All-aluminum radiator from eBay?

[GnatGoSplat]

Plastic end tank has a crack on my 89 radiator (2.8L) so I need to replace it.

 

Anyone ever tried one of those all-aluminum radiators from eBay?

This one supposedly fits my 89.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-RADIATOR-/111637933311

 

Better pics here (not the same seller, but looks like the same design):

http://www.shepherdautoparts.com/all_aluminum_radiator/oldsmobile/cutlass_supreme/1989.html

 

The pics looks like everything (inlet, outlet, trans cooling lines, etc) is approximately where it should be, possible fitment issue would be the inlet appears to stick straight out 90-degrees while the plastic tanks it's angled almost 45-degrees.

 

None of them have a brand name, they all have the name of the seller's company listed as the brand name, but they all look the same in the photos.  Not O'Reillys, Autozone, nor Pep Boys carries anything even resembling this.

 

Both radiator failures I've had on 2 different W-bodies have been a crack in the plastic end tank.  Searching the forum, a lot of people have also had a leak between the aluminum and plastic.  Seems like all aluminum with the AL tanks TIG-welded to the core would solve both potential failure modes.  Not to mention it's about $30 cheaper (though about $25 more than eBay radiators w/plastic end tanks).

 

Experiences?  Thoughts?

[55trucker]

I've not been *lucky* enough to have a tank failure,

 

the gaskets do fail, one can get both the tank and the gasket to do a replacement or take the rad to a rad shop to have them replace the gasket/and or tank (in your case).

 

http://www.plastank.com/plastankcd/index.html

 

 

 

Interesting how of those two aluminum rads the less expensive rad is larger in mass (thicker core) and is much heavier. They do look good.......

[Imp558]

Wow, that's a cool find. I'd be curious how the lifetime warranty works but that may be my next radiator.

[GnatGoSplat]

Unfortunately, I think I might have to go with plastic.  The inlet not being angled 45-degrees on the aluminum one looks like it may be a problem getting the hose to fit right with the stock airbox, and I don't want to swap out the stock airbox or have to mess around with fitment issues.  I wonder why they didn't think the 45-degree angle was important.

[vipmiller803]

The inlet not being angled 45-degrees on the aluminum one

You mean outlet?

[GnatGoSplat]

You mean outlet?

 

Hmm, well now I don't know.  Isn't the upper rad hose where hot coolant goes into the rad, so that would be the inlet?

It's the upper one that needs to be 45-degrees so the molded upper rad hose can go around the bottom of the stock airbox.

 

I really like the idea of an all-aluminum radiator, especially the cheaper Shepard Parts one has a thicker core, but I don't really want to go to an aftermarket airbox and mess with hose routing just to get it to fit.

[94 olds vert]

I think I have an Aluminum radiator in my CS. I can get a pic for you later today.

[vipmiller803]

Hmm, well now I don't know.  Isn't the upper rad hose where hot coolant goes into the rad, so that would be the inlet?

It's the upper one that needs to be 45-degrees so the molded upper rad hose can go around the bottom of the stock airbox.

 

I really like the idea of an all-aluminum radiator, especially the cheaper Shepard Parts one has a thicker core, but I don't really want to go to an aftermarket airbox and mess with hose routing just to get it to fit.

I agree full aluminum does usually appeal more, but for a stock engine, the appeal is mostly reliability. If you just want a larger core, keep in mind that some of our cars came stock with a 1 1/4" core (vs. the 5/8"), which can be had pretty easily from auto parts stores, but then you are stuck with the plastic tanks again. I have that larger core in the buick. Came from a J/Y without me even trying to get the larger core, so they are definitely out there, I just do not know exactly how they got there, something about heavy duty cooling.

[RobertISaar]

LQ1 cars have larger radiators by default.... I believe when you had a 2.8/3.1/3100/3800 car and opted for the HD cooling package, you just got a LQ1 radiator.

 

radiator in/out should always be the inlet is high, outlet is low, otherwise running even slightly low on coolant will starve the water pump. you could also look at thermostat location, you're not going to have a thermostat on the radiator's outlet.

[vipmiller803]

Sorry for any misinfo on my part there...

[RobertISaar]

one piece's outlet is another's inlet... what you stated was accurate for the water pump.

