Radiator which one to get?
- Thread starter savegoodautonfg
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This is the one im buying as soon as i save some dough
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/80-9...33602QQitemZ8067829656QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/80-9...33602QQitemZ8067829656QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW
Bolt on 5.0
Founding Member
50rest.com has a few types for good deals. I have an all aluminum rad but its expensive, real nice though.
JimBowy
Member
just4bob50
Active Member
Im really happy with my summit rad. and water pump. dosent go over 190 even when im beating on it.
pb_paulie_b
Founding Member
+1 for the Autozone ones. Mine worked fine for my old set-up and I'll find out how it holds up to the new combo.
I'm running a heavy duty 2 core (but thicker) rad from autozone. Car temp running just as cool as when fluidyne was installed. Stock fan & thermo 180 deg. - Humms with no issue 
I personally have stopped going to the zone, since the people they hire just got released from "DING - fries readddy"
. But for cheap parts, that can be replaced if damaged: Autozone is usually the place to go for no hassle issues. Ebay & I have had issues lately with some products not arrived as advertised. Paypal & Ebay not in any hurry to refund my money, since I did recieve a product.
I personally have stopped going to the zone, since the people they hire just got released from "DING - fries readddy"
. But for cheap parts, that can be replaced if damaged: Autozone is usually the place to go for no hassle issues. Ebay & I have had issues lately with some products not arrived as advertised. Paypal & Ebay not in any hurry to refund my money, since I did recieve a product.i bought one of these:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/80-9...ewItemQQcategoryZ33602QQitemZ8067829656QQrdZ1
rock solid, all aluminum, tig welded and light weight. i am running it with a black magic fan and an oil cooler. i have had it for about three months now and it has performed flawlessly, and the price is a great bargain. best of all, it's a true direct fit. i didn't have to modify anything for placement of the radiator.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/80-9...ewItemQQcategoryZ33602QQitemZ8067829656QQrdZ1
rock solid, all aluminum, tig welded and light weight. i am running it with a black magic fan and an oil cooler. i have had it for about three months now and it has performed flawlessly, and the price is a great bargain. best of all, it's a true direct fit. i didn't have to modify anything for placement of the radiator.
90lxfoxbody said:
What oil cooler are you running, are you running a trans cooler (or just on the rad lines) ??? That does look to be a bit stronger weld than the fluidyne. I have seen mixed reviews on the black magic fan on postings here. I would like to do away with my crank fan current set up. It doesn't seem to get it like an auto fan...
This may help.....
I went with the aluminum summit one. I would recommend the summit or griffin. I bought the summit 31" L X 19" H: part number SUM-380431. I couldn't be happier with how well it keeps temps low especially compared to the stock one. The only issue I had was the fitment, it fits in there tight (had to bend some metal lines on the passenger side but nothing serious) and because its almost 3 inches wide, the fan shroud (assuming you still have the stock one) will move closer to the fan belt. I ended up cutting the stock shroud when I had to get to the belt tensioner. So, I would recommend going one size smaller, summit makes a 27 3/8" L X 19" H part number SUM-380428. I think this may have made the install a lot easier. The other issue you will have is connecting the hoses. The inlet and outlet of the summit ones are bigger than the stock ones; I used some Vaseline to help get them on. I also cut about two inches off the bottom hose; u will notice that the hose will bend slightly due to the bottom inlet slanting up-word as well as the radiator being wider than the stock one. You will need to get a fitting to go into the radiator neck that connects to the overflow tank hose. I got this from pep boys. Also, you will have to drill holes for the shroud to hook up at the top, I used the stock shroud screws. Then drilled holes for the shroud at the bottom of the radiator; I used zip ties to hold it together at the bottom. The only other suggestion I have is to consider installing an electric fan while doing the new radiator; if you do it later, it will mean more work later on. The only thing is without the stock fan shroud, you will have to figure out a way to mount the stock over flow tank or buy an aftermarket one and mount that some how. Also, there is no drain plug on the radiator, I decided I wasnt going to spend another 100+ for a more expensive radiator with one. I don't think the griffin or jegs have them either.
