$200 Champion Aluminum Radiators? Automatic vs. Manual?

[dubiousgarage]

Well, the quest to cool my 1970 2800cs project continues (see my Instagram @dubiousgarage for more). I’ve
1. Replaced the water pump
2. New 71c thermostat
3. bled it (I believe well)
So I’m now guessing it’s a plugged radiator? (The PO had mixed 2 different coolants and created rubber gel so wouldn’t be surprising).

eBay has a Champion Aluminum Radiator for $206 with shipping (pretty hard to beat).

Only odd thing is that they say “Notes: L6 Automatic Transmission” and doesn’t list any other parts for manual.

See link below: https://shop.championcooling.com/Pe...800CS/1968-1969-1970-1971-BMW-2800CS-SKU-6974

?Will this fit my car even though it says automatic and mine is a manual? Looks like it could. Anyone bought one before?

This site seems to prefer be recoring — I plan keep the orignal flush and maybe recore but this could be faster and easier while I’m just trying to get the car driving after 10 years to see what else is wrong.

FYI here’s the link for the product for $206 on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/3342622920...liu9i1cqna&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

[HB Chris]

Both radiators fit but the bracket on an auto rad is shorter as the rad is wider for the trans cooling on the passenger side. Pic shows a manual radiator btw.

 

[sfdon]

A 71* thermostat is a terrible idea. It will give you an engine running too cold (poor fuel economy and performance). Did you test your fan clutch?

 

[dubiousgarage]

A 71* thermostat is a terrible idea. It will give you an engine running too cold (poor fuel economy and performance). Did you test your fan clutch?

Noted. The 71 was throwing the kitchen sink at it. At least I could drive the car.

It has (or at least came with) no fan clutch. It’s direct drive. Was the 2800cs suposed to have one?

 

[HB Chris]

Your mechanical clutch is locked which is better than unlocked.

 

[Arde]

How about the custom aluminum radiators that SFDon sources for E9s?
He installed it in mine and overall the setup works great.
I also had a plugged radiator, apparently from sealant used when installing the pump.

 

[sfdon]

You are welcome to drop by the shop to see our cooling solutions. We use experience and tools (like laser pyrometers) to find problems and we install modified Champion manual radiators, modified fan shrouds, Euro diesel fans, 4th generation fan clutches, spin on type water pumps with sensor activated pusher auxiliary fans that exclude activating AC units using BMW diodes. And yes, we drill and index the updated thermostat in the later “A housing” and replace early slotted bleed screws with later hex versions. Smart installs use the later 135mm water pump pulleys instead of the earlier 144mm pulleys to achieve a “clocked” water pump speed.
All the same improvements that BMW incorporated over two decades of big six production. Every car leaves with an 80* thermostat. The thermostat the car was engineered to use.

 

[boonies]

I am on the east coast and picked up a radiator from @sfdon, when I pulled mine for a project and found it ripe for replacement. I am very pleased with the fit and performance.

 

[autokunst]

You are welcome to drop by the shop to see our cooling solutions. We use experience and tools (like laser pyrometers) to find problems and we install modified Champion manual radiators, modified fan shrouds, Euro diesel fans, 4th generation fan clutches, spin on type water pumps with sensor activated pusher auxiliary fans that exclude activating AC units using BMW diodes. And yes, we drill and index the updated thermostat in the later “A housing” and replace early slotted bleed screws with later hex versions. Smart installs use the later 135mm water pump pulleys instead of the earlier 144mm pulleys to achieve a “clocked” water pump speed.
All the same improvements that BMW incorporated over two decades of big six production. Every car leaves with an 80* thermostat. The thermostat the car was engineered to use.

I am inspired and humbled by this - using iterative developments to improve our older cars/engines using the manufacturer's engineering.

 

[Arde]

I am inspired and humbled by this - using iterative developments to improve our older cars/engines using the manufacturer's engineering.

Well said. The brand should recognize folks like Don, like Carl Nelson, like Logan, like Paul Cain, that improve BMWs without being on BMW payroll...

 

[dubiousgarage]

You are welcome to drop by the shop to see our cooling solutions. We use experience and tools (like laser pyrometers) to find problems and we install modified Champion manual radiators, modified fan shrouds, Euro diesel fans, 4th generation fan clutches, spin on type water pumps with sensor activated pusher auxiliary fans that exclude activating AC units using BMW diodes. And yes, we drill and index the updated thermostat in the later “A housing” and replace early slotted bleed screws with later hex versions. Smart installs use the later 135mm water pump pulleys instead of the earlier 144mm pulleys to achieve a “clocked” water pump speed.
All the same improvements that BMW incorporated over two decades of big six production. Every car leaves with an 80* thermostat. The thermostat the car was engineered to use.

Visited SFDon at his shop and was very impressed by him and his team. Never seen so many CS’s in my life. Very clean work and many b35 swaps.

 

[dubiousgarage]

Well, the quest to cool my 1970 2800cs project continues (see my Instagram @dubiousgarage for more). I’ve
1. Replaced the water pump
2. New 71c thermostat
3. bled it (I believe well)
So I’m now guessing it’s a plugged radiator? (The PO had mixed 2 different coolants and created rubber gel so wouldn’t be surprising).

eBay has a Champion Aluminum Radiator for $206 with shipping (pretty hard to beat).

Only odd thing is that they say “Notes: L6 Automatic Transmission” and doesn’t list any other parts for manual.

See link below: https://shop.championcooling.com/Pe...800CS/1968-1969-1970-1971-BMW-2800CS-SKU-6974

?Will this fit my car even though it says automatic and mine is a manual? Looks like it could. Anyone bought one before?

This site seems to prefer be recoring — I plan keep the orignal flush and maybe recore but this could be faster and easier while I’m just trying to get the car driving after 10 years to see what else is wrong.

FYI here’s the link for the product for $206 on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/3342622920...liu9i1cqna&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

So! Wow I’ve got a running car that doesn’t overheat!

When I visited I forgot to ask SFDon about his radiators - according to one of his mechanics Don’s version has customizations vs the Champion. Judging from his depth of knowledge about other cooling issues (euro diesel fans, special fan clutch’s, etc, etc, I wouldn’t doubt it.

When I got home I got so impatient to see if the car could run that I ordered a super cheap eBay Champion (figuring I was probably going to kill it by plugging it with all the crap from my engine as the coolant had congealed).

$220 on eBay including tax and freight does gets you a Champion aluminum radiator that came in 2 days. (I can re-core the original later if I want) . The Champion is actually better than the eBay photos and has 2 thermostat plugs (one which looks to be the drain). I did have to slightly bend the bottom 2 metal supports more open since the aluminum radiator is a bit thicker than the original and with the bottom oem rubber pads it didn’t quite fit. (Could have also trimmed rubber).

I also located and used the block drain plug during another flushing session (before installing the new radiator). Such a horrible amount of crap came out. I’ve learned a valuable lesson. You ain’t flushing if you don’t do the block drain. I’m never installing a new radiator without doing that.

All in all I had a lovely test drive tonight.

 

[bmw2800cs]

SFDon put a radiator in my 2800cs, very pleased.