Best place to get a new radiator with electric fan setup?

Joebio · 06-25-2003, 11:41 PM

Found a hole and some leaking antifreeze in my 71 coupe, I could do a Bubba fix but with it being the original one it is only a matter of time.

Smokehouse69 · 06-25-2003, 11:59 PM

DeWitts is the place to get a very good setup of fan and radiator combo. Tom DeWitt sells a dual 11" Spal setup that slips in very easily. Tom is a forum supporting vendor and will set you up right. http://www.dewitts.com

SAMMAN · 06-26-2003, 12:03 AM

:iagree:

You won't be dissapointed

pws69 · 06-26-2003, 08:02 AM

Quote:

:iagree:

You won't be dissapointed

:iagree: :thumbs: Totally agree...

AlwaysWave · 06-26-2003, 09:40 AM

Quote:

:iagree:

You won't be dissapointed

:iagree: :thumbs: Totally agree...

Another :iagree:

hauk · 06-26-2003, 10:01 AM

Go with DeWitt,I just finished my install and the results were very satisfactory,If you call DeWitt speak to Tom (the other guy was not helpful at all and did not seem interested in my questions) :hurray:

Eddie 70 · 06-26-2003, 10:31 AM

I called DeWitts and got Tom on the phone. He was busy so he took my number and called me back. We talked for probably 20 minutes. He is very knowledgeable about radiators. I told him what mine was doing and he knew exactly. Any way he set me up with a drop in radiator(aluminum just like stock) with 16inch spal fan and now my car never runs over 195. This is when the fan kicks in and it will cool it back down to 185 and the fan will shut down. Going down the road at 75 MPH my car turns 2700 RPM. I made a 20 minute run the other day and it stayed right on 180. No problems. I would recommend DeWitts to anyone. Not the cheapest, but certainly well worth it.

[Modified by Eddie 70, 9:32 AM 6/26/2003]

Jay M · 06-26-2003, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Go with DeWitt,I just finished my install and the results were very satisfactory,If you call DeWitt speak to Tom (the other guy was not helpful at all and did not seem interested in my questions)

I've spoken to the "other guy" a couple of times. If he were the first person I spoke to there I would have never called back. But I did get quite a bit of time with Tom. He was very helpful.

The rad is still in the garage, I hope to install it with the new engine this weekend!!

I ordered the Aluminum rad with dual Spals and the wireing harness. It is a beautiful kit. It was very well packaged and comes with good instructions.

Based on that I would recommend Tom Dewitt. If the other guy answers, just hang up and try again ;)

~Jay

467-Ratman · 06-27-2003, 07:41 AM

My 2 cents worth, give the guys at BeCool a try. They too are very helpfull on the phone and have a great product. My setup is a BeCool radiator with twin Spal fans and it came with their wiring harness . They sell a complete module system for about $1000 total I think, well worth it. Check out http://www.becool.com

Tom DeWitt · 07-03-2003, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Not the cheapest, but certainly well worth it.

[Modified by Eddie 70, 9:32 AM 6/26/2003]

Thanks for the nice words from you and everyone else. But to comment on the quote, I think we are the cheapest. The C3 rads are $495 and the fans are on sale for $344 with makes a kit cost $839. Ecklers sells the bc package for over $1100. We don't charge for brackets and we make four (4) different "direct fits" for the 69-82 era, so NO modifications.

PS I'll work on the "other guy"!

www.dewitts.com

467-Ratman · 07-03-2003, 10:56 PM

I am very sure that the product Tom DeWitt sells is first rate, about the only difference between the Griffin and the BeCool unit is the later does not use epoxy in the construction, other than that I think they are about the same?

Joebio · 07-04-2003, 07:34 AM

Tom

Can that fan be added to another radiator that is not of from your company?

flynhi · 07-04-2003, 09:46 AM

Joebio,
You can use Tom's Spal fans on another radiator such as a Griffin universal. However, your will have to fabricate mounting brackets and have your local radiator shop modify the inlet and outlet necks to get the proper angle for hoses. By the time you do all this, you will spend more $ and a lot more time.

You're better off to buy Tom's package.

Bobchad · 07-04-2003, 10:34 AM

Quote:

If you're tight on funds, a replacement radiator is $260 from the The Last Detail in Atlanta. I don't believe they sell the fans though.

Isn't a recore of the stock radiator with an added row even cheaper.

Tom DeWitt · 07-04-2003, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Tom

Can that fan be added to another radiator that is not of from your company?

