[Zimtok]

Any way,,,
How do I tell what radiator size to get for my 65 GTO if I don't have a radiator to measure?

My car is documented as a 389 tripower, NO power steering, NO air conditioning.

Can I determine radiator size from the core support?

...to be continued...

[This message was edited by Ccass on September 17, 2002 at 07:47 PM.]

[Zimtok]

Any way,,,
How do I tell what radiator size to get for my 65 GTO if I don't have a radiator to measure?

My car is documented as a 389 tripower, NO power steering, NO air conditioning.

Can I determine radiator size from the core support?

...to be continued...

[This message was edited by Ccass on September 17, 2002 at 07:47 PM.]

[Ccass]

65 Tech forum is still on the old system for this morning. If you can post there go ahead and everything will be moved here later this morning. If it doesn't let you, check back here and the forum will appear shortly.

Fool around, get hurt, don't come cry'n to me.

[Ccass]

That would be the 15 1/2" core height radiator. Just to make sure, the bottom of your radiator support where it mounts should be a ridge. If you had a deeper a/c style support there would be a trough to set the radiator in. In other words, if you poured water there it would collect like a pool.

Fool around, get hurt, don't come cry'n to me.

[Old Man Taylor]

I don't know about the 65 GTO, but the 64 tri-power had the heavy duty radiator (same as A/C)whether you got A/C or not.

http://www.jimspontiac.homestead.com/Index.html

[Ccass]

OMT you are right. 1964 only.

Fool around, get hurt, don't come cry'n to me.

[GTO JOE 64]

Old man Taylor I have a question, what is the diffenance between heavy duty radiator and a stock radiator in a 64 GTO? the reason I ask is because I have a 64 with tripower and it gets hot when it is idling, but I dont konw if the tripower was stock. It has a three core radiator Thanks Joe

[Old Man Taylor]

The heavy duty radiator was a 4 core and it was two inches taller than the others. The difference in height is made up by lowering the radiator shelf of the core support 2". I know the 64 factory tri-power came with this as I ordered a heavy duty radiator when I bought my car, but I got a refund because it was already included in the price of the tri-power option.

http://www.jimspontiac.homestead.com/Index.html

[Tom Vaught]

OMT and others,

In the original 64 advertising paperwork it spells out a 4 core HD radiator for the GTO. I have spoken with Scott Tiemann and others about this over the years and some GTOs that I have seen (not clones) have had the 15.5 core height radiators installed.

Perhaps GTO John can also shed some light on this subject too, but I have see several documented
64 cars without the 4 core/deep radiator installed
system installed. My car also had the deep radiator. Tom V.

[Old Man Taylor]

Tom - Were the ones you saw tri-power cars? Only the tri-power or A/C cars were supposed to come with the HD radiator.

http://www.jimspontiac.homestead.com/Index.html

[lil64gto]

OMT,

I have a 3 core that measures 17 1/2" that is original to my 64, but it is not a tri power car. I won an auction on E-Bay for a 4 core 17/12 that was off a 65 tri power.

I was under the impression that the 4 core did not come standard with either the 4bbl or tri power in 64. The 3 cores that came with the car, either the 15 /12 or the 17 1/2 were undersized and did not cool the cars properly so in 65 they made the 4 core standard. Is this true?

[Old Man Taylor]

lil 64 GTO - I can only say what came on my car. It was a 17 1'2" four core.

http://www.jimspontiac.homestead.com/Index.html

[Tom Vaught]

OMT and others,

Quote:

Question #1:

"I have a 3 core that measures 17 1/2" that is original to my 64, but it is not a tri power car. I won an auction on E-Bay for a 4 core 17/12 that was off a 65 tri power."



I have seen 15 1/2" 3 cores, 17 1/2" 3 cores, and
17 1/2" 4 core radiators all installed in ORIGINAL
64 cars. A friend who was a top Zone Manager for
Pontiac told me one time "We are not going to shut
down the line just because we don't have the correct radio antenna, radiator, radio, battery,
or even engine for a specific vehicle. We will
work it out either in "Repair" or after the car is
delivered to the dealer."

What he meant by engine was that if the customer ordered a "tri-power" engine in a car and his car
had to be built with a "4-Barrel" engine, the
factory would knock some money off the invoice but the car still went down the line whether the
customer liked it or not. I know of a few friends who refused their car orders when they did not get what they wanted. Most of the time the dealer would try and make a trade with another dealer for a car he had on the lot that was not specifically ordered for someone. Tom V.


Question #2:

Quote:

"I was under the impression that the 4 core did not come standard with either the 4bbl or tri power in 64. The 3 cores that came with the car, either the 15 /12 or the 17 1/2 were undersized and did not cool the cars properly so in 65 they made the 4 core standard. Is this true?

Paul Zazarine and Chuck Robert's book on GTOs says
on page 357

" In 1964, two radiators were used for the GTO:

2" X 17.5" for the 4-BBL/ No A/C

2-5/8" X 17.5" for the A/C Cars and Tri-Power

I have also the factory advertisement that says the GTO gets a "Higher Capacity" radiator and the
"Tri-Power" gets the "Heavy-Duty" Radiator.

The only exception appears to be the 15 1/2 3 core
radiators which may have been installed as a fix
for line shortages and the customer never caught
it or complained. These would be a RARE exception
as the core support is TOTALLY different and the
factory would have had to use both the radiator
and core support from the Lemans to make it work,
therefore this would not be a line mistake but a planned resolution for a shortage.

Hope this helps. Tom V.

[Tom Wood 64]

Tom V. is correct. Put it on get it out. On the 64 GTO to Go, it states 17.4" high by 25.22" wide by either 2.00" or 2.62" deep were supposed to be used. It also shows four different part #s depending on application.Hope this helps a little.