Which LT1 radiator for my '98?
Thread Starter
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Joined: Jan 2004
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From: Castro Valley, CA
Which LT1 radiator for my '98? It's time to get a new radiator in my front mount T67 car and I've seen quite a few threads from guys happy with the LT1 radiator's performance on "hot running" FI setups.
As I understand it, though, there's a few different LT1 radiators out there. Can anyone tell me which one is the best to swap into a '98 Trans Am? I plan on moving/tilting it forward to gain some more clearance at the front of the motor (turbo location).
And if anyone has a recommendation for the hands-down best kick-*** fans to use with this radiator I'd sure appreciate it.
Thanks in advance for the advice,
Rich
As I understand it, though, there's a few different LT1 radiators out there. Can anyone tell me which one is the best to swap into a '98 Trans Am? I plan on moving/tilting it forward to gain some more clearance at the front of the motor (turbo location).
And if anyone has a recommendation for the hands-down best kick-*** fans to use with this radiator I'd sure appreciate it.
Thanks in advance for the advice,
Rich
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,869
Likes: 99
It's time to get a new radiator in my front mount T67 car and I've seen quite a few threads from guys happy with the LT1 radiator's performance on "hot running" FI setups.
As I understand it, though, there's a few different LT1 radiators out there. Can anyone tell me which one is the best to swap into a '98 Trans Am? I plan on moving/tilting it forward to gain some more clearance at the front of the motor (turbo location).
And if anyone has a recommendation for the hands-down best kick-*** fans to use with this radiator I'd sure appreciate it.
Thanks in advance for the advice,
Rich
As I understand it, though, there's a few different LT1 radiators out there. Can anyone tell me which one is the best to swap into a '98 Trans Am? I plan on moving/tilting it forward to gain some more clearance at the front of the motor (turbo location).
And if anyone has a recommendation for the hands-down best kick-*** fans to use with this radiator I'd sure appreciate it.
Thanks in advance for the advice,
Rich
Some say you need an addtional 10 inch puller fan on the driver side if you live in hot climates (TX,AZ,KS,OK) and run AC. Others say just one good 16 inch puller is all that is needed. The determining factor whether you need one or two puller fans in most cases is if you keep and run your AC.
Search for 'Trust' for a very good thread with pics on his setup running both dual and pusher fans if running AC. His car and mine are ATI setups, however. I run two pusher fans and two puller fans with a stock radiator. Trust runs one pusher fan and two puller fans with a custom radiator.
A custom radiator takes more room and impedes airflow. IMO it is cheaper to add a fan or two and run a stock radiator. I removed my BeCool and reinstalled the stock radiator. As long as you get plenty of air to the stock radiator - it will not overheat - even when running AC on ATI setups.
The reason for the pusher fan on the AC condensor is explained in the thread.
Last edited by dlandsvZ28; Mar 9, 2010 at 11:23 PM.
i had an s475 front mount build going , and for max clearance i got a griffin radiator 27.5 x 15.5 x 3. its only 200 bucks and you set it up to sit strait up and down and youve got all the room in the world. i see alot of other guys do this as well.
Thread Starter
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Joined: Jan 2004
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From: Castro Valley, CA
My AC is long gone, the only thing up front is a pretty big Griffin FMIC. Still nobody using an LT1 radiator?
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SLP quit selling LT1 radiators at least 3 or 4 years ago. I happened to get one of the last from Thunder Racing but it came in damaged, they took it back with a full refund, but I was unable to find another one.
The goods news is that I found a new 1997 GM LT1 radiator locally from a radiator distributor for less than half as much ($137) compared to the SLP price. Check Summit ($122) or a local distributor.
The SLP radiator was a 1997 manual transmission radiator. It was not a special made radiator by SLP. The GM 1997 radiator is thicker with more capacity purpose built for the 1993-1997 iron blocks.
The bean counters at GM decided the 1998-2002 radiator could be thinner (about a 1/4 inch) because of the LS1 aluminium block.
This thread contains pics of a comparison of radiator thicknesses.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/generatio...-radiator.html
Tip: If you have an A4, get the manual radiator instead as it will not have the oil cooling tank in the radiator. Runs your A4 lines directly to an external auto trans cooler bypassing the radiator.
The goods news is that I found a new 1997 GM LT1 radiator locally from a radiator distributor for less than half as much ($137) compared to the SLP price. Check Summit ($122) or a local distributor.
The SLP radiator was a 1997 manual transmission radiator. It was not a special made radiator by SLP. The GM 1997 radiator is thicker with more capacity purpose built for the 1993-1997 iron blocks.
The bean counters at GM decided the 1998-2002 radiator could be thinner (about a 1/4 inch) because of the LS1 aluminium block.
This thread contains pics of a comparison of radiator thicknesses.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/generatio...-radiator.html
Tip: If you have an A4, get the manual radiator instead as it will not have the oil cooling tank in the radiator. Runs your A4 lines directly to an external auto trans cooler bypassing the radiator.
Last edited by dlandsvZ28; Mar 24, 2010 at 06:07 AM.
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