# WHAT RADIATOR PARTS DO I NEED



## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

I have a Cold Case radiator in my 67, and it was an easy drop-in. I never put any gaskets around it, and I'd like to, but last night when I went to order them, here's what I found:

A set of Cold Case brackets, specifically for a GTO? I didnt need these or use them, is there a beneficial reason to use them?


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

And then for the seals, I found these... but the description is very odd and confusing. It lists kits for cars "with metal" and AC. What does "with metal" mean?

Also seams impossible to find a non AC kit for 67


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## Noangelbuddy (Dec 6, 2017)

Vintage cars had metal radiators, which could even be resoldered. “With metal” could refer to that type. Newer cars employed other materials. I vaguely recall my sons Grand Am upper radiator being plastic.


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Noangelbuddy said:


> Vintage cars had metal radiators, which could even be resoldered. “With metal” could refer to that type. Newer cars employed other materials. I vaguely recall my sons Grand Am upper radiator being plastic.


Im trying to find the wording now. It's in one of my catalogues at home... and of course, now I cant find it on the web.


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

armyadarkness said:


> I have a Cold Case radiator in my 67, and it was an easy drop-in. I never put any gaskets around it, and I'd like to, but last night when I went to order them, here's what I found:
> 
> A set of Cold Case brackets, specifically for a GTO? I didnt need these or use them, is there a beneficial reason to use them?
> View attachment 154228


They're universal and I have the same ones using the more kinked ones with the holes but I still had to rebend them to fit. I didn't want to use the stock offset bracket, it wasn't cool looking 😉


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

...I was also able to use existing holes in the core support, and the rubber goes inside the brackets obviously...works good.


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

edit


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## AV68 (Aug 18, 2021)

why do i think Baaad just wanted to post a picture of his engine for Army


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Baaad65 said:


> I was also able to use existing holes


That's what _he_ said


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

AV68 said:


> why do i think Baaad just wanted to post a picture of his engine for Army


If you look closely at the picture, you can see a popped dipstick


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Baaad65 said:


> They're universal and I have the same ones using the more kinked ones with the holes but I still had to rebend them to fit. I didn't want to use the stock offset bracket, it wasn't cool looking 😉
> View attachment 154235


I suspected that they werent necessary, but cool... My car has the optional fan guard, so you dont see most of that stuff anyhow


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## ylwgto (Oct 27, 2009)

Damn Baaad, gets me every time. Sooo clean.

Good alternative to the stock bracket, which looks crappy when not covered by the fan guard (which I omitted after going electric)


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## Notagoat (9 mo ago)

Where did you get that air cleaner??


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Notagoat said:


> Where did you get that air cleaner??


At the $1000 Store. They're very pricey. March makes some cool ones


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

Notagoat said:


> Where did you get that air cleaner??


I think Jegs, no it was only 400.00 


armyadarkness said:


> At the $1000 Store. They're very pricey. March makes some cool ones


It's the only picture of the brackets, just helping a brother out


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)




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## Duff (Jan 12, 2020)

I think a 67 GTO with factory AC had metal brackets that bolted to the core support and the rubber flaps attached to those brackets. Also, I had, maybe have, a set of front fender splash guards from a 67 Lemans with AC, the guards also had the rubber flaps attached to them, but it's possible they weren't factory.


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## RMTZ67 (Mar 12, 2011)

Baaad65 said:


> I think Jegs, no it was only 400.00
> 
> It's the only picture of the brackets, just helping a brother out


Uh huh!


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

armyadarkness said:


> If you look closely at the picture, you can see a popped dipstick


Ha, can't say that anymore 👍


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## Baaad65 (Aug 29, 2019)

RMTZ67 said:


> Uh huh!


Ok it was 402.00 plus 10.00 for the billet Pontiac hold down nut. Thank goodness for PayPal credit 😉


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## lust4speed (Jul 5, 2019)

Duff said:


> I think a 67 GTO with factory AC had metal brackets that bolted to the core support and the rubber flaps attached to those brackets...


The stock flaps always seemed like a last minute addition to the A-body, and did consist of some very rudimentary flimsy metal brackets holding the rubber pieces to fill in most of the larger gaps. I have the Cold Case radiator and ordered out the rubber flap kit, but the car runs so cool just with the new radiator I haven't bothered to install the flaps. Couldn't hurt, but certainly no pressing need to get on it.


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

lust4speed said:


> The stock flaps always seemed like a last minute addition to the A-body, and did consist of some very rudimentary flimsy metal brackets holding the rubber pieces to fill in most of the larger gaps. I have the Cold Case radiator and ordered out the rubber flap kit, but the car runs so cool just with the new radiator I haven't bothered to install the flaps. Couldn't hurt, but certainly no pressing need to get on it.


This is very encouraging. Ive always felt these cars were prone to run hot, and mine does not. I run at 160 in humid, Jersey Shore traffic, with no gaskets, no fender flaps, and no shroud.

However, my flex fan bit the dust and the replacement that Summit sent is only a 17", so I was worried that my temps might spike... and since the radiator is a bit sloppy in there, I though maybe I should get them as cheap insurance. Although, Ive driven the car in 90 degree temps a few times and it's still running cool. So I presume a 17" fan save a few HP, so Im going to try and keep it.


