comparison between GBP aluminum radiator and Alradco

[5280GN]

I have a GBP radiator and dual fan in my car and love it. Temp gauge stays at 180 all day long. Can get up to 190 with the AC on. I have a 180 thermostat too. Just skip the prothane bushings, they don't fit at all.

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[JustABuick]

Thanks! (I didn't mean to hijack the thread, by the way...just keep it going)!

 

[robzombie]

The only thing I can add is that two weeks after installing the GBP rad the internal oil cooler let go and sent all the engine oil through my motor.

I also didn't have the same results as

I've had both. the Gbody one cools better but the alradco one looks better. I had a rock punch straight through my gbody one and needed a replacement asap and the alradco one was the only one I could get fast. It's a great rad BTW but doesn't cool as good as the Gbody one. One super hot days like 95-100F (hot where I'm from) the Gbody never ever went over 160f even sitting in traffic with my 160 stat but the alradco will sit in the mid 180's. in traffic and in the 170's drivin around.

When in the 90's or higher and cruising with the AC on my temps would hit the 180s and even 190s sitting in traffic.

I do have a FMIC which hinders air flow but I also have a trans cooler with a 10" fan on it which turns on when the rad fans do.

I have since been running the stock rad and it seems that it performs the same as GBP's but it has been awhile since I had it in there [only two weeks] when it was and I can't remember everything except that it ran hotter than I was told it would. I was told I would see 170s at the most, that wasn't my case that much I remember.

 

[JustABuick]

I wonder what the chances are you got a lemon? I would run the stock unit if I had one, but when I bought the car (as a roller) it was just some junk radiator in there. Would this setup fit with a PTE SLIC?

 

[chris kirk]

T/A dual fan here. Very good radiator. Won't be disappointed.

 

[1KWIKSIX]

I've got the Alradco aluminum radiator installed in my car that also has a Precision turbo SLIC & using Ramcharger Dual Fans.
The fit is tight (at one spot near the very bottom area), but it does clear. So you should have no issues with a similar set up.

X2 on the prothane rad support bushings....don't waste your money on them as they do not fit. They are not even close to the same contour as the stockers & are a P.O.S. I got rid of em & simply re-used the stockers.

I installed a new transmission cooler at the same time as the radiator above. It runs so cool, that I had to install a 180 deg thermostat in order to keep the temps in the range I was comfortable with.

dave

 

[liquidh8]

I have been mulling over this decision also.

 

[Squid4life]

Nothing to mull:

www.alradco.com

 

[robzombie]

What I've found is that if you run warmer than you may like it is better and cheaper to get a 5000cfm fan or as close to it as you can.

I've run both the G-body and the factory rad and there was no difference in temps. I was going to step up to a different combo and figured I would try a higher CFM fan first.

For my car that is all that was required. The problem isn't the rads it's the amount of airflow that is going through them. When you have a huge FMIC like I do and then the AC condenser and then the RAD you need to pull air through an area with more restriction than the stock or most aftermarket systems were designed to.

Bigger rads will help to some extent but once they become heat soaked from sitting in traffic or in 100* heat like I experience it comes down to air flow or a lack of it that makes the biggest difference in recovery time after hard passes or summer heat with the AC on that makes the temps creep up and stay there longer before recovering.

I now have zero issues with the stock rad and a SN-95 fan. It moves some freakin air when on full tilt bozo.

So to all the people who don't like to spend 5/700 bucks to keep their coolant temps down get an SN-95 fan for 100 bucks or less and be done with it.

RZ.

 

[84BuickGNYorkPA]

Well I'm impressed with alradco providing the Buick community with a quality products, that fan set-up is sweet looking. That thing will pull the air straight through the radiator instead of pulling air around it. So this year I caught two sales at the right time and have both on order, I can't wait for them to get here. So my buddy does powder coating, I may have him do the new radiator, which will match the fan set-up.... but then the snow ball effect kicks in and next thing you know everything under the hood goes to the powder coat shop...

Chuck