Another thing to think about when deciding on the summit or griffin, is to look at the construction. The summit is fully welded while the griffin uses an epoxy seal. Most people I talked to told me to get a welded radiator. I did a little research on epoxy ones, but i'm still not too sure how they compare. During my install, I first thought I should have spent the extra money on an actual direct fit mustang radiator, but as soon as it was in I was glad I went with the summit one. Plus I was going to buy an electric fan with the money I saved but never got to it.
I know this was long, but you should have no problems with your install and it should save you some money, which is always good. Like most things, its better to do it right the first time. I learned a lot from my experience and I hope all this helps.
I went with the aluminum summit one. I would recommend the summit or griffin. I bought the summit 31" L X 19" H: part number SUM-380431. I couldn't be happier with how well it keeps temps low especially compared to the stock one. The only issue I had was the fitment, it fits in there tight (had to bend some metal lines on the passenger side but nothing serious) and because its almost 3 inches wide, the fan shroud (assuming you still have the stock one) will move closer to the fan belt. I ended up cutting the stock shroud when I had to get to the belt tensioner. So, I would recommend going one size smaller, summit makes a 27 3/8" L X 19" H part number SUM-380428. I think this may have made the install a lot easier. The other issue you will have is connecting the hoses. The inlet and outlet of the summit ones are bigger than the stock ones; I used some Vaseline to help get them on. I also cut about two inches off the bottom hose; u will notice that the hose will bend slightly due to the bottom inlet slanting up-word as well as the radiator being wider than the stock one. You will need to get a fitting to go into the radiator neck that connects to the overflow tank hose. I got this from pep boys. Also, you will have to drill holes for the shroud to hook up at the top, I used the stock shroud screws. Then drilled holes for the shroud at the bottom of the radiator; I used zip ties to hold it together at the bottom. The only other suggestion I have is to consider installing an electric fan while doing the new radiator; if you do it later, it will mean more work later on. The only thing is without the stock fan shroud, you will have to figure out a way to mount the stock over flow tank or buy an aftermarket one and mount that some how. Also, there is no drain plug on the radiator, I decided I wasnt going to spend another 100+ for a more expensive radiator with one. I don't think the griffin or jegs have them either.
Another thing to think about when deciding on the summit or griffin, is to look at the construction. The summit is fully welded while the griffin uses an epoxy seal. Most people I talked to told me to get a welded radiator. I did a little research on epoxy ones, but i'm still not too sure how they compare. During my install, I first thought I should have spent the extra money on an actual direct fit mustang radiator, but as soon as it was in I was glad I went with the summit one. Plus I was going to buy an electric fan with the money I saved but never got to it.
I know this was long, but you should have no problems with your install and it should save you some money, which is always good. Like most things, its better to do it right the first time. I learned a lot from my experience and I hope all this helps.
i bought a stacked plate type oil cooler off of ebay. they are more efficient and withstand internal pressures better than the old fin and tube design. the fin and tube design does work well if you have it placed where it is a good flow of air, but the fin and tube type are very easy to damage. i read many mixed reviews on the black magic fan, but i have had no problems whatsoever with it. i've flogged the car quite a few times since and the cooling system has held up nicely. i did upgrade my amp to a 140 amp direct fit replacement - jwhobbs ebay - to compensate of the extra draw on the charging system.
I just stepped up a bit recently from the crappy 2-core stocker (one would think with originally an AOD and A/C, it would've had HD cooling) to a 3-core Autozone (TransPro/ReadyRad brand) radiator. Haven't had a chance yet to plug it in, but I'm reverting to my 180* T-stat again, since it's been running way too warm for my liking since I put in the 195* (gets up to 220* on the highway at times, once as high as 230*) and the lil' 2-row just ain't cutting it against this Arizona heat - it's amazing that it's even lasted as long as it has, being the original unit and that it's been here in the desert since delivery to its first owner. I had it price-matched to Hawk's Radiators for $145 - can't get much better than that, especially with a Lifetime Warranty!
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