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## lust4speed (Jul 5, 2019)

Before I lead you astray, I do have all the other stuff in place. The higher ratio pulleys with 8" on the bottom and the 7" on top, aftermarket shroud from Ames Performance, 19.5" GM fan with the 2797 fan clutch, and finally the plate mods to the water pump (I retained the original timing cover and 8-bolt pump). With this setup and a hot day in inland SoCal with the Vintage Air cranked up it will run at thermostat.

For comparison, this was a non-air H.O. car with the 17-1/2" H.O. Fan and under-driven water pump with the 7" pulley on the bottom and the 8" on the top and no shroud from the factory. I had the GTO for only a few weeks (purchased new) and was with the family down at the beach on one of those very rare days where the winds were blowing 90° hot air into the ocean. Leaving the beach the engine temp reached 220° on the rally gauge and that created some concern since I hadn't researched what was too hot back then. About the time panic was about to set in the traffic broke up and the temps fell to the stock 190° thermostat level as we got a little speed up. That Monday morning I went to the dealer and the service rep said nothing wrong with the cooling system but there was a shroud that would help out with running in traffic. The service department had the shroud in stock and after paying some ridiculously cheep amount like $11.47 plus tax I went home and bolted it on, and never saw high temps again until I put in the AC unit.

Along with the addition of the Vintage Air unit a few years ago I originally went with the severe duty fan clutch with everything else staying stock including the 15-1/2" tall desert cooler core I installed somewhere along the way. With the air on, the car would creep up in temp even blasting down the highway on a really hot day. It would get up to about 205° which isn't too bad and the temp would drop right back down turning the air off. Almost acceptable but still a bummer that we couldn't run the AC when we needed it most. Next step was finding a set of the AC pulleys with the 8" on the bottom and the 7" on the pump. Then the car stayed at thermostat as long as we were moving, but the temp still climbed when at a crawl in traffic. Finally a couple years ago I located a deeper radiator support in a local pick-a-part and installed it along with the Cold Case 17-1/2" core radiator and now the engine runs at thermostat even sitting still in traffic.


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## Sick467 (Oct 29, 2019)

IIRC, my 67 AC car had 4 pieces of sheet metal that some of the rubbers attached to, maybe 6 pieces. One for each side of the core support, down low...and a two-piece pair that ran along underneath the core core support. All were attached with hex headed sheet metal screws, for the most part.

I agree that they look like an after-thought, but they should help keep hotter air from being sucked back from the engine bay back through the radiator.


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## Duff (Jan 12, 2020)

armyadarkness said:


> This is very encouraging. Ive always felt these cars were prone to run hot, and mine does not. I run at 160 in humid, Jersey Shore traffic, with no gaskets, no fender flaps, and no shroud.
> 
> However, my flex fan bit the dust and the replacement that Summit sent is only a 17", so I was worried that my temps might spike... and since the radiator is a bit sloppy in there, I though maybe I should get them as cheap insurance. Although, Ive driven the car in 90 degree temps a few times and it's still running cool. So I presume a 17" fan save a few HP, so Im going to try and keep it.


 Do a performance comparison between the new flex fan and your OEM with clutch, I bet the OEM does a better job.


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

lust4speed said:


> with the Cold Case 17-1/2" core radiator and now the engine runs at thermostat even sitting still in traffic.


Same. I also use the 8 bolt pump and Cold Case, and I run at thermostat, all day. I put at least 150 miles on it yesterday and it barely ever creeps off 160.. but in Jersey, you can be cruising along nice and then get stopped for 2 hours in traffic, without warning.

Im not going to change anything now, but I do prefer to be over prepared.


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Duff said:


> Do a performance comparison between the new flex fan and your OEM with clutch, I bet the OEM does a better job.


My uncle never maintained the cooling system and he used generic parts-house stuff, so my first hard run in the car fried the water pump bearings and sent the OEM fan into the power steering. I repaired it with an 18" flex fan, Cold Case, and Flow Cooler pump, and now the temp never (so far, in over 1.5 years) goes over 160-170.

However, at a car show in October, the car was idling, and those flex fans work so well, that it vacuumed up caution tape, which was 4 feet in front of the car! So when I replaced it, they only sent me a 17" fan.

Ive been running it for 2 weeks, but the temps arent going over 90 yet. If I didn't drive so much, maybe I'd get an OEM fan again, for nostalgia reasons, but with a 55 year car, Im not fixing anything thats already working fine.


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## Jared (Apr 19, 2013)

Seems like these cars either run cool or run really hot. With the temperatures you're describing, I doubt you have anything to worry about. The 400 that came out of mine ran consistently at 220 as soon as the ambient temp broke 75. This included running it on the highway. I went with the beefiest cooling system I could think of, and am running the stock fan clutch, and the 461 in there now has only broken 180 once, and that was when sitting in line at the gas pumps for 15 minutes in 85 degree temperatures. And by broke 180, it crept up to 185 in those 15 minutes. The combination of the Cold Case radiator, Flowcooler pump, and the 9-10 quarts of oil the current engine holds seems to keep the current set up cool.


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## Eric-68-LeMans (Aug 2, 2017)

That is a beautiful engine compartment! I love the alternator bracket replacement. Also like the braided fuel line. All the paint detail is also cool! I love it!!!


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Agreed. My only complaint is that I've seen it more than my own penis, but otherwise, top notch.


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