Ebay Aluminum Radiator??

[Nothingface5384]

also evertime i went to the car show and seen a car with a champion radiator theyve all been rewelded at the end tank where they apprently leaked....except for the maverick ones oddly..
both mine seem to leak near the center of the core and not near the endtanks live everyone elses ive noticed..

[SparkyRnD]

We are also a sponsor here, and fabricate radiators that usually fall in the $400-$500 range. That price includes a trans cooler and we can build them for most any motor swap, including LS conversions. We use dual 1" wide cores (same thickness as a brass & copper 4-core radiator), and can also make them with 1.25" cores for big motors. You can check out what we make on our website at www.rndfabrication.com.



Also, we are American owned, and make our radiators right here in the USA, by Americans using American materials. Contact me if you have any questions.

[BulldawgMusclecars]

We are also a sponsor here, and fabricate radiators that usually fall in the $400-$500 range. That price includes a trans cooler and we can build them for most any motor swap, including LS conversions. We use dual 1" wide cores (same thickness as a brass & copper 4-core radiator), and can also make them with 1.25" cores for big motors. You can check out what we make on our website at www.rndfabrication.com.

Also, we are American owned, and make our radiators right here in the USA, by Americans using American materials. Contact me if you have any questions.

These are some EXTREMELY nice radiators! I'm now using them exclusively for all my project cars.

[CreepinDeth]

Justin, PM Sent.

Interested in a Champion radiator for my 1970 442's LSX swap.

+1
I like to buy American when I can as well, however, if Champion radiators are comparable to the American brands, adequate for my needs, and HALF the price (or close to it), sorry, but as an American consumer on a budget, I have to look out for myself first.

Unfortunately I also agree.
I'm 100% all for buying American when I can and it's competitive.
However, when buying American = 2x-4x the cost for comparable value I have a hard time doing it.
Alot of chinese products are junk, yes.....but they do have higher quality components they make.
At the end of the day I have to look out for my own best interests with my wallet in the long run here.
I was VERY NEARLY considering just putting a new brass / copper radiator back in my car for awhile there.
BTW I think Spectra is your average Walmart brand replacement radiator vendor.

I am still considering an Alumitech radiator myself......it's not out of the question.
Purely because I do fully believe it's more then likely a better quality product.
I think the one's I'm pricing out are ~$500 for my 1970 442. IF it was $400 it would be easier to swallow......
I priced out Griffin......too much $$$, I priced out Ron Davis.....OMFG too much $$$
So Alumitech wins via the comparable competitors and positive reviews I've read.
But if they are worried about shutting their doors, where does that leave me as a buyer with warranty??

Lets face reality here......
Businesses are in business for themselves, not for the betterment of America.
Wall Street is not bound by loyalty to any country. Neither are banks. Don't kid yourselves.
Many businesses have off-shored purely to fatten their profit margins unnecessarily.
Many Americans are out of work due to corporate profit margins being the driving factor with lower taxes, lower labor costs, etc.

GM, Ford, and Chrysler have shown this countless times themselves.
NAFTA isn't our problem. If you look closely, hardly anything is made in Mexico VS China. ;)
IN fact, oil is our #1 import from Mexico and Canada these days.

The Chinese Trade Agreement since 2000 has been our biggest bloodletting of outsourcing.
Those who removed trade tariffs put US Labor at a HUUUUUUUUGE disadvantage and jobs have been leaving by the millions.
Production costs for the lowest invested cost, tariff free, is how business is done today unfortunately.
Hell GM even put a Chinese engine in the last Equinox and Torrent small SUV's......that made me gag....
All the while they beat the "Buy American" drum buy put all outsourced parts in their cars.

I've purposely bought ONLY Kobalt tools from Lowes for the past 10 years because it was competitive
and 100% American made from Danaher and prior to that it was a Snap On subdivision called Williams.

[vintageracer]

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs. That discussion always sound great and plays well to the public.

The discussion that ALL these jobs moved overseas plays well to the public but is not reality and that should be far more obvious to members of this board than the general public. So where did a large amount of the "lost" jobs actually go?

Those jobs went to a MACHINE!!!!

Many of you on this site work in manufacturing or have certainly been in manufacturing facilities. Walk into a manufacturing plant 10 years ago and now walk into the same facility today making the same product and the same amount of product. What is the FIRST thing you would notice? WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO WORKED HERE 10 YEARS AGO???

Simple! The jobs those people performed were replaced by a MACHINE!!!!

