trans fluid to radiator fitting

[rynobuilt]

a 1/2" bolt is not the same , it will be loose.

[weq92f]

Originally Posted by rynobuilt

a 1/2" bolt is not the same , it will be loose.

Turns out 1/2" 20 is the standard thread for tranny cooler connections to the radiator and indeed a 1/2" 20 bolt will screw in there just like you'd expect. It's not loose. I confirmed this myself. The aluminum radiator bungs however are not 1/2" 20 and so the bolt in question is very loose when screwed in there!

-klb

[CUDA8U]

i bypassed the rad for trans cooling and added an aftermarket cooler on my 512 stroker challenger,champion rad.Also i think you are defeating the aluminum rad upgrade by pumping hot trans oil into it

[AussieinNC]

I am more inclined to recommend you go the external cooler route and bypass the radiator cooler totally...

Just get some pipe style threaded plugs to go into the radiator bngs...just in case it ever springs a leak...

BTW...engine coolant leaking into an auto trans oil via the cooler is a quick and sure death to an auto trans...

[weq92f]

Spoke with the Manufacturer support folk. They appear to be a fairly generous lot.

What they have given me is that the threads are intentionally loose like this for reasons associated with the fact that the material is aluminum and the seal is meant to be carried out with the inverted flair and so the threads don't need to be so tight.

I was given advise to attempt to use thread tape and if that didn't work, they'd swap the unit with a custom one that has something welded in that I can use.

Ultimately this comes down to time and cost for me. Throwing money at a problem I shouldn't have isn't something I'm willing to do right now. I'd rather find something that will thread in and just seal so I can be on my way. I've asked that they suggest an online URL to an adapter that will do exactly what I need, given all the detail required to get it right. That is, they know what should work on their radiator they know what I need on my end: standard 37 degree male hydraulic fitting with 1/2" 20 tpi thread.

If that doesn't work, then I'll just return the radiator and use my original brass/copper unit.

Fortunately I've found that the dual fan shroud will bolt right up to my original radiator so I have an out there while maintaining the new cooling system!

-klb

[Steeveedee]

Originally Posted by weq92f

Spoke with the Manufacturer support folk. They appear to be a fairly generous lot.

What they have given me is that the threads are intentionally loose like this for reasons associated with the fact that the material is aluminum and the seal is meant to be carried out with the inverted flair and so the threads don't need to be so tight.

I was given advise to attempt to use thread tape and if that didn't work, they'd swap the unit with a custom one that has something welded in that I can use.

Ultimately this comes down to time and cost for me. Throwing money at a problem I shouldn't have isn't something I'm willing to do right now. I'd rather find something that will thread in and just seal so I can be on my way. I've asked that they suggest an online URL to an adapter that will do exactly what I need, given all the detail required to get it right. That is, they know what should work on their radiator they know what I need on my end: standard 37 degree male hydraulic fitting with 1/2" 20 tpi thread.

If that doesn't work, then I'll just return the radiator and use my original brass/copper unit.

Fortunately I've found that the dual fan shroud will bolt right up to my original radiator so I have an out there while maintaining the new cooling system!

-klb

One does not make threads "intentionally loose" if they know anything about mechanical engineering. Teflon tape is NOT the way to seal either (or to build up the gap) an AN or inverted flare fitting. Get it swapped for a proper fitting or just send it back and buy a radiator from someone who knows what they are doing.

ETA- one more thing- look at the flare fittings inside the radiator. If they are marred in any way as result of threading a bolt into the hole, send it back. Champion is off the list of places I would buy an aluminum radiator from.

[leddzepp]

Whoops, I lied

I didn’t use any adapters at all. The lines threaded in directly on both trucks. Here is my 68. I see in your pic you are using lines different than factory. At least you know these thread right in and seal up. If you have old oem lines you can match it up.

[CUDA8U]

put a trans cooler in,don't use the rad,both the trans and engine will run cooler

[weq92f]

I'm having zero luck finding an adapter that will work.

Can any of you find one?

I need this:

an -5 male to 1/2-20 inverted flare male

All I'm finding are an -6 fittings.

Both ends of my brass fitting fit snugly into this size checker tool. So I need both ends of the adapter to be 1/2-20.



Thanks,

-Kevin

[54blackhornet]

I can’t believe how much time and energy everyone has spent dicking around on this ? I hope the guy that sold you this realizes just how much business he has lost bye not rolling up his sleve and helping you out.....

[weq92f]

Have a look...

https://youtu.be/KmzRRrVeXzU



-klb

[Steeveedee]

Originally Posted by 54blackhornet

I can’t believe how much time and energy everyone has spent dicking around on this ? I hope the guy that sold you this realizes just how much business he has lost bye not rolling up his sleve and helping you out.....

IK,R?

Kevin, make 'em eat the radiator. It's complete BS that they can't send you the right stuff. They know what lines you have going to it, based on the vehicle information. Unbelievable. I'm looking at Cold Case atm, and hope I don't see this kind of problem. I'll put my wife on the phone. Nobody wants to hear it from Suzie! It's fun to watch. Though to be honest, if you get my Irish up, you don't want to hear it from me, either.

['68 C10]

A radiator shop can solder in a new bung for you. I have a Champion Rad as well, for my LS swap project, and I believe I have the same bungs as you do. I intend to take mine to a local shop and have them solder in a bung for me to my desired fitting specs.

[AussieinNC]

These radiator tanks are aluminum and cannot be soldered...

TIG process is used to "weld" in the bungs...

