[pharmer]

I am needing to purchase a new radiator for my '66 chevelle and I am considering a Be Cool. Has anyone had any experiences with these and are they really worth the hefty price tag? Also, do they come as stock replacement with brackets already on them?

Thanks for the help in advance

 

[Pat Kelley]

I have one in my 67 but it's more of a race car than street car. I've not had any problems. Looking in Jeg's catalog, I see they have Griffin aluminum radiators for around $180 in the Circle Track section. These are 2 row, 1" tube designs not 4 row 1/2" designs. There is a varity of sizes and one might be a good fit for your 66. They don't have mounting brackets so you would have to fab something. Might be worth looking into. However, it doesn't look like they have a auto trans cooler in them, so a seperate trans cooler would be needed. Still they are bunches cheaper than a Be Cool. Aluminum rads are very trick but brass/copper rads transfer heat better.

As far as brackets on the BE Cool goes, they are probably no more correct than any replacement radator. In other words, expect to do some drilling or enlarging of holes to get it in and the shroud mounted.

------------------
Pat Kelley
66 El Camino, daily driver
67 El Camino, STRIP/street

 

[66 MYSTERY CHEVELLE]

I would call YEAR ONE....they will get you the closest to correct appearing in a 4 row with brackets...no drilling required, it will bolt right in. Make sure you let them know if it's an automatic or 4 speed car. Only thing is that these rads. are usually painted in an assembly line and so there not the best job, depends if you want it for show or daily driver. If I remember, the prices are somewhere between $180 and $220.00. They are on-line. Also check Ausley's Chevelle...prices may be a bit cheaper, but most all these rads are made by US Radiator. I had my orig. rad. recored by Griffin, $180.00..did a nice job also.

------------------

 

[Wes Colby]

One more idea would be to check in to Griffin aluminum radiators. Two years ago, they were around $75 less expensive than a comparable Be Cool unit and they are the same size (ie. two row 1" cooling tubes). Aluminum units are great radiators, especially in hotter climates.

------------------
1970 Malibu - 383 'Fog Fed' Stroker. Houston, Texas...Gold Member #39
http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/wescolby2.jpeg
Keep America Beautiful - Drive A Brute Force Chevelle!

 

[Bomber '67]

Pat, you are right and wrong on the aluminum vs copper/brass efficiency. Your education will lead you to the different thermal qualities of different metals - but, you also have to consider the physical configuration. I.E., most aluminum radiators have far larger tubes than the copper/brass radiators. Thus for any given radiator width and height an aluminum radiator will have more surface area for more heat transfer - and you save weight as a bonus.

When I was a GM parts man some years ago, I can remember Corvette guys coming in for a replacement aluminum radiator, then leaving when they heard the price, then coming back to purchase the aluminum radiator after the copper/brass replacement they had purchased proved to be insufficient in cooling quality.

------------------
"Bomber" '67 El Camino
Beater comes back to life
350/TH350 14.90 @ 93mph!

 

[DaDon]

I got that Griffin rad that Pat Kelly mentioned and he's right. It's considered a "Universal mount" and comes with no mounting provisions and no mounting kits are available. You have to fab something. You will need a trans cooler also, there's none in the rad. If you don't want to pull the lower hose every time you want/need to drain it, you'll need to add a drainplug/petcock of some sort too. I felt that it was a good deal for the money they asked.

------------------
Don - Chicago 'Burbs
'67 Malibu Street Machine
"Under Construction"
Gold #43
I've heard that the memory is the second thing to go.
I don't remember what the first thing is!?

 

[Pat Kelley]

Something else I just thought of. The Be Cool is a crossflow not a vertical flow. If you have an automatic, you didn't say, the cooling lines attach to the right side tank of the rad high and low instead of to the bottom tank like the original. You will need to modify these lines.

------------------
Pat Kelley
66 El Camino, daily driver
67 El Camino, STRIP/street

 

[MAXX2]

You probably missed the post by Rich/70 SS 454 a couple of months ago. He met a sales rep (Bob Bruning) from AFCO RACING PRODUCTS while at a show in Florida. They offered the entire Team Chevelle the Show Price (Varies depending on your radiator needs).

Both Rich and I have received our radiators. Ours was PN 80110 SR (Aluminum), price was $255.00 plus shipping/insurance of $19.00 It came with 2 outlet holes at the bottom, 1 for drain, 1 for the electric fan sending unit (you might have to tell them you are running an electric fan?). The Radiator Is Beautiful!!!!! By the way, it looks like it will work perfect by just using radiator insulators (If anything, possibly small shims/misc).

Keep watching your replys, then call Bob Bruning at Afco at 1-812-897-0900. They also sell other cooling accessories, plus a large variety of other products for street rods, cars, etc.

Richard and Judy White, MAXX2
Team Member(s) 341


------------------

 

[Bomber '67]

When converting an earlier Chevelle/ElCamino to an aluminum Be Cool crossflow radiator I pondered what to do about the trans cooler lines. If my existing lines were nice I probably would get out my tube bending equipment and reconfigure the lines. In my case the Bomber has a jury rigged radiator from an unknown application, and the trans cooler lines (originally powerglide, upgraded to TH 350 at some point in time)have been twisted into the ugliest mess of tubing imaginable. My solution was to order up a new set of pre-configured trans cooler lines for a newer Chevelle (original with crossflow), and make minor adjustments to fit my application.

 

[David Nafarrete]

I have a Griffin 2 row 1.25" tubes with brackets to directly bolt into my 65. It runs at 180/190 degrees with no fan and a 180 stat. I have an electric fan just in case. The motor is a 10.5cr 406 and it laughs at traffic.

The other day I hit the fans at 190 and kept driving. Next time I looked down the gauge was showing 140. Oops, too cold. So I shut off the fan.

[This message has been edited by David Nafarrete (edited 02-14-2000).]

 

[rb]

Dear Guys...I priced a Be Cool rad at a local shop...met a fine fella ex. record holding drag racer ( Wills Fargo 1960's ) named Bill Kydd...he was displaying at the Detroit Hot Rod Show...lives in my home town...now don't get me wrong, I've always had a nutty desire to be majorly overbuilt in all safety areas, so I priced a Be Cool for a 502...good up to 800 cubes or horses or something, and he wanted 800 plus Canadian bucks...is this a little out of line, or is it my own fault for asking for a special rad...he had at least one reason why it was supposed to be superior to a Griffin...the material used to join the tubes at the end, or at the tank. Whaddya think? Should I just buy an aluminium rad at Ramchargers in Detroit? Thanks R.B. oops, I guess this was someone else's dime...sorry, any thoughts?

 

[70 SS 454]

afco rads are all oven brazed at joints whereas other brands use a resin to mate the core tubes to the tanks....

i prefer the brazed...

------------------
Rich
Cocoa Beach, Fla
Team Chevelle #380
46 but feeling like 20 when i'm in my 70 SS 454
[email protected]
www.chevelles.com/showroom/70_SS_454.jpg