My C&R Radiator installation & findings

[Birdman]

Installation of new double capacity Radiator

New C&R radiator arrives
Rear view


Front View

.
.

Removed deflector from underneath exposing …HE, Condenser, OEM Radiator and Fan /shroud unit
.
.


Connected drain hose to drain

.
.

After removing radiator cover and Front upper grille I disconnected Fan wire connector

.
.
Removed (2) upper bolts holding Fan to Radiator then removed fan assembly

.
.
Removed (4) Condenser to Radiator bolts (2 each side)




.
.
After disconnecting the upper and lower radiator hose’s I removed radiator
.
Side by side comparisons of OEM and C&R Radiators
I weighed both dry…The new C&R weighs 4 lbs more than the OEM does
I also filled both to determine capacity’s
The OEM held approx .75 gal of fluid while the C&R held 1.5 Gal effectively doubling the capacity of the OEM radiator.Here you can see the visual differences

The new radiator filled with water weighs a total of only 10 lbs more over all than the OEM. Not too bad considering the added cooling benefits


.

.

.

.
Remove and save the nut retaining clips for reuse
.

.
Disconnect ECM wire connectors to provide better clearance for installation of new rad.
.

.


Install new Radiator on angle at first ,down towards drivers side to clear AC lines then level out.
.

.
Be sure to fit into rubber mounts at bottom.
.

.
One note of caution : the two upper radiator to condenser front OEM bolts had to be cut shorter to prevent them from going through the radiator tank when tightening them.
Next cut off approx 1” from lower and upper hose’s and reconnect lower hose using new SS clamp.
.

.
.
After cleaning everything up I painted the cut edges for protection.
.

.

.

.

[Joker]

Nice write up! So it's double to size of the stocker?

[TOMMY GUN]

Nice write up.

I don't like the part of cutting on the car.

What is the inline-drain piece in the 4th picture? To flush intercooler?

How much closer to the front pulleys is it? Negligible?

.

[Birdman]

Originally Posted by TOMMY GUN

Nice write up.

(1) I don't like the part of cutting on the car.

(2)What is the inline-drain piece in the 4th picture? To flush intercooler?

(3) How much closer to the front pulleys is it? Negligible?

.

Thanks Joker & TG

Joker: Nice write up! So it's double to size of the stocker?

Yes double the capacity and almost double the cooling cross sectional area.

(1)I didn't like to have to cut anything either but it was only a small amount and easy to do. There is now about 1/8" or less space clearence in that area between the Rad tanks and the cross support. It's better than allowing metal to metal contact to occur which I believe will lead to eventual failure of the aluminum tank.
(2) Yes but more for draining purposes

(3)Not close at all to the pulleys but the aluminum AC lines that run in between the engine and the Fan shroud are close to fan shroud but seems to be OK.

[gr8snkbite]

Great post brother. Instead of cutting those bolts, i used shorter ones. Didn't cut the cross member. Felt it wasn't an issue. That rad is in tight, and ain't going anywhere. I did however put a small piece of rubber between them.

[iceman]

Thanks George for all the detailed notes and pictures as always.

I mentioned to C&R when I was there the other day that we had a guy that usually put up install instructions that were better than what comes with anything you buy. Would you mind if I pirnted this off and took it to them to help develope instructions and perhaps they would be able to include 2 shorter bolts and some type of rubber/sticker thing for the install. They already know about the clips but including this type of thing for the future would be a nice add on for the install I think for the rest of the people that buy them in the future.

I'm going to try to get mine in soon too - I may do it this week but if my rear end stuff gets here on Monday/Tuesday it may wait so I can get to the drag strip on Wed....then over the winter I am putting in the Moroso Intercooler tank, C&R Radiatro, and potentially the C&R H/E depending on the timing for that. I'm also going to pull my headers and X pipe and get them coated to help control the temps under the hood next season. My car has never had any over heating issues even on the 10+ hour drives and hot days at the drags etc. but knowing how we pull timing and lose power the cooling system improvements will really help keep the power we have on a cool morning for a longer time. Once I get the C&R in I'm going to go over and let them have a look too since they don't have one to look at. It's amazing how good the fit is going just off of Dactyl's measurements and details.....A great job by all for sure.

Can't wait to hear your feelings on the temp guage as you drive too....or if you datalog

[Johnny Dangerously]

Great write-up George.

I didn't realize that the OEM unit used plastic headers on the radiator.



