Need Radiator for 1973 318 Winnebago Brave

[wbryanh]

Can anyone help me in finding the correct radiator for my 1973 318 Winnie?  Pretty sure this one is a 26" core.  I have found several online that appear to be the same size with the correct hose configurations.  However I am nervous to pull the trigger......


Thanks for the help in advance.

[Rickf1985]

If you can find one in aluminum you will be better off, better cooling and much lighter. A LOT cheaper also.

[BamBam]

Don't be nervous about it. Measure across the top and check all measurements like hoses from the sides and all, even the transmission cooler lines. There's so many companies makin them, do you want or care if it looks original, how much they askin?
As Rick said, you can always go the aluminum route as well, and sometimes for a lot less money. The only problem with aluminum rad's is that the cooling line nipples are also aluminum and have seen them get stripped out, then you have a hassle on your hands to fix that. Good Luck

[wbryanh]

Thank you all for the input.  I have actually found an older post on the forums, where a gentlemen used a little smaller radiator (Champion Cooling 166-CC2375) on his 413 engine and has had positive results.  With mine being a 318, I believe the same mod would work for me.  The hoses seemed to match up and it has the trans cooler.  Only mods he had to make was on the upper brackets. 


What do you think?

[BamBam]

I do know that with some aftermarket rads that you may have to drill a hole, or do some grinding, etc. to make it fit. But at least on the car side of Mopars, the people that have done it say that it's not a major deal to do. Good Luck

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Don't forget the re-core option as well.  A very good radiator shop can "re-core" your radiator, which means they cut off the top and bottom "tanks" and then weld in a new "core" (the part with the cooling fins).  Usually they add more rows of "core" to the tanks, increasing the cooling ability of the radiator.  This way, it is essentially stock, all the mounts and dimensions stay the same, and it is usually cheaper than getting a new radiator (especially the hard to find ones).

Kev

[Rickf1985]

Be careful on the recore option. A friend of mine closed his radiator business after 30 plus years because the only core he could get anywhere near a reasonable cost were coming from China and were half the thickness of the American cores. He found that if you put 16lbs of pressure on them a lot of the time they would balloon the tubes. He was losing more money on warranty work then he was making so he just stopped and went back to doing general automotive repair. He was the one that convinced me to go the aluminum route, he said that are stronger, cheaper and have a better heat transfer coefficient than the copper. And since they are better at heat transfer they can be made with less but wider tubes, hence stronger and better airflow through the radiator.