73dart360
Well-Known Member
I think one of the members sells champion radiators does anyone have a contact for him or anywhere else.
thanks
thanks
who sells Champion radiators on our site
- Thread starter 73dart360
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fishy68
Tyr Fryr's Inc.
Good luck getting a good one for an A-body. The one they sent me not only didn't bolt right in like they said it would, it was warped nearly an inch from one corner to the next. Guess who got to eat $32 to send the piece of garbage back!
cannucky
The Guy With No Birthday
I had to waller out the holes in the flange on mine but it works great , overheated my starter a couple of times in the summer heat and humidity but never overheated the motor since I put it in , only bad things about mine are the mopar shrowd won't fit on it and the rad is too thick for my clutch fan with the 70-up water pump , but the extra cooling from the rad more than makes up for losing both of them .
I have one in my Duster from ChallengerGary, great radiator. I did have to drill a new set of holes like Cannucky mentioned, as the original holes in the Champion radiator flange weren't in the right place. But after that I had no problems at all. I have a 26" 3 core in mine with a high volume water pump and it almost cools TOO well. I had to switch back to a standard 195* thermostat to keep things at the right temperature.
Here's a picture with the additional slots I added to the flanges...
And here it is in the car with the old 318 before my 340 swap...
lou3500
Fla. Cuda Guy
I just installed a Champion 3 core in my 66 Cuda [yes it was warped corner to corner] and the fins had some slight damage [what I call skid marks] which I straightened out. I ordered a 1635 because the inlet/outlet was on the drivers side but the radiators size matched my needs, I installed 2ea. 10 inch fans [recommend using 9 inch instead better fit] due to the radiator being too close to my fan making it impossible to use it or the shroud. I have no leaks and the car runs much cooler than it ever did. Granted I had to modify the mount brackets and drill holes [planned that due to not being made for my application] had to modify my radiator support for my install also. These radiators have gotten good and bad reviews, depending on your budget there are more expensive ones on the market but expense don't always mean quality.
nothingface5384
Well-Known Member
their a gample in reguards to fitment and quality control. ive had 2 both in a week start leeking fluid at the core/fins
theyre chinese made to boot
anyting more then 2 rows made by them is a gimmick
spend a lil extra to get a griffin or becool or something
I would say Alumitech but they sadly closed their doors in beginning of 2013 i believe
theyre chinese made to boot
anyting more then 2 rows made by them is a gimmick
spend a lil extra to get a griffin or becool or something
I would say Alumitech but they sadly closed their doors in beginning of 2013 i believe
Bigdummy
Not a Nova
I bought a Griffin off summit
lou3500
Fla. Cuda Guy
I just did a search for a radiator for a 66 barracuda/valiant/dart [not many direct fit] the ones I could find were 359 plus shipping for a copper OEM replacement [was considering this one] every aluminum one that I found were at least 400 to 600 dollars plus shipping and the inlets were on the wrong side or you have to special order. Some of the folks on this site can afford these types of prices but they forget there are some of us that can't afford to spend that much [no disrespect meant to anyone] if we can spend anything at all [I personally have saved my penny's to make these purchases in the last few months. I love this hobby and I don't wish to purchase overseas junk but I can't spend 4-6 hundred on one item when that would get quite a few things I would like or need. JUST MY 2 CENTS!
fishy68
Tyr Fryr's Inc.
I totally understand not having $400-600 to spend on a radiator. I didn't either and that's why I went with the Champion thinking it would be a direct bolt in like they advertised and at a cheaper price. After the Champion didn't work out I searched Summit's website and found a universal 26" Griffin for less than $200. Had to have aluminum mounting brackets welded on it but that was a piece of cake since I have a welding shop right down the street. The cost was $40 counting the aluminum stock. The core was thin enough that my existing thermal fan worked, just had to buy the universal fan shroud. In the end I have a nice STRAIGHT radiator that cools great for about $270 total, counting shipping and price to have the brackets welded on. Admittedly it's not a direct bolt in, but it seems most everyone I've read that used a Champion had to do some mods anyway and your real lucky if you find a factory shroud to fit one so in the end the difference in work it takes to install a Griffin universal is minimal, IMO
72bluandblu posted he got a good 26" Champion which if I'm not mistaken is a B/E/C-body size radiator as I don't remember ever seeing a A-body with a 26" radiator from the factory. In fact the widest opening in an A-body radiator support I've seen was 22-3/4" wide so to use a 26" wide radiator (downflow style) correctly you'll have to open up the radiator support opening otherwise not much air will pass through the outer parts rendering it pretty much useless.
I'd like to point out that it seems most of the problems I've read about Champion radiators concern the A-body size radiator. Not sure why the majority of the problems surround them. Maybe built at a different factory in China???
