Gotta cool it down

[SIM GhostrdrZ]

Not sure the dynosteve pricing but Dewitt has Black Friday deal for 12% off and free shipping.
Ordered one for Z28 and ZL1.
ZL1 should be simple swap but not sure about the Z28. I’ll throw them in the parts loft for that time the plastic ones start leaking.

[Z/28Dan]

BTW, forgot to update this thread. My DeWitts is in the car. I am usually a DIYer, but I had to get this in the car before Daytona last month and I did not have time to spend in the garage due to my work schedule. I brought it to Cutaway Creations at Summit point, WV. It took them took two days of effort and fabrication, but it's in.

To say this radiator is made for the Z/28 is really a misnomer. All that really means is the fan mounts and the hose fittings are all in the right places. Theoretically it should fit, right? LOL. It is incredibly tight with the dry sump tank. You'll need to (re)fabricate the lower mounts completely fabricate a new upper mount for the dry sump tank. Which means, you'll pull the radiator in and out at least 4 times.

If you go this route, don't pretend you'll knock this out in an afternoon. It's a big mod, but well worth it. My temps were down an average of 15-20 degrees. Expensive as hell, but in the end I am happy I did it.

[SIM GhostrdrZ]

Originally Posted by Z/28Dan

BTW, forgot to update this thread. My DeWitts is in the car. I am usually a DIYer, but I had to get this in the car before Daytona last month and I did not have time to spend in the garage due to my work schedule. I brought it to Cutaway Creations at Summit point, WV. It took them took two days of effort and fabrication, but it's in.

To say this radiator is made for the Z/28 is really a misnomer. All that really means is the fan mounts and the hose fittings are all in the right places. Theoretically it should fit, right? LOL. It is incredibly tight with the dry sump tank. You'll need to (re)fabricate the lower mounts completely fabricate a new upper mount for the dry sump tank. Which means, you'll pull the radiator in and out at least 4 times.

If you go this route, don't pretend you'll knock this out in an afternoon. It's a big mod, but well worth it. My temps were down an average of 15-20 degrees. Expensive as hell, but in the end I am happy I did it.

Any pics of the install, mainly the brackets they fabricated for dry sump. I mainly got it for the ZL1 as it runs hotter than the Z28(for what do at least, not track). After going thru the rounds of zl1 aftermarket HX’s, I knew these are not simple bolt in. But my goal is to have nice radiators for these cars long term after the OEM plastic ones fall apart and start leaking.

Thanks for the update

[Z/28Dan]

Originally Posted by SIM GhostrdrZ

Any pics of the install, mainly the brackets they fabricated for dry sump. I mainly got it for the ZL1 as it runs hotter than the Z28(for what do at least, not track). After going thru the rounds of zl1 aftermarket HX’s, I knew these are not simple bolt in. But my goal is to have nice radiators for these cars long term after the OEM plastic ones fall apart and start leaking.

Thanks for the update

I'll get some pics later next week and post them up.

[SIM GhostrdrZ]

Just got my Dewitt’s all aluminum radiator. Fantastic quality and looks like a lot of different mounting bosses/brackets for many model choices.
I got 2. Each the same for the Z28 & ZL1. Suppose to be the same part # for all 5th gen Camaros.

[Gouki]

SIMGhostrdr Z, any update on your install? Was it as difficult as described?

[SIM GhostrdrZ]

Originally Posted by Gouki

SIMGhostrdr Z, any update on your install? Was it as difficult as described?

The ones I got are in parts loft in case the OEM hybrid plastic rads ever need replaced.
Z28Dan was suppose to have one in

[AustexaSS]

Here is what I did to fit my DeWitts into my Z/28. Please remember what worked from me may not work for you as we live in an imperfect world where several things being off by 1/16" from OEM could become a 1/4" alignment issue at the end of the line. It is what it is and that is OK and to be expected.

1. I sanded down both the bottom and top rubber isolation mounts by 1/2 of their OEM thickness. If you sand / cut down the lower isolation pads to much you could run into hose rub issues against the frame cross member for all hoses across the bottom of the radiator, but more so the hose leading to the oil cooler mounted to the engine block on the driver's side.

2. I modified the upper dry sump bracket, this involves first bending /beating with a sledge hammer the bracket in a vice to 90 degrees from its OEM 70ish degrees bend as it leaves the sump tank mounting points, cutting the mounting tab off the OEM bracket where it mounts to the core support and welding it back onto a new extended piece of steel to clear the new radiator depth. The OEM dry sump upper bracket is MEGA overkill in robustness but it was there for use so I just matched the material with available steel scrap I had on hand.

3. I clearanced / sanded down with a dremel 2 shroud fins on the front fan housing to clear the core support and 1 shroud fin on the rear fan housing to clear the auxiliary tank on the dry sump.

4. I clearanced an accessory mounting tab on the core support so the OEM auxiliary radiator upper hose would clear when taking the radiator assemblies in and out of the car. You might get lucky and not need to do this.


I am in the midst of a new engine build / install so it will be awhile before I can get around to testing the radiator on track.

You can get this job done in a weekend if you are handy with the wrenches and can measure, cut and weld. I have the hood removed off the car, have it on a lift as you will be working from the top and bottom. I left the front facia on the car as I had no desire to remove it an open another can of worms dealing with body work / alignment issues or monkeying around with fender flares and reattaching them.


Hope this helps someone. Oh, and it took over 4 months to get a radiator from DeWitts as they were on backorder.

[Gouki]

Thank you for the detailed instructions AustexaSS, I'm looking forward to your report on track and lowered temps. I found that with my E46 M3 / E92 M3 replacing the water pump and radiator for new OEM items made quite a difference.