I installed one in my 85 GT 2.8 road course car last year. Ran 9 hours of a 15 hour enduro full out and never had a heating issue due to the radiator. Did end up blowing a head gasket.
Just ran a 6 hour enduro yesterday in mid 80 degree heat and 40 mph winds. It ran 180 - 190 deg with no problems at all. Love the radiator. Finished 2nd in our class... Representing the Fiero world... (Did get beat by a MR2 though, that sucked!!!)
------------------ WInning Isn't Everything, Wanting Too Is...
Originally posted by liv4God: Has any one hathese for a few years? How are they now? Will they last a long time? Also, does anyone know where they're manufactured?
I checked the web site, twice now reading everything. They are located in Orange California, but they never say that the products are made there. I emailed them 3 days ago asking where the stuff is made, I got a reply that said, "thanks for asking, we will respond accordingly." There was no answer to my question, and they haven't responded since. I'm not going to buy one until I kmow for sure where they're made.
It's a nice piece of equipment but the aftermarket two row brass unit it replaced in my car appears to have performed better. Despite the additional volume it doesn't seem to drop the coolant temp as fast as the brass unit did. Although I'm dealing with a 3.9L instead of a 2.8L the difference at idle as opposed to load conditions shouldn't be so significant to account for this especially since I've also run a 350 on the stock aluminum radiator which didn't cool nearly as well as the brass unit I'm refering to when both were used on a 2.8L.
If you can find a 2 row brass unit it may not be as pretty but I'm pretty confident it will cool as well if not better in my experience. It's a documented fact that the heat transfer rate is better in favor of brass than aluminum which has the weight advantage. Something to consider.
19 lb cap pressure is a lot, but if your coolant temps aren't getting above 212 deg it's not doing much if anything to keep the coolant from boiling over to use the overflow tank. I believe safe temps go as high as 235-240 deg so you shouldn't vent much if any coolant at or below that range.
Hmm...... so far there are reviews saying the 3 core aluminum cools better than the stock one, some say that the stock ones work just as well as the 3 row aluminum. I suppose I'll have to wait and see for myself when it arrives.
I checked the web site, twice now reading everything. They are located in Orange California, but they never say that the products are made there. I emailed them 3 days ago asking where the stuff is made, I got a reply that said, "thanks for asking, we will respond accordingly." There was no answer to my question, and they haven't responded since. I'm not going to buy one until I kmow for sure where they're made.
A) Pick up a phone. Their number is on the site. B) It says on the site they are an ISO facility, and all their wording implies they build the champion brand radiators in-house in California.
Not that I see why it matters what the location of build is. What matters is quality.
Originally posted by Joe 1320: Hmm...... so far there are reviews saying the 3 core aluminum cools better than the stock one, some say that the stock ones work just as well as the 3 row aluminum. I suppose I'll have to wait and see for myself when it arrives.
The Brass radiator is not stock, and in comparing the 3 row aluminum to the stock single row aluminum radiator, I would hope it cools better considering the cooling medium is the same for both. Had someone posted about an experience similar to mine I doubt I would have purchased it even with the deal I happened across. If you're replacing the OE radiator with this unit by all means you should see an improvement. I just didn't realize how much better my brass 2 row radiator performed over the stock single row aluminum radiator. I will admit it was heavier but definately worth it for the cooling capacity it provided.
I checked the web site, twice now reading everything. They are located in Orange California, but they never say that the products are made there. I emailed them 3 days ago asking where the stuff is made, I got a reply that said, "thanks for asking, we will respond accordingly." There was no answer to my question, and they haven't responded since. I'm not going to buy one until I kmow for sure where they're made.
A "+" for you my friend.
It good to see Americans trying to Buy American Made.
Over the years, I've had several offers to have my parts made in China for a cheaper price. I've not done that & I'd like to think that my small effort has made a job or 2 for an American worker.
I've bought several of these radiators over the years & I've inspected all the packaging on a few of them & haven't seen any "Made In" any Country labels on them yet. I think typically that overseas goods have to be labeled in some was as to the Country of origin. Where as a lot of U.S. goods are not labeled.
I know they work good & I'm going to be sad if I find out they are not of U.S. (or North American) origin.
I admire your attempts to buy American, I only wish more Americans would try to buy American & look out for American workers.
So I sent them an email on Friday, received an voicemail confirming that the radiators are designed in house and manufactured in CHINA. "Thats how we keep costs so low." Glad I asked before I purchased. (Not that I have any money, but someday maybe) Edited because I cant spell !!
[This message has been edited by Gto1966 (edited 06-06-2011).]
i picked up a (hardly) used one got it installed now the tranny line connections are leaking. did anyone have to anything special to the tranny line plugs?
