New Champion Radiator for 273 project

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seabee

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I have been on the hunt for one of these Champion all-aluminum Radiators for weeks.



They're cheap $150, supposedly no epoxy, and have a radiator for 1st generation valiantbarracudas which is a hard find. I called about a dozen suppliers and they were always out of the ec1635 and cc1635.

I finally got a hold of someone who had one in there warehouse and bought it yesterday. It showed up today packaged well. The mounting flange on one side was bent, but hammered straight easily. All in all it feels and looks like a cheap aluminum radiator but hopefully does the job.

The picture in their catalog shows the filler neck sunk down, but the radiator actually has a 2" filler neck that is too tall to close the hood. Some bending and shaping will get it low enough. I'll document everything as I go along and keep you posted on how it cools.

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So this morning I put it in. It was about 1 1/5 inches too tall because of the neck so i had to cut and peel the plate at the bottom so it would fit down.
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Overall, it fit snug in the original mounting holes and cleared the hole I made by an 1/8".

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So here is the test:

The drawn red line in the first pic is the usual temp (I took this 15 minutes after driving)
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After stop and go traffic on a hot summer day here is the new results:

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My overall plan included an HHR fan or Clutch Fan and shroud but I didn't expect this much of a difference in the Temp so maybe I'll try this out for a bit and see how it goes. Maybe I'll paint teeth on that little underhang too.



And just when I was ready to do some non-worrisome cruising someone stole my gas cap. I knew this project was too cheap and easy :)
 
Damn gas cap thieves. Did they steal your gas too? That is one reason I am going to graft in a new style flip open gas door on my Dart. That, and to smooth out the body lines.

The radiator looks good. I am still deciding what I am going to do. I had my factory radiator recored to a 3 row, but I don't think it was done properly because it seems to cool WORSE than when I started. I'm torn between getting an aluminum 2 row, or good copper 3 row. Air conditioning will likely get added in the future, so I want a radiator that can handle that too.

Because it gets stupid-hot here in DFW (105 today, 110 w/ heat index) I think I might even go for a U.S. Radiator unit. They aren't cheap, but cooling (along with brakes) are two system where I don't skimp.
 
where did you get your radiator for 150? Is that the 2 core?

Yeah it's the 2 core. Not sure what the horsepower rating is but has worked well on my mild 273. I forgot the name but found them selling many rads on Ebay. I know they are located in the LA SOCAL area. There's dozens of distributors selling these things though.
 
seabee,

Thanks for the excellent photos. Too bad you had to cut the bottom radiator support. It amazes me that companies can spend such time designing and producing products but fail to provide full dimensions and photos. Why must we do their homework?

It is important to use the proper coolant. A heater core I recently got had a factory warning that they can fail in as little as a week from corrosion if the coolant is incorrect or if stray electrical currents from a bad ground, particularly aluminum ones. I suspect the warning was more a "don't blame us" disclaimer, but don't chance it. I also read that mixing some coolants can form a brown gunk.

I also have a 273, but switched to the aluminum water pump so my radiator lower hose is on the passenger side. While that allows me to use more available parts, it causes other issues with accessories, pulleys, and room for the fan.
 
You say it's a 2 core do you know the cores width. Are they 3/4" or 1". Take the cap off and take a look down in side for us. Also can you post the part number if you have one. Thanks Jayson
 
You say it's a 2 core do you know the cores width. Are they 3/4" or 1". Take the cap off and take a look down in side for us. Also can you post the part number if you have one. Thanks Jayson

Part no is ec1635. Don't hate me, but it looks like it's in between 3/4" and 1".
 
seabee,


I also have a 273, but switched to the aluminum water pump so my radiator lower hose is on the passenger side. While that allows me to use more available parts, it causes other issues with accessories, pulleys, and room for the fan.

If I weren't so impatient I would have sent mine back and ordered a shorter rad and THEN worried about the hoses etc. I was so focused on the hose placements that i could have got a better fit. I'm sure there's another application rad out there that works.
 
With the bottom outlet on the drivers side what hose are you guys using with a 360....??????

Rickster
 
There's a 22" with the hose on the passenger side as well http://championcooling.com/Catalog Online/CHAMPION.CATALOG.htm

Sorry the link will only take you to the catalogue. the model number is EC2374

Thanks, actually it looks like their CC340 which is a Furd Radiator will fit in the stock /6 location and is a three core....the inlet is on the passenger side but I have a billet swivel water-neck that should work fine :read2: and not have to cut up the rad support.....am mocking up the 408 in the car for the last time this weekend to ck clearances before it heads off to the body shop next week 8)

Rickster
 
I just ordered a champion radiator for the POS Dakota.
Since they dont make one for the POS Dakota, I found that a 80s/90s corvette radiator in three row will work beautifully.

The tanks are 2mm thick aluminum, and the tubes are 3/4 inch which is fine.
Using a single 16 inch fan with aluminum shroud. Fan draws 13.8 amps.

It's a great potent cooling setup for under 300 bucks. Just can't beat it.
And polished up I am sure it will look very very nice.
 
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