Is this radiator a good deal?

[megajoltman]

So did the seller stand behind the warranty?

 

[fishy68]

So did the seller stand behind the warranty?

This just transpired today so it's a little early to tell for sure. He said he will contact Champion and let them know of the problems and he assured me he'd take it back. I just hope he doesn't expect me to pay to ship it back to him in California.

 

[megajoltman]

If it makes you feel better your not the only one that I have heard had problems with them.

Seems many happy campers here with them though:dontknow:

 

[fishy68]

If it makes you feel better your not the only one that I have heard had problems with them.

Seems many happy campers here with them though:dontknow:

Know what you mean. I found a thread on Moparts about them and most people were happy with it but some had the exact same issues I had. Kinda looks like they started out good then the quality control went to crap

 

[megajoltman]

A couple guys I have talked to installed them and they leaked as soon as they were filled other had the same problem of twisted to crap or bolt holes way off.

 

[Mad Dart]

Know what you mean. I found a thread on Moparts about them and most people were happy with it but some had the exact same issues I had. Kinda looks like they started out good then the quality control went to crap

I bought the same radiator from Leadfoot Racing for my 67 Dart who is a seller on Ebay. I went to his house and picked it up. I need to pull it out of the box and check it out. Damn this is not good news.

 

[Johnny Dart]

Crud...sorry for not posting but I have not had time to install it since I got it until last weekend.
Okay...the good..it holds water and keeps every thing cool so I guess that it was worth the money.
The bad is that the holes in it do not match the stock holes in my dart so there was just a little drilling to get it to mount up but not too bad. Over all I would say just for day to day use it is a good deal. Like I said though I have only had it installed for a week now and have put maybe 150 miles on my car since then...if anything goes south with it I will update...

Looking at your pictures with the coolant recovery tank,isnt this suppose to be a closed/pressurized system with a pressurized radiator cap ?

Not sure if you are suppose to use a rad cap,with a vent in it.

Looks good though,hope it is working for you.

 

[fishy68]

Looking at your pictures with the coolant recovery tank,isnt this suppose to be a closed/pressurized system with a pressurized radiator cap ?

Not sure if you are suppose to use a rad cap,with a vent in it.

Looks good though,hope it is working for you.

That's not a vented cap I don't think. Looks like one of the lever vent caps. They still pressurize the system like a normal cap. The lever is just to release the pressure slow and easy so the coolant don't come spewing out.

 

[fishy68]

I bought the same radiator from Leadfoot Racing for my 67 Dart who is a seller on Ebay. I went to his house and picked it up. I need to pull it out of the box and check it out. Damn this is not good news.

Yes check it real good right away. I did a Google search and found several guys have the same problem i have with mine. Some seem to be fine though. You might know my luck is to get a defective one.

 

[Mad Dart]

Yes check it real good right away. I did a Google search and found several guys have the same problem i have with mine. Some seem to be fine though. You might know my luck is to get a defective one.

I checked mine out it is not twisted at all and the mounting holes line up correctly and the Radiator is level. The radiator is about 1" shorter than the stock one though. I hope it doesn't leak. Think I should have it pressure tested? Maybe I should install it on the 70 Dart and see if it leaks?

 

[fishy68]

I checked mine out it is not twisted at all and the mounting holes line up correctly and the Radiator is level. The radiator is about 1" shorter than the stock one though. I hope it doesn't leak. Think I should have it pressure tested? Maybe I should install it on the 70 Dart and see if it leaks?

Sounds like you got lucky and got one of the good ones. It seems to be a 50/50 shot of getting a good one. I really haven't read much about them leaking but it wouldn't be a bad idea to check it.

Got a question 4 you about mounting. Are your mounting holes a different spacing on one side to the other? I noticed on my 68 Cuda the pass side mounting bolts are 14" center to center and on the drivers side they are 14-3/4" center to center. The new Champion radiator mounting holes are the same on both sides at 14-3/4" center to center (give or take a smidgen). I had to order a radiator for an early 70's Dart cause my car has been switched to the newer style timing cover and water pump. If the radiator core support changed along with the newer 70's models that might explain the mounting issue with mine. That's easily remedied though. Unlike all the other problems.

 

[Mad Dart]

Sounds like you got lucky and got one of the good ones. It seems to be a 50/50 shot of getting a good one. I really haven't read much about them leaking but it wouldn't be a bad idea to check it.

Got a question 4 you about mounting. Are your mounting holes a different spacing on one side to the other? I noticed on my 68 Cuda the pass side mounting bolts are 14" center to center and on the drivers side they are 14-3/4" center to center. The new Champion radiator mounting holes are the same on both sides at 14-3/4" center to center (give or take a smidgen). I had to order a radiator for an early 70's Dart cause my car has been switched to the newer style timing cover and water pump. If the radiator core support changed along with the newer 70's models that might explain the mounting issue with mine. That's easily remedied though. Unlike all the other problems.

