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Universal aluminum radiator question

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Old Aug 1, 2009 | 10:06 AM
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Universal aluminum radiator question

My radiator mounts broke off my radiator, so I'm thinking of picking up one of the Summit aluminum radiators.

My question is, where do I run the lower coolant return line from the heater core to? Do I need to get a fitting welded in to the lower bung on the radiator? Is there a fitting you guys use? It boggles the mind.
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Old Aug 1, 2009 | 10:37 AM
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From: https://www2.mazda.com/en/100th/
you have 3 choices.

1. no heater!

2. have a hose barb put into the new lower hose thing on the new radiator. its simple, but its prolly a weld in

3. find a hose barb and a pipe and put that into the lower radiator hose. ive done this before, works great, parts come from the plumbing dept of the hardware store
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Old Aug 1, 2009 | 10:31 PM
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From: St Joe MO
4. Have the stock radiator repaired.
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Old Aug 1, 2009 | 10:37 PM
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5. Mighty Puddy
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Old Aug 2, 2009 | 08:47 AM
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Originally Posted by trochoid
4. Have the stock radiator repaired.
Why bother with stock parts?
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Old Aug 2, 2009 | 11:50 AM
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From: https://www2.mazda.com/en/100th/
Originally Posted by TheRX7Project
Why bother with stock parts?
bass/copper works better than AL, AL is lighter and cheaper. the stock radiator is also sized well and hey its already there...

in this case stock is really good.

the 83-85 radiators are actually larger than the competition radiator they used to sell back in the day
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Old Aug 2, 2009 | 05:02 PM
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My radiator could use serious replacement anyway... it's getting pretty "green". Plus I would like to lighten up the front end (my goal is to shave 150lbs off the car).

That, and those Summit radiators are pretty cheap...
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Old Aug 2, 2009 | 05:11 PM
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Originally Posted by j9fd3s
bass/copper works better than AL, AL is lighter and cheaper. the stock radiator is also sized well and hey its already there...

in this case stock is really good.

the 83-85 radiators are actually larger than the competition radiator they used to sell back in the day
Larger but only a 2 core design.
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Old Aug 2, 2009 | 05:41 PM
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From: St Joe MO
Originally Posted by TheRX7Project
My radiator could use serious replacement anyway... it's getting pretty "green". Plus I would like to lighten up the front end (my goal is to shave 150lbs off the car).

That, and those Summit radiators are pretty cheap...
Look inside the radiator cap and see if the tubes are clogging. Brass rads are easily recored/rebuilt and function quite well.

Originally Posted by TheRX7Project
Why bother with stock parts?
Because, oddly enough, sometimes they are the best parts.
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Old Aug 2, 2009 | 06:11 PM
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From: fredericksburg va
we just had a thread that covered this. there are a couple on ebay for decent prices that are for the most part bolt in replacements.. i was going to use universal one but it was worth the bs.
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Old Aug 2, 2009 | 08:02 PM
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From: sac ca
6. sometimes they can not be repaired . Alu. 160.00 Rebies
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Old Aug 3, 2009 | 07:42 AM
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Originally Posted by trochoid
Look inside the radiator cap and see if the tubes are clogging. Brass rads are easily recored/rebuilt and function quite well.

Because, oddly enough, sometimes they are the best parts.
The Aluminum one will still be lighter. And probably not much more expensive than getting my brass one re-popped.

We'll see. I have until Thursday to make a real decision. I need to do something soon though, have a 3-hour road trip coming up in 2-1/2 weeks... and I'd like to take the RX7 (not necessary if not possible, but seeing as how I'm going to meet up with other RX7 owners, I'd like to bring mine along instead of something boring...)
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Old Aug 3, 2009 | 09:47 AM
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$170 from RX7.com for a Brass 3 row. Pop that baby in and fogetaboutet.
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Old Aug 3, 2009 | 12:01 PM
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Gone through 3 universal aluminum radiators so far....... hopefully my 3rd one will be the ticket..... C&R Scirocco Radiator
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