Sure it can! The key to our "Direct Fit" fan package is that it is designed to fit a "stock" factory type GM original radiator first. The GM radiators used a very strong upper and lower steel channel that had four bends in it. This allows you to simply place the fan package onto the radiator and drive the self tapping screws into the hollow channel, no brackets.

When we created our line of "Direct Fit" radiators we decided to keep that original design so the fan packages would fit on both copper and aluminum replacement radiators. Griffin also uses this type of channel.

The fan is designed to fit cores with at least 23.5" (width) of open core area and 17-17.25" (height) when measuring fin area only. (not the channel)

Tom DeWitt · 07-04-2003, 10:58 AM

Quote:

I am very sure that the product Tom DeWitt sells is first rate, about the only difference between the Griffin and the BeCool unit is the later does not use epoxy in the construction, other than that I think they are about the same?

Actually, they're not the same. You right about the epoxy, becool doesn't use it and neither do our aluminum radiators. Some of the differences you missed are modifications. B/C offers only one model for the 69-82 era. They also fabricate the tanks from sheet metal and tig weld all the corners. Griffin and DeWitts use "press formed" tanks and offer a model for each application.

A63 = 68-72 SB 18.5" (with surge tank)
A66 = 68 BB
A69 = 69-72 BB 27.5"
A70 = 69-72 SB 26"
A73 = 73-76 27.5"
A77 = 77-82 26.25"

We offer (6) six different models for the C3. The above radiators are all totally different. I can't imagine trying to use one for anything but the year it was intended to be in. The tubes are all different sizes and point in different locations.

mrvette · 07-04-2003, 11:03 AM

There is NO question in my mind that DeWitts system is most likely the best out there, and for high output engines, BB's etc.....it's certainly the most likely to cure any problems.....BUT, for us guys, myself included, on a super tight budget, there are other solution...but for engines less than say 400 hp....
or small blocks, mostly....
I use a radiator from an '89 camaro...same core size, 1/2 the thickness fo Toms unit there, plastic tanks....sellf for 150 bux or less....and take a cut up stock shroud make some simple mods and insert a 16" fan from like an '87 vette, works fine....cools nicely, good a/c even on HOT days...over 100f on the roads in bright sunlight dogging through traffic, it will hit 212 but not go over....

NOW the downside of my solution....fair warning to anyone with an older aluminum radiator.....
I put in exactly as described 7 years ago up north in Maryland, drove for a year up there, no problems....came to florida in '97, drove for about 3 years more, no problems.....
about the time I installed the aluminum heads on the car, I started having a VERY insidious failure....loosing water all the time at a consistant rate, could NOT for the life of me figger where is was going.....finally got so hot one day, it blew a head gasket, #8 cylinder on the lower bottom corner, well I sold the aluminum heads figgering I wanted the iron head greater reliability, so I put the iron heads on, and the same exact symptom....slo loss of water during the week, then it became it would last just a few days....every morning I"m out there checking, and that damn thing would be lower on water then I thought it should be....fill it up, run fine all day...NO evidence of leaking anywhere....meaning NO WHERE.....

FINALLY here about 3 weeks ago in the driveway, I saw ONE drop of water under the driver's side.....I cussed, and pulled that radiator IMMEDIATELY, stuck it on the trash can so I could see it, and found an absolutely microscopic pin hole leak in it....so small the water would evaporate and never leave any visible marks....I about freaked out....I cleaned up the area and drove it with exoxy patch for about 2 weeks.....then it started loosing water again....still NO evidence of leaking....

replaced it with a MOdine from down the street with lifetime warrenty, supposedly....and well, we shall see, but the thing NOW for the first time in 3 years now holds reasonable water level...IE loosing NONE....

I think maybe GM radiators get porous in their old age, and thin enough to pass water but not actually fail enough to leak so as to be seen....drive me crazy.....first time ever messing with aluminum radiators....

GENE

Tom DeWitt · 07-04-2003, 12:20 PM

This thread was "the best place..." not "the cheapest way out" You might want to start a new thread.

Schmucker · 07-04-2003, 03:04 PM

Quote:

This thread was "the best place..." not "the cheapest way out" You might want to start a new thread.

I don't know, using easy to find, cheaper GM parts certainly sounds like a better way to do things then wasting two weeks pay on a radiator unless the high end radiator is absolutely needed, but most street cars don't need it.

427V8 · 07-04-2003, 05:10 PM

Oh now don't get yer panties in a bunch.
There are many definitions of "Best"

Besides an informed customer is a happy customer.

Quote:

This thread was "the best place..." not "the cheapest way out" You might want to start a new thread.