I hate these cars, especially their radiators

[milehighGN]

How come I can find ANYONE EVER OVER THE LAST 3 MONTHS to have a god-damn fitting for the tranny cooler for the stock GN radiator. NAPA, checker, pep-boys, any performance shop in denver. The little 1/8" fitting that connect the the 5/16" tranny line back to the transmission. IF ANYONE CAN HELP ME , PLEASE LET ME KNOW! ILL BUY IT, ANYTHING!!

If I can't get this piece of **** tranny cooler line hooked up, Im just gonna put the car up for sale on eBay for parts only. I havent been able to title the car since i only drove it for a month, jacked up the exisiting radiator, and now i've been ****ed over for the last 8 months.


HELP PLEASE! And no..........NO PARTS STORES HAVE HELPED ME AT ALL!

 

[87ttypeV8]

ever thing of plugging the radiator and putting an aftermarket trans cooler?

would be much more effecient and do more good for your trans!

that is what i did and am much happier now... good luck with the dilemma... can be a pain to get what you need sometimes

no auto parts store seem to have the correct parts for these cars in stock... havent found 1 yet

 

[milehighGN]

I've thought of that as well.....it might be what I have to have end up happen anyways. How did you set yours up? Cost? Thank you so much for you help

 

[gordyzx9r]

Just curious, your sig says you have a Be-Cool Aluminum radiator. I was thinking of buying a Be-Cool and Dual Fan setup from Ramchargers, did you have issues with the Be-Cool?

 

[milehighGN]

Yea......i hit a small little yellow pole going 10mph......the Be-Cool was all smashed

But as far as performance, it worked great. I didnt want to spend the $700 on it to replace it.

I'd do a high-efficieny from Nick Micale and spend the rest on an alcohol injection kit.

 

[Zurn]

should be able to get an adapter

You should be able to pick up an adapter to go from your line to the radiator. I sold parts for a few years and lots of aftermarket radiator companies use somewhat generic radiators for many cars where you have to use adapter to get it to work. The radiator you are getting probably fits several models of Buicks, Chevys, Olds, and Pontiacs, maybe even a few full sized fords. The one that is the best is mid to late 80's and early 90's Hondas, there is only one aftermarket radiator in production, no mater what kind of Honda you have and it is supposed to fit 85-90% of all the Hondas on the road. Try telling that to the guy on the other side of the counter when his radiator looks different from the one you got in for him; for the third time... Anyways, take your old radiator with you to the store, I know Napa carries a few brass fittings, and show them what you need. They should be able to get you a fitting/adapter to work. Good luck!
-Gabe

 

[FastRegalWE2]

go with an F-Body radiator

 

[Red Regal T]

DITTO................my car runs very cool w/ AC blowing in the 90s with only the stock fan and my $30 F-body radiator.

 

[John Larkin]

Are you talking about the 90° brass adapter fitting? I'm pretty sure it's 5/16" or 1/2 - 20 female inverted flare to male NPT (can't remember the size). Try 3/8" pipe thread. The fitting should only cost $1.00 and likely they have them at AutoZone. I've bought lots of fittings there. That or a real old hardware store; they used to stock alot of Weatherhead fittings. NAPA stores (large ones) generally stock alot. If you can take a section of line with you that would be best.

 

[Rickracer]

As a general rule....

....most parts countermen these days know Jacksh*t about brass fittings ( or bolts either for that matter). When you go in, ask right off the bat if anyone in the store knows anything about brass fittings. If there is someone in charge of ordering them to begin with, that is who you want to speak with. If you can bring in the fittings you need to connect, that will help. In case there is no one available with any applicable training, tell them to show you their brass cabinet, and then go way and leave you alone till you find what you need. I can't tell you how many times I've ordered bolts and/or fittings, and quoted exactly what I know is on the front of the drawer for the parts I need, and wound up getting the wrong stuff. I order a 1/2" bolt and they send me 5/16", (It has a 1/2" head"?????) I order 3/8"NPT X 3/8" hose nipples and get male inverted flare with a 3/8" hose nipple. Does it sound like I'm venting??? Don't even get me started

 

[milehighGN]

Re: As a general rule....