Well Tracy, I haven't measured it but I will tomorrow and post my findings.
I will measure the core support and the radiator.
I also bought their electric fan so I will not be using the stock shroud. I will be using a temp activated switch in one of the water jackets of the intake manifold and wiring in a Bosch Relay directly to the battery that is triggered by the ignition key to take care of the additional electrical draw.

 

[lead69]

This is a good thread to read,Ive heard alot of good about these radiators and the few bad ones Ive heard about (twisted) were exchanged for a good one with no problems.Could it be the shipping thats twisting them?,at any rate I was about to pull the trigger and try one out,any one know how they would work with a factory shroud?.

 

[fishy68]

Well Tracy, I haven't measured it but I will tomorrow and post my findings.
I will measure the core support and the radiator.
I also bought their electric fan so I will not be using the stock shroud. I will be using a temp activated switch in one of the water jackets of the intake manifold and wiring in a Bosch Relay directly to the battery that is triggered by the ignition key to take care of the additional electrical draw.

Sounds good. No hurry on getting the measurements. I was just curious to see if Ma Mopar made the core supports different on the 70's cars.

This is a good thread to read,Ive heard alot of good about these radiators and the few bad ones Ive heard about (twisted) were exchanged for a good one with no problems.Could it be the shipping thats twisting them?,at any rate I was about to pull the trigger and try one out,any one know how they would work with a factory shroud?.

Mine won't work with the factory fan shroud even though they are advertised that they will. The core on the Champion radiator is a bunch shorter than the stock radiator so the fan shroud overlaps the hose fittings. See picture below. The angle of the picture makes it look like the fan shroud dwarfs the radiator but it's really not that much diff. The width is right. Just the height is off. Being a direct bolt in and using the stock fan and shroud was one of the reasons I bought the Champion radiator. Too bad it didn't work out.

I don't think mine got twisted in shipment. It wasn't double boxed but was very well padded. The box shows no signs of any damage at all.

 

[lead69]

Sounds good. No hurry on getting the measurements. I was just curious to see if Ma Mopar made the core supports different on the 70's cars.



Mine won't work with the factory fan shroud even though they are advertised that they will. The core on the Champion radiator is a bunch shorter than the stock radiator so the fan shroud overlaps the hose fittings. See picture below. The angle of the picture makes it look like the fan shroud dwarfs the radiator but it's really not that much diff. The width is right. Just the height is off. Being a direct bolt in and using the stock fan and shroud was one of the reasons I bought the Champion radiator. Too bad it didn't work out.

I don't think mine got twisted in shipment. It wasn't double boxed but was very well padded. The box shows no signs of any damage at all.

Thanks for the info fishy,I will have to think about this a bit.

 

[fishy68]

Thanks for the info fishy,I will have to think about this a bit.

No problem lead. Just got word back from the guy I bought mine from that he hasn't had any luck with Champion on remedying this and I may have to send it back for a refund. Looks like I'll probably be out money (return shipping to CA) and labor on this deal. Good luck finding what you need.

 

[superdart]

..and am I to understand the Champion is the same radiator that Shephard is selling?

Not good......

*EDIT*

Scratch that....the two radiators look totally different other than both being aluminum. I'll wait to get some more feedback from the first two victims. If the radiators seem to work well, I might spring for one of the Shepard units. If not, I may break down and get a dual pass radiator. Not sure if I need it, but I'm to the point that I want to make absolutely sure I can drive in any temp and not have issues.

 

[74swinger360]

Just an update for all you guys wondering about the shephard radiator. I have been driving it daily since my cherokee broke down with no shroud. It is a mild 360 and i have been up to 190 degrees at the highest. The holes did not line up right away but a little drilling in the radiator mounts easily fixed that. I havent had any leaking problems like with the champion. Any other questions let me know. It has been pretty hot here in cincinnati so over all i would recomend this radiator.

 

[fishy68]

Just an update for all you guys wondering about the shephard radiator. I have been driving it daily since my cherokee broke down with no shroud. It is a mild 360 and i have been up to 190 degrees at the highest. The holes did not line up right away but a little drilling in the radiator mounts easily fixed that. I havent had any leaking problems like with the champion. Any other questions let me know. It has been pretty hot here in cincinnati so over all i would recomend this radiator.

Guess I didn't catch that earlier but you say the Champion radiator leaked?

 

[bremereric]

I got this crossflow one from Summit $329.00....and then I did this with it...

A chevy HHR fan....

Details in the big block forum.....8)