Griffin 3" radiator Writeup
 

No modifications were made to the radiator. All tools and parts are easily acquired by anyone.

Cost:

$199.99 shipped for the radiator. Griffin Radiator from Summit Racing

$6 16lb radiator cap from Napa

~$6 for 4 new hose clamps from Schucks.

~$12 for a slotted stainless steel angled "bar". 2.25"x1.5"x3'. (14ga steel). SteelWorks part # 1523, Lowes sku #44488.

$16 for a hose from Schucks that had the correct size tubing and bend for the lower rad hose-radiator connection. Goodyear part # 60376

$8.55 for a really funky coupling. Sorry, no part number for it and I don't remember the size to be honest. I picked it up at a local hardware store in the coupling section. Shouldn't be hard to find something that will work.

**optional** Water wetter or hyperlube and a few gallons of distilled water. Nismo 143* thermostat(next purchase).



That's it for parts other than misc metal screws, washers, etc.

First thing to mention, is that I still haven't made upper brackets. I'm not in a major hurry because other than a frontal collision or someone pulling up with a lot of force is going to move the radiator. The lower bracket is so stiff, that the radiator wouldn't budge. With the upper rad hose on, I'm not worried one bit.

First thing, the long metal bar needs to be cut. To be honest here, I'm not 100% sure that a section cut at the same length as my 2 pieces(bolted together) will slide into place. I had to jam both of my shorter pieces into place. However you do it, once the bar is into place, you need to set your radiator on top of it, and make two marks. Each mark will be at the center side of each end tank. You need to cut the lip off going to the outside of the car, so that the rail sticking up is only at the center of the radiator. This will allow the radiator to set down inside the rail and not on top of it. Next, I bolted the rail to the side supports directly where the stock radiator mounts. I put the rubber grommets back in to give it a cleaner look.

With the radiator in place, you'll have to play with your coupling and lower radiator hose. Mine is very close to the belts, but upon *trying* to wiggle the radiator, I've found that nothing is going to budge, and that the hoses are safe. The upper radiator hose was cut short(from both sides) and barely fit.

I think the rest of the install is self explanatory when you look at the pictures. This can be done with a stock fan, however your will need to modify your fan shroud.

I'm planning on having a full 1 piece air guide with wings CNC'd at work to compliment the install. That will be another thread on it's own.

Oh, and yes I know I'm missing 2 hose clamps. I'm just on my way out the door to pick them up. :P

On to the pictures!

The first 7 are the test fit pictures again, in case someone missed the last thread. The last 5 show my lower mounting bracket, clearance of the fan once installed, upper radiator hose modified, lower radiator hose and coupling, and the clearance by the belts.


Click the pictures to enlarge.

Re: Griffin 3" radiator Writeup
 

good luck with the electric fan, i hope it works out better for you than the others that have done it.

Re: Griffin 3" radiator Writeup
 

Yeah, lots of people have said the same thing. I used the E-fan for over a year with my stock radiator and had to turn the heat on during really hot days(over 85*). On my way to work I really wanted to work it, so I drove up with the AC(well, actually defrost on at 60* and full blast since it was raining). It was fine until I slowed down. So... it doesn't look like the radiator alone will fix all my cooling problems, but for those wanting a 3" thick aluminum radiator, and don't want to spend $400 on a Howe, this will work very nicely.

Re: Griffin 3" radiator Writeup
 

Does the price remain the same at $199.99 as of today? I think I just got a good idea.