[Turbocharged400sbc]

LQ1 cars have larger radiators by default.... I believe when you had a 2.8/3.1/3100/3800 car and opted for the HD cooling package, you just got a LQ1 radiator.

 

radiator in/out should always be the inlet is high, outlet is low, otherwise running even slightly low on coolant will starve the water pump. you could also look at thermostat location, you're not going to have a thermostat on the radiator's outlet.

 

"mixing" type systems common in all modern cars (less thermal shock) typically does have the T stat system at the lower/pump inlet so that the cold water and hot recirculating water can mix in the pump.

 

our buick systems subject to large swings in coolant temp entering the block...which is fine with iron...not so much with alum....

 

i have a ford shepherd radiator in the waGN, nicely built, easily reworkable as i did (i had to change both upper and lower)

 

this looks to be a good solution...keep in mind zzp likely contracted someone to make theirs.....these may be the supplier finally releasing theirs after some 1-2 year non-compete agreement expired...

[RobertISaar]

if the thermostat were on the pump inlet.... seems like warmup time would be significantly effected(coolant would still loop through the bypass but it seems like quite a bit of heat would be getting lost to the radiator loop before the thermostat ever opens. I guess taking 10 minutes where something used to take 5 is less of a shock). thermostat operation seems like it would become more finicky as well, it wouldn't have coolant constantly passing over the thermostatic element the way a conventional system does....

 

maybe I'm thinking about this wrong, I need to go find some well-known examples.

[RobertISaar]

so, I just spent the past hour looking at cooling systems on modern(and "modern") domestic engines.... of the ~25ish designs I've looked at, GM doesn't have the thermostat on the radiator outlet on nearly anything(the quad4/twincam do, but no other engine design that I picked randomly from ~95 to 05 did), most Chrysler designs do, as do a lot of ford engines.

 

to get the thermostat to act reliably with a thermostat on the radiator outlet, they seem to have their heater core return line dumping coolant directly onto the thermostat. if the heater core plugs, then overheating is pretty much assured. I don't know how much hotter the "wrong" side of the thermostat needs to be to be to open in that instance, but even in a conventional cooling system that causes trouble.

 

in any case, all of the radiators in these systems still receive hot water in their higher connections and supply cooler water out their lower connection.

[l67ss]

I always just run lq1 radiators

[Imp558]

These aluminium ones are less than half the price of the oem style one I put in just a year ago.

[Imp558]

Hey GnatGoSplat, Would this be better?

 

http://www.shepherdautoparts.com/all_aluminum_radiator/buick/regal/1993.html

[RobertISaar]

holy hell, that's cheap..... something seems very wrong here.

[Imp558]

holy hell, that's cheap..... something seems very wrong here.

 

I'm sure it's legit, I just found out not only did I win the Indian lottery, but a rich relative from Britain I never knew passed and left me a fortune. I already sent them both the attorney fees so as soon as the money starts rolling I'm going to order a couple of the radiators!

[Psych0matt]

holy hell, that's cheap..... something seems very wrong here.

lack of demand?

[GnatGoSplat]

Hey GnatGoSplat, Would this be better?

 

http://www.shepherdautoparts.com/all_aluminum_radiator/buick/regal/1993.html

 

Whoah, that's really cheap!

The inlet fitting looks right, but the transmission cooler fittings are on the wrong side.  Not sure, but the mounting locations probably aren't in the same location either.  It probably wouldn't be too much work to switch everything over to a newer setup, but not sure it'd be worth the effort or not.

[Turbocharged400sbc]

 im guessing someone screwed up and put the one trans cooler fitting below the lower radiator hose neck?

for some reason i swear all are above the lower hose to make sure no coolant can ever get into the trans lines during services....

[Imp558]

I switched to a tranny cooler from an exploder, didn't even get to 180 through the Pennsylvania mountain region with the whole family and all of our camp gear.

[GnatGoSplat]

 im guessing someone screwed up and put the one trans cooler fitting below the lower radiator hose neck?

for some reason i swear all are above the lower hose to make sure no coolant can ever get into the trans lines during services....

 

I don't know about that, but the trans cooler lines are on the complete opposite side of the radiator.  Driver side on the 89, and looks like passenger side on the 93.

[Turbocharged400sbc]

yeah but thats a simple fix, ya just need the later trans lines...the 4t60/65 all have the same trans discharge/inlet fitting locations

 

plus if ya need a radiator your trans lines arent too far behind...