Cleaning Radiator

[Rob Liebbe]

How about I just T-bone another car full throttle in 2nd gear?

It hasn't overheated since then!

[BryanL]

The LT1 is 30-40% thicker than the LS1. So if my Ls1 was working good until it got clogged up I think the LT1 would work just fine. There is an extra port like Mitch said that people epoxy up. The previous owner used the built in trans cooler for an engine oil cooler with modified lines/fittings. See the pic below. Some say not to use the trans cooler as an oil cooler but I haven't had any issues. I have another stock LS1 auto radiator in the garage. I'm going to see how hard it is to get the fittings swapped but it is clogged up so getting a stock LT1 might be in my future. Any of you LT1 guys have an extra one sitting around I could try out sometime? Much cheaper/easier than buying a custom rad with built in oil cooler and have to fab up mounts/fans/shrouding.

I'll try the suggestion from the champ, too. Did a little of that on the concrete when I was using the air compressor.

Marshall Morgan and the Funky Bunch-I don't think my rad will fit in the oven anyway but thanks for the info.

[y5e06]

those trans cooler ports you are showing are HUGE, respectively. At least in comparison to the stock LT1 rad I have sitting around. If you bought a new LT1 one and it didn't look like what you show there I surely wouldn't use it for an oil cooler. I would expect any new one to only have 3/8" or even 5/16" coil tubes in the cool side tank, not even close enough diameter for proper oil supply w/o acting as a severe restriction.

[Adam Ginsberg]

FWIW, each season when I clean my radiator, all I do is pull it out, flush it, run lots of hose water through the fins from the back (engine) side towards the front, let it dislodge whatever it can, pick the big boogers by hand (best and only way to do it), and reinstall.

[mitchntx]

At Hallett, after my Rob Leibbe impersonation, I used 150psi nitrogen to clean out the fins.

Seemed to work fairly well.

[Adam Ginsberg]

At Hallett, after my Rob Leibbe impersonation.....

Them Dukes, them Dukes!

[BryanL]

those trans cooler ports you are showing are HUGE, respectively. At least in comparison to the stock LT1 rad I have sitting around. If you bought a new LT1 one and it didn't look like what you show there I surely wouldn't use it for an oil cooler. I would expect any new one to only have 3/8" or even 5/16" coil tubes in the cool side tank, not even close enough diameter for proper oil supply w/o acting as a severe restriction.

Well those ports are a bit deceiving. The metal line that goes into them has an inside diameter of 3/8". I'll grab a pic of the setup for comments. I took the quick connect trans fittings off a spare LS1 radiator and the fittings on the lines of my car will work so I would like to keep using these radiators since I have a spare and requires no money.
I did check with Autozone and looked at an LT1 radiator. It is definitely thicker but the port setup for the cooler was much smaller like 1/4" or less and definitely wouldn't work for my fittings.

Banging the radiator and using about 120 psi air pressure did dislodge alot of debris. I had done some of it but not with alot of force. The radiator's now have a little bend in them. It should make a difference I think and if it doesn't cool good enough then its not because its clogged up. So I pulled the lower radiator deflector and will get a new one then see about adding an extension. I lost my front grille cover awhile back and the bumper support has been slotted. So there is likely air coming through the two grille openings and pushing on the factory plastic shrouding. I doubt it can push enough to restrict the airflow from below but its possilbe. So now that shrouding the radiator is legal I want to build one.

Any suggestions for material, tools needed, and how to build a custom radiator shroud?

[y5e06]

plastic
http://pitstopusa.com/i-5067753-alls...ack-10-ft.html
local dirt track shops probably have it also.
also useful in building that radiator deflector.