Here are some pictures of the supposed direct A-body bolt in Champion I received. 1st and last pics show how warped it was.
Somebody needs a new pair of shoes.
The holes on the 26" 3 core were easy enough to fix, couple of minutes with a drill. And to be fair, my Duster originally had a 22" radiator so I had to drill the holes and weld the backing nuts in place, so I might have been a touch off. That also only took a few minutes, and since I did it myself it was "free".
A-bodies DID come with 26" radiators, because that's where I got my original 26" radiator to drill the holes. It came from a '74 dart with a 318 and AC. It also had a larger opening in the radiator support. I can even post the fender tag. Unfortunately, I knocked a hole in it so I needed a replacement.
As far as the 26" radiator not working correctly with the 22" opening, it's simply not true. Surface area is surface area, and more surface area means better cooling. True, it might not work as well as if the opening was 26". But it will STILL cool better than a 22" radiator. That extra fin area is still exposed to the air, and while it may not get more moving air, the ambient air temp is still cooler than the radiator. And given that I've had to change to a standard 195* thermostat to keep my engine at temperature, I would say it's working.
A-bodies DID come with 26" radiators, because that's where I got my original 26" radiator to drill the holes. It came from a '74 dart with a 318 and AC. It also had a larger opening in the radiator support. I can even post the fender tag. Unfortunately, I knocked a hole in it so I needed a replacement.
As far as the 26" radiator not working correctly with the 22" opening, it's simply not true. Surface area is surface area, and more surface area means better cooling. True, it might not work as well as if the opening was 26". But it will STILL cool better than a 22" radiator. That extra fin area is still exposed to the air, and while it may not get more moving air, the ambient air temp is still cooler than the radiator. And given that I've had to change to a standard 195* thermostat to keep my engine at temperature, I would say it's working.
lou3500
Fla. Cuda Guy
I see the warp mine was the same around and inch top to bottom [worried me that when I tightened it down it would crack]. My problem was two fold my inlet/outlet placement and application I could not find what I wanted in a better brand in my price range. I apologize for being rude! I knew going into my selection I would be modifying it but that's what hot rodding is all about.
My guess is that the fixture [jig] they use to weld them up is either crooked or not clamped correctly or not enough cool down time after welding.
bigtom
Well-Known Member
All I had to do for my dart was to drill two holes for the top screws.. It is working great! Gary recommended which one to get for it. I bought one on Ebay and it was too tall! Talk to Gary!
fishy68
Tyr Fryr's Inc.
It may work better than a 22" but without good air flow past the fins it isn't nearly as efficient as it could be. If surface area is all you need to make it cool why install a fan?
fishy68
Tyr Fryr's Inc.
I was also concerned mine would crack due to the warpage.
I didn't take it you were being rude. Sorry if I made it sound like that.
I'd say your guess is right since so many guys have complained they got a warped 22"
lou3500
Fla. Cuda Guy
It's unfortunate that just about everything available for purchase in this country is made overseas, our country has really gone to hell in the last 30-40 years. I remember when we were worried about stuff that was made in Japan and then Mexico and now that stuff is quality [most of it] compaired to the stuff coming from China. I work for a trailer manufacturer and in the last 8-10 years the powers to be have delt with overseas manufacturers for components we use [cheaper in cost and quality] but we still charge top dollar for our products and our warranty's have increased triple of what they were 10 years ago. We need to bring manufacturing back to the US for the sake of quality and putting our millions of unemployed back to work!!!!
fishy68
Tyr Fryr's Inc.
Totally agree. This morning I was reading a new book I got for Christmas on Carburetors and at the bottom I saw it says "printed in China". We can't even print stuff here anymore I guess!:wack:
lou3500
Fla. Cuda Guy
I suppose our Government is really trying to get everyone dependent on them [I didn't want to believe that but] with a million people running out of unemployment bennies and no jobs that pay enough to support any one it looking like it's true!!!!
dodgedifferent2
Well-Known Member
i got a part number 374 for my 67 dart with a 340. Its a 26" 3 core aluminum rad from champion and it was a bit tall for my application but i lowered the lower rad support down 1 1/2" and the rad fit with some space.
Now i am still waiting for the dual electric fans with the shroud since december. Apparantly they are on back order. Starting to debate on making my own shroud and sourcing electric fans from somewhere else.
Now i am still waiting for the dual electric fans with the shroud since december. Apparantly they are on back order. Starting to debate on making my own shroud and sourcing electric fans from somewhere else.
nothingface5384
Well-Known Member
Yep what's the point of a warranty if you constantly have to eat 30 dollars to return **** only to get **** back?
If it's bad core have to Send back and eat 30..
If your lucky enough to have bad weld on end tank at least you can take it to rad shop and have champion refund repair cost..but who gets that lucky? Lol
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