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| Radiator And Electric Fans |
| 1982 models have a conventional engine driven (with clutch) fan
plus an electric helper fan. A higher temperature 195 degree thermostat is used
to keep the Crossfire Injection happy. The aged cooling system on the car was at best just adequate. Temperatures would fluctuate upward with the smallest amount of motivation. The electric fan is set to come on at a 238F degrees and off at 201F. When air flow through the radiator was limited the temperature would rise to 240F+ quickly. Then it would bounce around between 240 and 220 degrees. The engine compartment got very hot. I thought about replacing the radiator with an OEM or attempting to repair any restrictions but since the long term goal of the machine was to produce some serious power this appeared to be a short term solution. A change was in order. A more efficient aluminum radiator and electric fans was very appealing. Not only from a functional standpoint but also to open up the engine bay for other goodies not to mention the major cool factor of such a set up. |
| Which One To Buy? |
| I shopped around and spent quite some time reading up
on the subject. Got advice from some local guys and a lot off of the Corvette
Forum. Based on this input I was leaning towards the radiator and fan combination from Tom Dewitt (www.dewitts.com). I was in no rush as I had plenty to do to repair everything else I had broken. Then one day a group purchase opportunity appeared on the Corvette Forum. That clinched the deal I ordered the #460 combination shown here. Let me give credit where credit is due, this picture was brazenly stolen from Tom's site. |
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| The Parts |
| The parts arrived in very nice packaging. Everything
looked great. Several things stood out. Picking up the radiator made you feel
like superman. It was so light and easy to move around. I deal a lot with automotive relays and the ones that came in the kit for the electric fan are definitely a cut above. Not only do they look more substantial, they are well sealed and have very long leads with good heavy wire on them. The kit includes the radiator, twin electric fans, fuses, relays, connectors and a thermostat switch to turn the fans on and off. |
| More Radiator Stuff |
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