[weq92f]

The guys at ChampionCooling have given me the choice to either send this radiator back and be done outright or let them build another one with bungs that I can use and/or that will work for me ( they sent me a set of alternate bungs to test against my brass fittings ). They have gone out of their way to try and find a solution that didn't require the above by way of an adapter, but... no joy unfortunately.

The real problem here though is that my lines are AN -5 and that is something that isn't available in terms of an adapter/fitting from their radiator or really any radiator to my current lines.

So, I'm going to use my old radiator for now just to get this thing running and driving again. Later on I'll add an external cooler and R&R all the lines when I go to swap out the rad.

-klb

[Dashman]

I've encountered the same thing with a Champion CC369 radiator. I ordered the "black" adapters to go to 3/8" JIC, and they felt loose. I thought it was the fitting because I mic'd the male threads at 0.492". Then I decided to flare and bend tubing, so I ordered 1/2"-20 stainless steel tube nuts. They fit loosely also. Then I looked inside the bung, to see a cone and an O-ring. WTH???
This is my go to for hydraulic fittings:
https://www.discounthydraulichose.co...read_guide.pdf

If you'll notice the male threads of the 1/4" BSPP -04 fittings are listed at 0.52". I've ordered these, and I'll be seeing how they fit. My issue will be that I have to go back to using JIC fittings instead of inverted flare.

My point would be that Champion has no business selling radiators specifically for our trucks "C/K series, 67-72, L6 or V8, 2 core, 3 core, and 4 core" without radiator supports and without the proper inverted flare bungs. I made the decision for myself to save the shipping fees to return the radiator just to get my money back and then pay Be Cool $600 for a "direct fitting" radiator. I had a TIG welder weld in aluminum to fit the factory support saddles, and it fits perfect now. So I have to live with the situation of these improper bungs because I can't return it.

As you can see, I'm posting about this same issue 6 years later, so Champion must have known about it, but chose not to do anything. Just keep in mind that the issue isn't China, it's American Corporations choosing the cheap labor. Shame on me for choosing the cheap product. <<<I can delete this last part if it's improper in this forum.

[weq92f]

Originally Posted by Dashman

I've encountered the same thing with a Champion CC369 radiator. I ordered the "black" adapters to go to 3/8" JIC, and they felt loose. I thought it was the fitting because I mic'd the male threads at 0.492". Then I decided to flare and bend tubing, so I ordered 1/2"-20 stainless steel tube nuts. They fit loosely also. Then I looked inside the bung, to see a cone and an O-ring. WTH???
This is my go to for hydraulic fittings:
https://www.discounthydraulichose.co...read_guide.pdf

If you'll notice the male threads of the 1/4" BSPP -04 fittings are listed at 0.52". I've ordered these, and I'll be seeing how they fit. My issue will be that I have to go back to using JIC fittings instead of inverted flare.

My point would be that Champion has no business selling radiators specifically for our trucks "C/K series, 67-72, L6 or V8, 2 core, 3 core, and 4 core" without radiator supports and without the proper inverted flare bungs. I made the decision for myself to save the shipping fees to return the radiator just to get my money back and then pay Be Cool $600 for a "direct fitting" radiator. I had a TIG welder weld in aluminum to fit the factory support saddles, and it fits perfect now. So I have to live with the situation of these improper bungs because I can't return it.

As you can see, I'm posting about this same issue 6 years later, so Champion must have known about it, but chose not to do anything. Just keep in mind that the issue isn't China, it's American Corporations choosing the cheap labor. Shame on me for choosing the cheap product. <<<I can delete this last part if it's improper in this forum.

.

I ended up selling the Champion unit for a loss...the fans that came with the Champion were generic 40 dollar fans and were insufficient...ended up buying spal fans to replace them at quite an expense. All the money I spent on the Champion solution was wasted except for the 100 bucks I got from a forum member to take the thing off my hands!

YMMV...

-klb

[Accelo]

I also ordered a "exact fit" radiator. It didn't even match up with the factory hold downs.
Never even got to the fittings end of things.
Ended up sending it back.
I ended up with a Dewitt radiator for a LS conversion. Ordered it in black, like an original, even though it's Aluminum. I came with the Spal fans. It was not cheap. But it fit the first time and saved me hours of frustration. Building on of these trucks is difficult enough with out the "It fits" but really doesn't.

I had similar issues with my fuel tank and SS brake lines.
Caveat Emptor

[jaros44sr]

Here is my oem trans lines to rad, this is the fitting required

If you need measurements I'm willing to get air in the lines to help you out


17081807792988619008885623478012 by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/97391199@N06

[PbFut]

I bought a champion 4 core with fans for a 72 gmc about 18 months ago. Fittings are perfect for trans lines and all hoses fit correctly as well. The mounts were a little shallow allowing the factory radiator mount to make contact with the end tanks. Some very minor grinding on the factory mounts corrected. It is possible the rubber pads in my mounts had compressed allowing the contact. Overall the fit was remarkably good. I do not recomend using their pigtail to the fans. There is no lock tab and when the connector gets warm it looses its ability to stay tightly connected. This causes the connection to loose good contact and you get low amperage to the fan and will damage it. I had this happen. Champion sent me a replacement fan deeply discounted to replace my damaged part free shipping overnight. These are Chinese parts so you must look things over and not take for granted that everything has been tested for all applications. Having done the conversion, I recommend not using the electric fans unless you have a specific reason to do so. The fans stress the 50 year old electric system. The alternator if old will not keep up. New ones for external voltage regulator just bearly meet the demand and if you want the factory battery guage to work correctly requires a pretty deep dive into the main harness. It can be made to work correctly but it is not as simple as adding a jump off the fuse link connector on the fender to the fan relay as most would likely do.