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F134 Aluminum Radiator Question

Discussion in 'Early CJ5 and CJ6 Tech' started by Lewissa81, Jul 24, 2020.

  1. Jul 24, 2020
    Lewissa81

    Lewissa81 New Member

    Birmingham, AL
    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2019
    Messages:
    13
    Has anyone ordered an aluminum radiator for am F-head off ebay recently?
    The one I got for my '71 isn't quite right. The inlet/outlet are correct but the radiator itself and mounting flanges are about 2" too narrow. Yes, I could "make it work," but I'd prefer one closer to correct. All the other aluminum ones I can find have the same style so before I take a chance on another one, I was curious if someone had success with a specific one.
     
  2. Jul 24, 2020
    nickmil

    nickmil In mothballs.

    Happy Valley, OR
    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2002
    Messages:
    12,529
    Go by measurements if you didn't when you ordered it. Jeep used a wider radiator and mounting about the last 3 or 4 years of production in the early's (up to '71)
     
  3. Jul 27, 2020
    Lewissa81

    Lewissa81 New Member

    Birmingham, AL
    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2019
    Messages:
    13
    Since I know someone else will run into this problem, I'm going to update what I've determined so far.
    Looks like sometime in 1970, the CJ5's got a different grill and wider radiator through the end run for '71. The 70-71 radiator has 17"×22" core and in total is 22" tall by 24-3/4" wide and 2-1/2" thick. So all those radiators that say "55-71" aren't exactly correct. Now, they can work if you make brackets to extend out from the mounting flange.
    So I've found that a Mopar radiator for 65-69 is really close. The inlet is slightly offset instead of centered and it's an inch wider over all. The important parts are the core is basically the same (17-1/4" × 21-3/4"), inlet/outlet are the same (1-1/2"), the mounting flanges are wide enough, the petcock faces the rear, and it's short enough to fit under the hood. The Champion EC1365 is 3-1/2" thick, so it'll be closer to the fan, but I should have clearance. Once it's delivered, I'll update if it works or not.
     

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  4. Aug 1, 2020
    Lewissa81

    Lewissa81 New Member

    Birmingham, AL
    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2019
    Messages:
    13
    So for the random person needing this info, the radiator fits just fine. Get the Champion and not a cheaper knock off. I got a knock off cheaper one. It fits but the tanks are bigger so there is only about 1/4 inch between the radiator cap pressure release lever and the hood. I added a couple fender washers to the grill mount bushing since mine is pretty old and squished which gave a bit more clearance.
    The only modifications I made were drilling the mounting bolt holes and cutting off the top corners of the mounting tabs for the support rods. The inlet is close enough to center that the original hose still fit fine.
    For $134, this was definitely worth it!
     
    Mark T. and Fireball like this.
  5. Aug 1, 2021
    Lewissa81

    Lewissa81 New Member

    Birmingham, AL
    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2019
    Messages:
    13
    Update a year later;
    Still works fine. No indication of touching the hood at all. In my previous post, I mixed up the numbers. It's an ec1635, not 1365.
    I had mounted it too low and the steel brake line was rubbing the bottom tank. Hard steel line vs soft aluminum tank is no good. Thankfully I caught it before it rubbed a hole all the way through and put a small piece of self adhesive rubber with aluminum backing (heat shield from another project) between the two.
     
    Mark T. likes this.
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