[Mister Pontiac]

Case study, if you will. My 71 GTO (400/400) was in dire need of some radiator work. Since the weather is back in the triple digits every day here in Phoenix, and I drive the car every day, it was beyond time to fix the problem.

I started down the old road, looking for someone to either Rod out or ReCore my original, but wasn't having a lot of luck as it was a Saturday and time was of the essence.

On a whim, I checked what might be available from my local O'Reilly's. I found a replacement unit (link below) in the aluminum/plastic configuration, which kind of surprised me. But even more than that, the $120 price tag really caught my eye. Oh sure, I figured it's probably China junk, but for $120, it can't be worse than my clogged up original. Let's give it a shot. Maybe it will get me thru the summer or until I can get my original back up to snuff.

To say I'm impressed is an understatement. In every driving condition, the car is now running 15-20 degrees cooler than before. Absolutely no other changes. Heck, I test drove the car the very next day, under the exact same conditions (104-105 degrees ambient) to prove the point. Yes, the radiator was working that much better. In fact, even the 'feel like' temperature under the hood is noticeably cooler. There's just not a 30 lb block of metal up there holding in all that heat anymore. Not only does the aluminum dissipate the heat so much better, the plastic tanks are cool enough I can actually touch them. There's no 'instant burn' like you would get if you touched a copper/brass unit.

Now granted, my original is just that. Old, leaking, and fairly clogged up though I've power flushed it several times. Nevertheless, the difference was impressive.

So, this brings me to my next question... how long do these units last? I realize all of the newer cars use this type construction in their radiators, so I have to believe the combo has staying power.

Am I missing something? Is there a reason (aside from aesthetics) that more guys aren't running these? Obviously for those with an eye for originality or a true restoration, these are out of the question. But for a driver like mine? Boy, I can't see a downside here.

Here's the link to the Murray 68-72 crossflow that I just installed. Oh, and this was a week back, and I've since driven the car hundreds of miles, in all kinds of conditions. I still can't get it above 205-208 (the original would have been 225 under the same conditions), and at moderate speeds, it runs right on the thermostat even in 100 degree heat. Pretty amazing contrast to me.

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/b...radiator&pos=0