Many of the jobs lost in the last 5-10 years in this country were not lost to a foreign worker they were lost to a MACHINE! The machine does not take a vacation, does not need health and workers comp insurance, does not belong to the union and will work 23 hours a day and 7 days a week without bitching, complaining, smoke breaks, cell phone calls, family problems, and all the other baggage associated with employing a living and breathing person. All of which leads to increased productivity!

Here is the problem for most all of the displaced workers who lost "a" job to a machine. Notice I did not say "their" job. That would mean that they owned the job and have fired themselves. It was not "their" job in the first place so get over the idea that I lost "my" job. Unfortunately in most situations the person who lost a job to a machine is not qualified for any of the FOUR (4) NEW JOBS created by that new machine. Yes that machine created at least 4 NEW jobs. Someone had to design the machine, someone must manufacture the machine, someone must operate the machine and someone must maintain the machine. Notice that these FOUR (4) NEW jobs created by the installation of this machine are considered "High Tech" and the person who lost that job to a machine does not have the technical skill sets required for these "new" jobs created by the installation of a machine that replaced that worker. All of a sudden sitting fat and happy on a manufacturing line for many years without upgrading your skills through education and training in new technology at the expense of your employer or at your own personal expense was not such great plan as it was in the past!

It is true that most "older" workers certainly have experience and that experience is in older technology. Whether you are high level management or working the production line you must INVEST IN YOURSELF to learn new technology as it relates to your industry. Each of us can name 100's of jobs that no longer exist due to advances in manufacturing technology and manufacturing machinery.

Having said all of the above I suggest each of you ask YOURSELF this question:

AM I NEXT???

[esenior]

As someone who who works with an offshore development center and who recently spent 4 weeks in Taiwan working with a panel fab, I can see arguments for both sides. I think that every individual needs to decide for themselves where to buy based on their own circumstances.

I purchased a 3-Row Champion Radiator with fan for $230 from classic_radiators on ebay back in December 2009. I installed this in my 66 El Camino with a 396. Kit did not include an overflow tank or wiring/relay for the fan. Never had any problems and keeps the motor running cool.

Last May, I purchased a 4-row Champion with fan for $290 from performance-cooling for my son's 69 Camaro SS350. Again, no problems at all, but don't have much road time yet.

If you're on a budget, definitely worth looking at all options.

[hotroddr]

Anyone try one of the speedway radiators? They start at 109.99. Im considering using a couple in my projects.
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Speedw...tors,3557.html

I bit the bullet and bought one of the speedway radiators. I made some custom brackets and installed the 31X19" radiator in the firebird this weekend. So far Im very happy with it. It was the biggest radiator they made and it barely fit. In over 100 degree weather it used to run around 225°, now it runs at 195°. The quality is pretty good on the radiator, it is all brazed/welded, I will try to post pictures soon.

[SparkyRnD]

We also offer discounts to PT members, and would much rather see good quality American products being used instead of cheap import stuff (I won't get into the other arguments)

[CreepinDeth]

Many of you on this site work in manufacturing or have certainly been in manufacturing facilities. Walk into a manufacturing plant 10 years ago and now walk into the same facility today making the same product and the same amount of product. What is the FIRST thing you would notice? WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO WORKED HERE 10 YEARS AGO???

Simple! The jobs those people performed were replaced by a MACHINE!!!!

Machines have been doing the work of humans since long before the mid 90's.
Job growth under Clinton was astronomical VS the new millennium and any president in history.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jobs_cr...eation_by_term
If your perception was accurate we'd still see a HELL of alot more products still made in the USA.

If that was the case,
#1. 99.9% of our US vehicle parts would still be made here in the USA
#2. 99.9% of our US Products we purchase at Target, Walmart, Home Depot, etc would still be made in the USA.

The unfortunate reality is that this isnt' the case. In fact it's the opposite....99% is from China.
All call centers for banks, and even credit card companies are deploying overseas as well to India.
Hell even Ebay for no reason sent their offices overseas in 2005......no reason other then fatter profit margins.

So while yes, jobs have been lost to Machines, they are no where NEAR the scope you're angling at.
My Uncle was a master electrical engineer since the 70's and 80's programming robotic assembly lines for Black and Decker.

Everything is being shipped overseas for cheaper labor costs with no tariffs to import it back here.
The 1990's we had 10 years of economic profit due to higher taxes and tariffs still in place.
You'll notice Bush and Obama both have had dismal job growth in the past decade......
It isn't because of machines, it isn't a red VS blue issue either.
It's because of outsourcing and FREE TRADE which puts us at a completely unfair labor cost disadvantage.

[Driver X]

Afco makes a good one , Ive been running one for 6yrs now in my 71 nova with a 525hp 406ci sbc - with no problems ! and the price was bout $ 230 at my local speed shop they may have gone a up tad since i bought mine .