-----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Clint Hooper Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2003 5:57 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [Chevelle-List] New radiator
Permit me to ask the obvious dumb question as to what other two radiators have you had and why were you dissatisfied with them? Just curious,plus I might not want to make the same mistakes, if that's what they were, Herb. BTW,that's a beautiful set-up you bought from RD. If it cools as good as it looks, your cooling problems should be over. Clint Hooper LT5 Registry Director http://www.LT5Registry.net/ ACES #1650 http://dalesplace.com/misc/friends/clint_hooper.htm I hate to bore everyone with this story but I'll try to make it as short as possible... For quite a while I was using the original 6 cylinder radiator. A couple days before transferring from St. Pete, FL. to Arlington, VA., I decided to check the coolant. While the engine was running, I set the rad cap on top of the rad tank. While I was filling a jug with water, the hood decided to slam shut. When it did, it knocked the rad cap into the engine driven fan which then slammed the cap into the radiator core and put a decent size hole in it. Hallelujah, I have a valid excuse to buy that aluminum Griffin radiator I've always wanted! After I got to VA, I ordered a new Griffin with 1.25" tubes. Naturally the bigger tubes were custom order only and I had to wait 5 or 6 weeks to get it. When it finally arrived I was in a hurry (first mistake) to install it but my wife had other plans and I told her it would only take a few minutes (second mistake). A long time ago when I was upgrading things on my Vette, I switched from an engine driven fan to dual electric ZR-1 fans. Because I hadn't upgraded the alternator I had ongoing electrical problems because of the fans. I eventually sorted it all out and the fans now work great. Anyway, I wanted to avoid that problem with the Elky and I chose to use an engine driven fan. Because we all know a fan needs a shroud to work right, I ordered a plastic reproduction shroud (third mistake). In my rush to get my cool Griffin (no pun intended) installed, I didn't notice the tight fit between the fan blades and the cheesy shroud (fourth mistake). After everything was in place I jumped in the Elky and fired her up. Less than a minute into the engine running, I hear this very loud shriek (kinda like when you drag your fingernails down a chalkboard) and the engine stopped running like it seized up. Much to my dismay, when I looked under the hood, a couple of the fan blades had impaled themselves into the core!!!! Apparently the clearance between the fan blade tips and the shroud was too small and when I revved the engine (it was cold) the fans blades hit the shroud and bent back into the core so hard it killed the engine. My wife and I have been together since '91 and she's never gotten mad at me before no matter how stupid I was or what I did. But let me tell you, when you destroy a $800 radiator in less than a minute after installing it, I don't think "mad" even begins to describe my wife at that moment. Definitely not something I want to repeat any time soon! Anyway, because I didn't have $800 to blow on another Griffin I opted to down grade and I bought a copper/brass Desert Cooler from U.S. Radiators. It only cost $400 so it was a deal. Since my wife is the coolest ever, she knew I wasn't happy with the copper radiator and she told me to order another aluminum rad if I really wanted it. Another $800 later brings us to today - I have a new Ron Davis Racing Radiator with a fan shroud and aluminum overflow tank. Sitting in my garage without a home is a Griffin that has been repaired (even though the repair is ugly) and a slightly used Desert Cooler. So now you're all up to speed on my most costly mistake yet! Herb Lumpp http://users.adelphia.net/~hlump/ ----------------------------------------------------- To Unsubscribe please visit www.chevelles.net/list.html To start a new topic, send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