I picked up a 3 core Champion for $ 165.00 shipped on E bay during the Christmas sale. I installed it last week. I followed Archie's suggestions and his slight modifications. Fit in like a glove. I can't tell yet how good it works. Up here in NY right now the car is tucked away in the garage. So far I'm pleased with the product and the fit. At idle the car seems to run about at the same. I'll know more once the car hits the road. .
The 2 row Champion in my Coronet is going on 3 years old, 20K and no problems at all. It even looks prettier than the OEM black painted one. Never even the vaugest hint of getting hot, even on the drag strip at the Mopar Nats or the bumper to bumper street cruise afterwards although it was a hot August day and took 2 hours to go 4 miles.
Okay, my stock radiator burst almost into two pieces. I checked the stamping date on it and it is from 83. ~30 years old is not bad for a stock rad. Anyone still think this radiator is a good choice? I have a 3800SC series II engine.
Just did the install of this radiator. It is not a direct fit unit and requires a bit of fitting as Archie alluded to in his post. In addition to opening up the water outlet end of the top bracket, and cutting the slots wider in the rubber inserts, we also had to bend the other end of the top bracket a bit to allow it to fit over the right end of the radiator. The one that we did was for an automatic and required a bit of heat on the trans oil line fittings to allow them to be broken loose and removed. All and all the job turned out fine but the Champion radiator is a very tight fit and may take you a few tries before you get it right. My 3800Sc did not need a new radiator as it never over heated BUT it is 25 years old. I chose to replace it now rather than allowing it to give out at a remote place far from home. I also know a local guy whos radiator corroded out internally and ended up mixing coolant with transmisson oil. Needless to say after driving a bit, his transmisson gave out- $1500 to repair it. Radiator replacement on 25 year old car=Cheap insurance.
------------------ " THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, custom ZZP /Frozen Boost Intercooler setup, 3.4" Pulley, Powerlog manifold, Northstar TB, LS1 MAF, 3" Flotech Afterburner Exhaust, Autolite 104's, MSD wires, Custom CAI, 4T65eHD w. custom axles, HP Tuners VCM Suite. "THE COLUSSUS" 87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H " ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "
I just received my new champion radiator today. I also have a question about the transmission cooler lines. My car is an 87 duke with a 5 speed. Do I need to cap or plug the fittings on my new radiator since I don't have trans cooler?
No plans on installing an automatic, I just wanted to make sure those fittings wouldn't statically leak or something. Is it just when you hook up the lines for it on an automatic transmission that they actually do anything?
The transmission lines just loop through it. The transmission cooler is in the radiator, and the coolant cools the transmission fluid that passes through it. Here are some good pics of a similar one:
The AE828 is a 2 Row 1" tube design vs the CC828 3 Row .63 tube design.
I know apples to apples 3 row is going to be better than a 2 row. But with the bigger sized tubes in the 2 row and possible better air flow would the AE828 possibly cool better?
fyi I did try calling the manufacture but the AE828 spec info wasn't coming up on their computer (just price and availablity)
Originally posted by Fiero Vampire: I know apples to apples 3 row is going to be better than a 2 row. But with the bigger sized tubes in the 2 row and possible better air flow would the AE828 possibly cool better? )
Not exactly if you consider surface area, two 1" wide rows vs three .63" rows. The 2" wide area will expose more coolant to the fins at one time than the three row. At least now I know why my 3 row likely failed prematurely and the replacement is already showing signs of seepage, made in China. Hopefully the learning curve is at work and they'll start making them better by not using glue as mine appeared to have had the ends attached that way.
Here are the specs I found for it:
Core Dimensions: 15 1/4 high x 20 wide (2 row core) Overall Dimensions: 17 1/4 high x 25 1/4 wide Upper inlet: 1 3/8" located on drivers side. Lower outlet: 1 3/8" located on passenger side.
There are two stock options for the Fiero, a 1" single row and a 1.25" single row so both should do better than stock. I don't recall the 2 row being available when I purchased the 3 row, I would have opted for the 2 row because of the greater total tube width. It's probably more durable also. Looks like the many vendors on Ebay selling the radiator are just copying and pasting specs without review for accuracy as they claim brazing as opposed to epoxy, but then again we were lead to believe American made to.
The $500 Griffin radiator for the Fiero has two 1.25" rows.
[This message has been edited by Joseph Upson (edited 12-10-2013).]
I installed a carb'd 4.9 in my 85 GT and found out it had a single core rad. The poor fans were really working. So I bought a 3 core aluminum and it made all the difference. I can cruise at 160 f and it works fine. The fit was tight though.
I also have a three core Champion radiator installed on a modified 3800 SC Series III engine. It works quite well and was installed using V8 Archie's method with almost no effort. It has been in service for more than two years and I am still happy. I also have one installed on a 383 powered vehicle but have limited run time experience with this unit since I am still restoring the vehicle interior and exterior.
