bead of RTV blue. (use the gd gasket.) make sure you point the thermo the right way (not upside down) and you're good. all in all, a few hours ork that will make a huge difference and allow for future mods later.