I am thinking of getting a Griffin radiator. I heard the 22X19 fits the best.

Now my first question is that the Ford 22X19 Or Chevy 22X19?

Are the openings for the radiator hoses on the same side?

If I have garage install it for me how much am I looking at for the install?

If I decided to install it myself what kind of problems am I looking at and what tools will I need?

Thanks!

 

Ask Dave from FC3S.ORG He has this radiator (CHEVY) in his Project 86 with a Turbo conversion. Im also thinking of using the same radiator.

Anyone else have any good answers???..

 

I have the Griffin 22X19 universal in mine. It isn't amde for ford or chevy, just universal. The fitment is good, but I regret not getting the 24X19 due to the fact that the 22X19 is not as wide as the stock one. The stock one is like 23" or so. Anyway, the 22X19 works fine, even under track conditions. Most racers either use those or other big block domestic radiators due to the cooling capabilities.

The neck on the bottom works same as stock. The top is on the other side though, so you have to rig it up. I'll post some pics at the end of the post to look at regarding what I mean.

I don't know of any garages around here that would install that radiator in any of my cars, so it's hard to estimate the labor. I would estimate that it took me about 1 hour to install. You will also need to buy an electric fan to run, as the stock fan shroud won't fit without major fabrication. I recommend the Flex-a-Lite Black Magic universal fan.






There are other pics at my site under the Project 86 section. Feel free to write me with any specific questions. Good luck!

 

I heard the hole on the bottom was bigger then stock and you need to fit a reducer hose on or something? ture?

I assume heater hose attaches like stock too?

 

Good points on stuff I had forgotten! The end on the radiator is about a 1/4" bigger. I got a general sized hose that was similar in shape and it works fine. The other way is to do the same type of mod as the top hose, just with smaller pieces. And no the heater hose does not fit, as there is no flange for it. I don't use mine though.

 

I assume no place for coolant sensor or warm up one either.

what do people do who keep heater?

 

how did you mount the rad?sorta looks like you just used zipties...i'm have a griffin that i will be installing in my car soon,i was thinking i would have someone weld some brackets on there so i can mount it real good,but,i'm very open to ideas here.
thanks
david

 

I used a 20" x 19" in mine, and I really wish I had gone larger. I also used a Howe instead of a Griffen. The radiator in Dave's pics has the Chevy hose configuration. The Chevy configuration has the lower hose on the correct side, and the upper on the wrong side. The Ford hose configuration has the upper on the right side, but the lower on the wrong side. As you can see, it is easier to adapt the upper than the lower... get the Chevy style.

I had "ears" welded on to the side of my radiator and drilled holes for the stock rubber mounts. As soon as I get a scanner working again, I will post pics of the process.

On the lower hose, I cut the lower "neck" off my stock radiator and spliced it into the lower hose to give a place to connect the heater hose. I also used a slightly larger hose from the radiator to the old plastic "neck" section due to the larger "neck" on the Howe radiator. I used a shortened stock hose to go from the plastic "neck" to the motor.

On the upper, I used 2 45-degree hose sections, and a length of chromed brass drainpipe (the kind you find under your sink) to make basically what Dave shows in his pics.

I'm overall very pleased with the results, although it tends to run a bit hot in traffic with the A/C on. I think that is due to the Perma-cool fan, not the radiator. I'll be trying a different fan soon, although I haven't had this problem lately due to it's been cooler and I've had the A/C off and the top down.

Brad

 

Hey bro. Griffin will custom make a radiator for you and it doesn't cost much more if any. So what I would do is just call them up. Scott Neville of Spin racing has a griffin radiator on his second gen with a 20b in it. In my opinion Griffin is the best, but get one made specifically for your car. Griffin has the deminsions on hand.

 

I had the same problems with mine Brad when I had an el-cheapo fan on it when I drove hard. Now I have a Black Magic fan and I can race on a track with no overheating water temps.(oil temps are a different story though )

I did infact use zipties as you can see, but those were basicly just fail safes. I drilled small holes in the upper lip of the radiator and screwed that into the front cross member. Eventually I will be upgrading to either a 24X19 or larger since it is a track car, therefore I haven't getten down and dirty to really mount it with some nice mounts

Brad, got any pics of how yours looks? Would be cool to see your setup.

 

This is an old thread but the Griffin raditor people have a chevy
24x19 modified with both top and bottom appatures on the passanger side. it is part #128-202 and the quote was $315.
It still may require some work but it seems a good price.

 

Depending on how close the radiator is to the orignial (ie mounting points, fitting diameters, etc.), you are probably looking at $75-300 USD for the install.

It would be an easy install if you get a radiator that mounts in the stock location and has the same diameter fittings as the original. If the aftermarket radiator doesn't have the same size fittings as the original, or doesn't have the same (if any) mounting brackets, then you are in for a little more work. You will also be in for more work if the aftermarket radiator doesn't allow the use of the factory fan shroud, in which case you would probably need to install an electric cooling fan. Be sure to get a radiator with a fitting for the heater hose if you plan on using your heater.

If you don't have them yet, here are some tools that you will need on this project, and they will come in handy for just about any other work on your RX-7.
Multi-Tip Screwdriver Set
Metric 3/8" Socket Set (Be sure to get 8, 10, 12, 14, and 17mm)
Metric Open-End Wrench Set (Same sizes as socket set)
Also, a hydraulic floor jack and jack stands would be good to get.
If you don't have any tools to speak of at this time and you can afford the initial cost, it may be better for you to bite the bullet and get one huge tool set, as you will probably get a better deal this way. Larger sockets and wrenches, a torque wrench, and many other common tools will be needed for other projects.

Hey Spawn, thanks for the nice polishing job.

I think that 99% of the people in this world have a bolt-on mentality that causes them to accept inferior products that appear "easy" or "complete", rather than getting off their rear ends, taking some measurements, and making a phone call to get a superior product. You would be surprised how many people are shocked to find out that Griffin will make a custom radiator with custom fittings.