by chasgas Fri Jul 05, 2013 6:27 am
if you google 64-66 chevy g10 radiator, several distributors show one from spectra... do not be fooled, it's 24 inches wide and will not fit... don't depend on "application", verify actual dimensions...
i took my original radiator to 3 shops... $360/$380/$420 (plus tax) to re-core it back to a 2 core... all 3 shops labeled it a "cheap" lackluster product... "why so much to renew it", was my question?.. i never asked what it would cost to improve it to a 3 core...
i found several universal fit aluminum radiators that would have worked but the costs were in the $300 and up range...
on one of the forums, a van owner said he used a 65/66 mustang radiator on his 66 chevy g10... required attaching two thin strips of metal to the sides of the radiator to bolt it into place... $135 plus tax, TOTAL... i bought it (autozone) and my heating problems are over... no scoop, no shroud and (so far) i've driven in city traffic, mid-80's... i also replaced the cap and t-stat...
the top inlet on the fords is on the passenger side... simply turn your gooseneck 180 degrees and shorten the hose...
i believe it was on the vintage chevy van club forum where i read the 67+ cougar radiator was wider than the mustang and nearly a direct fit for the generation 1 g10... these radiators have tighter spacing of the cores and the "webbing", are available in 3 and 4 cores and are an improvement from our original factory supplied radiators (my opinion)... unlike the aluminum, these brass and copper radiators also look "original"... all at less than $150...
before i installed the new radiator, i stuck a garden hose down the t-stat opening and ran water through the block and the the heater core... about a teaspoon of rust, a couple of solder pieces from the original radiator and mineral deposits ended up in the bucket placed as a "catch" under the lower hose... better in there than my new radiator...
the skill level required is extremely low..............................................
chasgas
another consideration is timing when dealing with overheating... my van was set at 16 degrees of advance at idle... a previous owner must have thought that each notch was equal to 1 degree (according to a friends chilton, each notch equals 4 degrees)... to compensate for a plugged radiator and severely mistimed engine, he decided to cut out the grille, remove the "scoop"... when this obviously failed, he sold the van...