Hi everyone, my radiator in my 98 Z28 has two small cracks in it (doesnt leak much.) the car doesnt overheat ( i check the coolant level everytime im going to drive it, and add water/coolant as needed) But I am going to replace the radiator. How hard/easy is it to remove/install a radiator into our cars? does anyone have a writeup? Thank you all for your time.

 

It looks hard, but it really is easy. Its time consuming more than it is hard. First time I did it I think it took me like 3 hours, out and new one back in. Taking my time and learning my way through. I take it out every 2 years to clean my condensor and I can do it in 1 hour now.

Make sure when you buy a new one....that you buy an LT1 radiator. Its a 100% direct bolt in, you would never know the difference if you put one in by accident. Believe me, I accidentally bought a new LT1 radiator and didn't know it till it was in. It has ~30% more cooling capacity and it works. It has one extra port on it that you simply cap off with $2.00 in parts and a philips head screwdriver. That port gives you the best radiator flush port too.

This picture I attached shows you the ONLY addition to an LT1 radiator. The one port at the bottom drivers side in the back. I use it now for my flush port. Much better than the little petcock drain.


From memory:

-Put the two front tires in the air on ramps or use a jack with jack stands.
-Unplug the fans
-Disconnect the top radiator hose from the water pump
-Disconnect the bottom radiator hose from the t-stat housing
(no need to struggle disconnecting those two hoses from the radiator, leave them on)
-Disconnect the tranny cooler line if you have it
-Disconnect the small over-flow reservoir hose from the radiator filler neck
-Disconnect the coolant level sensor plug, leave the sensor attahced until you get the radiator out.
-Take the entire factory lid assembly off.
-Take the fan assembly out through the bottom. Smack the bottom with the palm of your hands to get the fan assembly to lift up about 1-2 inches off the hooks that are on the back of the radiator. It will then fall down through the bottom. A friend that can help guide it past everything as it falls down is a big help.
-As soon as the fans are out you will be able to simply lift the radiator straight up and out. The radiator is not bolted anywhere, it just sits on the frame of the car in a slot and at both corners there's little rubber bumps that you will see, they fit into little slots too.
-Thats really it, as far as I can remember. Then just do the reverse to get it back in. It takes a little struggling and fighting with it coming out and going back in, have a friend there to help so you don't have to keep getting up and down moving things all over the place to slide it into place. Be very careful not to touch the radiator surfaces (front and back) while putting it in. If you bend the cooling fins you will decrease the cooling effectiveness. Same with the condensor...don't touch it at all.

I highly recommend you clean y0our condensor while you're in there. It must be dirty as all hell. I would personally drive my car to an A/C shop the day before you plan to do this, have them recover all your refridgerant, then take the condensor out too. Take it to them and have them clean it properly. Put it back in and then put the radiator back in. Then go to them and have them give it back to you.

Check this out, its a thread I did awhile ago about the dirty condensor issue, it'll help a little with pictures abotu the radiator removal. Not the best, but something.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/general-m...ghlight=ls6427



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wow man thank you very much for taking time to write this for me, I really appreciate it, its a big help