`

[BADBOY500]

Well done.....

[TOMMY GUN]

Originally Posted by Johnny Dangerously

Great write-up George.

I didn't realize that the OEM unit used plastic headers on the radiator.



`

I'd venture to say that all factory radiators are built like that now.

Probably easier to produce that way?

.

[SLGT750]

Very nice write up! Just wondering if you could slot the holes for the brackets to shift the radiator back or does it cause other problems?

[Johnny Dangerously]

Originally Posted by TOMMY GUN

I'd venture to say that all factory radiators are built like that now.

Probably easier to produce that way?

.

I agree that it may be easier to produce in addition to being lighter.


`

[Birdman]

Originally Posted by SLGT750

Very nice write up! Just wondering if you could slot the holes for the brackets to shift the radiator back or does it cause other problems?

No ,those top brackets have to be right because the holes in them actually serve to line up the position of the radiator cover so it covers each end of the radiator properly.

[Birdman]

Originally Posted by iceman

Thanks George for all the detailed notes and pictures as always.

I mentioned to C&R when I was there the other day that we had a guy that usually put up install instructions that were better than what comes with anything you buy. Would you mind if I pirnted this off and took it to them to help develope instructions and perhaps they would be able to include 2 shorter bolts and some type of rubber/sticker thing for the install. They already know about the clips but including this type of thing for the future would be a nice add on for the install I think for the rest of the people that buy them in the future.
I'm going to try to get mine in soon too - I may do it this week but if my rear end stuff gets here on Monday/Tuesday it may wait so I can get to the drag strip on Wed....then over the winter I am putting in the Moroso Intercooler tank, C&R Radiatro, and potentially the C&R H/E depending on the timing for that. I'm also going to pull my headers and X pipe and get them coated to help control the temps under the hood next season. My car has never had any over heating issues even on the 10+ hour drives and hot days at the drags etc. but knowing how we pull timing and lose power the cooling system improvements will really help keep the power we have on a cool morning for a longer time. Once I get the C&R in I'm going to go over and let them have a look too since they don't have one to look at. It's amazing how good the fit is going just off of Dactyl's measurements and details.....A great job by all for sure.

Can't wait to hear your feelings on the temp guage as you drive too....or if you datalog

No problem they can even use this post if they want on their web site if they have one.

[TOMMY GUN]

Originally Posted by Birdman

No problem they can even use this post if they want on their web site if they have one.

My fee to do this is only $100.

.

[Birdman]

Originally Posted by TOMMY GUN

Originally Posted by Birdman
No problem they can even use this post if they want on their web site if they have one.

My fee to do this is only $100.



.

Hey !

[Joe G]

Thanks for the great write-up and pics George.


Once again - StangMafia's members are leading the charge and posting great Tech threads.

Great job!!




-

[TOMMY GUN]

You all are making it hard to resist paying $650 for a radiator?


I need to see some real numbers.



.

[Carnut]

Nice. Your post will make it a lot easier to do the install when I take the leap.

[Dactyl]

Originally Posted by TOMMY GUN

You all are making it hard to resist paying $650 for a radiator?


I need to see some real numbers.



.

The real numbers are as follows: SEBRING DATA LOG with STOCK RADIATOR and DELTA T BY-PASS PLUG AVERAGE TEMP 245 DEGREES. During a complete beat down on track.

Installed the C&R Radiator with the same DELTA T BY-PASS PLUG AVERAGE TEMP 198-202 Degrees during beat down sessions at Homestead which FYI, Homestead is a slower track with less high speed passes. These numbers were cross checked during both track events against a 725 Super Snake. He had the same Engine Coolant Temps as I at Sebring. At Homestead, his temps were again in the 240 range and I was in the aforementioned 198-202 range after installation of the new radiator. The numbers speak for themselves.

And if anybody is interested, I had another friend of mine locally in South Florida ask me to order a radiator for him. Well the radiator showed up but he seems to have disappeared so if anybody is interested, I gots an extra one! My friend JAS427 (TS) with the 725 Super Snake also got one of these rads as he not only helped me with the R&D and install but he saw the findings first hand.

These rads are very inexpensive for the time being. These motors get hot. The cooler the better.

Yesterday at Homestead I datalogged a stock GT500 with a C&L CAI. It had been sitting for about 20 minutes. Engine Coolant Temps were 204 degrees. Mine after 20 minutes were 170 on average.

[Birdman]

Van do you run with the bypass all the time or only while on the track?