Cool/Heat: Aftermarket radiator for 1951 Champion ??

[PackardV8]

I have a friend who wants an aluminum radiator for his Champion. Has anyone here found an aftermarket replacement ??

jack vines

[rockne10]

You might check here. They have or had the '51 Studebaker listed. https://cgj.com/
Their part number STU-1051

[PackardV8]

You might check here. They have or had the '51 Studebaker listed. https://cgj.com/
Their part number STU-1051

Thanks for the link; here's a direct shot https://cgj.com/product/stu-1051-studebaker-radiator


This appears to be an excellent product, but painted black and with shipping, it's more than $600.

I notice on a current thread several with later C/Ks have used a much less expensive generic SBC/Jeep radiator. Any thoughts as to whether that might also fit this guy's Champion?

jack vines

[Mrs K Corbin]

I got my rad from Fleabay. I believe it was less than $200. Classic Custom Cooling, I think. I think it was the SBC/Jeep style and I put it in a '58 truck. only problem I had was the lower rad hose had to be custom, as the Hawk engine I crammed in there had the pump low, making both the hose lower and the fan hit the frame, so I shortened the fan and made an adapter for the hose. If you want the part# i'll post it.

[mbstude]

I have the one from CGJ (as shown above) in my ‘51 Commander. Made in USA and built heavier than any of those cheap Chinese radiators. It was a direct fit and uses the stock hoses. It keeps the little 232” cool when sitting in traffic in August in Florida with the AC on. As far as I’m concerned the price was irrelevant.

That said, 51 Champion and 51 Commander radiators are not interchangeable. The lower hose fitting comes up at a steep angle on the Champ, whereas it’s straight back on the Commander (as shown in the photo).

[345 DeSoto]

Jack - Got measurements for the radiator which your friend needs?...

[Hallabutt]

I posed a question on the AACA forum, trying to get some valid comparisons between and original copper radiator and an aluminum radiator. I use inexpensive aluminum rads, for my twenty five yo daily drivers, because they are cheap, but more importantly because they are what is available. My nephew who is a mechanic, uses aluminum, but said that there is an extremely high failure in the less expensive units. He encourage me to stay close to home when choosing one, so I wouldn't need to ship when it failed, and to make sure that I understood the company't guarantee.

It seemed to me that the hobby was running to aluminum, and I wanted to know more about the what, why, and where of the process. I wanted a survey based on a more diversified, and philosophically balanced hobbyist ownership. A couple of my takeaways were that you get what you pay for, and where cooling is concerned copper still can do a better job. I encourage anyone considering a swap go to the technical section and read that thread.

Bill