Originally posted by Rickracer
....most parts countermen these days know Jacksh*t about brass fittings ( or bolts either for that matter). When you go in, ask right off the bat if anyone in the store knows anything about brass fittings. If there is someone in charge of ordering them to begin with, that is who you want to speak with. If you can bring in the fittings you need to connect, that will help. In case there is no one available with any applicable training, tell them to show you their brass cabinet, and then go way and leave you alone till you find what you need. I can't tell you how many times I've ordered bolts and/or fittings, and quoted exactly what I know is on the front of the drawer for the parts I need, and wound up getting the wrong stuff. I order a 1/2" bolt and they send me 5/16", (It has a 1/2" head"?????) I order 3/8"NPT X 3/8" hose nipples and get male inverted flare with a 3/8" hose nipple. Does it sound like I'm venting??? Don't even get me started

Well, thank you for sharing and venting as well. The whole issues stems from the genome project lab rats they have working behind those counters

I know the 1/8" fitting needs a 90 degree flare to a 5/16" fitting. I just can't find a decent shop that has it.

 

[scottyb]

Fbody radiator here, an external trans cooler, and an external oil cooler. I'll never look back.

 

[milehighGN]

I think im gonna do that if i cant find the fitting. How much did it cost ya to set that up? What is all entailed?



Thank you all so much for your help........you have reduced my frustration greatly. I've felt hopeless the past few weeks!

 

[TurboT231]

Radiator fitting.

MilehighGN you got E-mail.

 

[Haynesie]

Re: Re: As a general rule....

Originally posted by milehighGN
Well, thank you for sharing and venting as well. The whole issues stems from the genome project lab rats they have working behind those counters

I know the 1/8" fitting needs a 90 degree flare to a 5/16" fitting. I just can't find a decent shop that has it.

yeah thats pretty offensive, i guess its to hard for some people to pick up the catalog that is normally right next to the bins, at least thats where its located at the parts store i work at, and considering how most people just pick and choose and put back in the wrong bins, its not always easy....

 

[83ttypecooled]

Chill!
I think you are talking about the trans cooler connection to the radiator, right?
Dale

 

[gnsrule]

I know the 1/8" fitting needs a 90 degree flare to a 5/16" fitting.

Calling it the right thing would help. I thought radiators use a 1/4 npt but I guess it could be 1/8 npt. either way, you would want a 1/8npt x 5/16 inverterted flare fitting. Shouldnt be a problem at ANY parts store.

Good Luck

 

[Rickracer]

Since I don't own a GN/TR.....

...and it's been months since I've seen Victor's GN, pretend I'm from Mars, and describe to me what you are looking for. The fitting going into the radiator on 99% of all GM cars is 5/16" inverted flare, the rest are 3/8" inverted flare (HD applications, like 4L80E, one ton and higher). If you are trying to make a 90* turn right out of the radiator, you will need a male 5/16" inverted flare X 1/4"NPT or 1/8" NPT female, and then a 1/4" or 1/8" NPT male 90* X female 5/16" inverted flare. The latter fitting is not all that common, you may not find one at AZ. I would try to use the 1/4" vs. the 1/8"NPT as it will be less restrictive. Check your local phone book or maybe the internet yellow pages for a hydraulic shop in your area. They should have one. They may even have a single fitting that is 5/16"inverted flare male X 5/16" inverted flare female 90*. NAPA stores generally have a fairly good selection of brass, much better than AZ or PEP Boys. If I've missed the point, a good pic is worth a 1000 words.

 

[Red Regal T]

I must not know what the question is here, because when I think of the fitting where the trans fluid goes into the radiator,...........................isn't that a 5/16" steel line with a flared end? Just get a 5/16" inverted flare, steel line in the steel line section of your parts store and cut and bend to size you need.

 

[turbofish38]

There is a long thread over on the other place about the problems with the OEM radiators and the trans cooler fittings. I dont think this is going to fly but here is the link: http://www.turbobuickX.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=30162

Substitute the X for an "s" and hopefully your browser can find it.