3 core radiator and elec fan conversion
 

Work in progress.....

I also had to r/r power steering pump as the old one was not keeping up with my new Red Head steering box, turns out one of the return hard lines was slightly crimped.

Radiator was pretty easy, slight fitment issues but no big deal.. The new one is an aluminum 3 core unit. Threw in a 160 degree thermostat too. I'll kick fans on at about 180 and see how it runs. It used to run in the 200-205 range prior to this and transmisison would run about 180 to 190.

Fans tomorrow I hope.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.hum...8befe9b302.jpg
Old single row
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.hum...5f86718b18.jpg
New 3 row
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.hum...07c52ca868.jpg
Huge difference!

Do you have more pics and info on the radiator and fans? I have been pushing off this exact mod just because I can never find any concrete info on what aftermarket radiators will work. I've used name brand aluminum radiators in older vehicles but the ebay ones honestly look just as good. Thansk!

Champion makes them and they are sold under several companies. I had issues with their vendor so went to Amazon. I'll see if the box has a manufacturer name on it but I don't think it did. It was $217 and is extremely well built and included all the fitting and hard line clips. The Champion units were about the same price. I see no need to go to Be Cool or Griffins ate 3 x the price.

The key is to make sure you get a 34" core, not the smaller version. It was a direct fit with only very minor trimming needed. I think they are the same for Silverado's, Escalades, etc....

One word of warning to everyone....DO NOT, repeat DO NOT try to remove the quick connect fittings from the plastic ends of the factory radiator. The oil and trans-cooler inside will drop and you will never, ever get it attached again and then there is no way to seal the radiator. I tore mine apart just to see why they fail. Imagine a small metal/aluminum radiator looking apparatus inside the plastic end caps. They would have had to have been connected at the factory prior to the plasatic end caps being installed to the radiator core.

My electric fan conversion was a bust however. I purchased a fan set up out of a 2007 Denali and it would have worked except the oil lines would have needed to be cut or re-bent. I was over the whole project so put the manual fan back in. If you buy fans make sure you get the wiring harness too. You will then need to connect the harness to the PCM to have the computer control the high and low speed. That requires a tuner to activate that part of the computer. You can buy harnesses either with the fans like I did from a junkyard or thru company's like Nelson or PCM of NC. Not sure of their cost but I only have $100 in my whole setup.

I'll re-address the install one day again...maybe. The truck runs 180 to 190 as it sites so I am happy. I wanted teh electric fans because I plan on adding a LSA blower soon but I might shelve that too.

Tim

Good info, thanks. I know the temp probes for aftermarket electric fans are generally looked down upon but that's how I ran my electric can and Be Cool radiator on my old camaro and never had a problem with it. Things to think about I guess. I'll take a look into the radiator though, thanks!

I think the limitation with what you are considering is that you can not control the fans when the A/C goes on. I think those systems are all on or nothing, whereas factory harness kick one on as needed and also from slow to fast. You might run into charging issues unless you also upgrade alternator. I'll keep you posted on how mine work, its not as hot here as AZ but close and so far, I'm amazed.

Tim

I've done the fan conversion on my GMC truck and a Tahoe. Electrically the same as my H2 (for 03-07 trucks and SUV's). There is a good bit to it. The proper way is to get a factory harness from a GM truck that came with the fans. It mounts directly to the fusebox under the hood and pins directly into the PCM but you will need a custom tun to enable them. You can also get an alternate underhood fusebox shroud that has a small secondary lid on the triangle part towards the firewall where the factory relays/fuse are mounted (do not have to have that but you have to remove the entire fusebox housing cover to get to them if you do not). The factory setup does it right and cuts the fans on/off based on AC head pressure(no just if the compressor is on or not), temperatures, and importantly vehicle speed. It shuts the fans off when the vehicle speeds goes above about 35 mph as there is no point in running them when the ambient airflow is more than what they can do. The factory relay setup is a series/parallel arrangement as well providing a low and high speed. There are also a few different fan blade configurations for the factory electric fans, you want to get the one with the dual 7 blade fans, not the 7 and 5 blade version. There are a couple of people on performancetrucks.net that scavenge and strip out the factory harness as well as the fan sets that they sell. Its a bit of a project and as I mentioned, you must also have the PCM custom programmed to enable them on a vehicle that did not come with them stock. When done this way, and done right though, it is truly a 100% factory setup and works great.

I always forget about the AC turning on and needing the fan. As Mix mentioned there is a lot electronically to get it fully integrated which for an electric fan to go through all that trouble is not worth it in my mind. I will definitely still do the aluminum radiator but as for a fan I am not sure yet. Call me crazy but I kinda like the old roar of the factory fan lol.

I agree but I don't think the harness is that big of a deal if needed. The harness connection is 2 wires into the PCM, a power and a ground. That's it. Turning the function on in the PCM is just a matter of turning the function on. Not a big deal.

The radiator has made a huge difference in cooling and in my A/C!

Tim

Is it something a full blown tuner has to do or something a handheld can do?

I think it needs to be HP Tuners or similiar but I'm not sure.

Tim