I just got a Universal Rad from one of those parts depots. It's about two-third's the size of the stock one. Should I just return it and keep looking or will i be ok?

 

You have an '84 according to your profile?

You got a radiator for a '79-82. Yes, return it, get the correct one. I have a small type radiator in my '85 (with the water/oil cooler retained) and the car runs hot sometimes.

 

Keep it, I have the same small type radiator on my 85 (with an air/oil cooler underneath) and the car runs nice and cool.



Seriously, I'd keep it. If you run across an old air/oil cooler you could swap it in and get rid of that old water/oil "heater".

 

But the car will possibly overheat in the meantime....

 

Here is a pic of how the 2 compare, the bigger one is the stock one. I have a hunch i won't be able to use this rad.. Damn parts Depot!!!

 

that is defintely not gonna work. The smaller rad that both peejay and I thought you had is really only a couple inches shorter than the original. Send that POS back

 

Thats the rad from a severly striped NEON. I've worked on a 95 neon that was so striped that it didn't even come with power steering. This is from the factory too. It had cheapo steel wheels and nothing but the basics. The seats weren't even very well padded (probably half of the normal amount). But that rad WILL NOT cool a rotary enough. But how the hell did you get one? We had to replace the rad in the car I worked on and we had a hell of a time finding a place that had one.

Might be from a geo too, but I think the one from the geo I worked on was even smaller.