Hi guys,

After I got rid of my B-body engine (spun a bearing) I decided to keep my original setup of a header tank (1999 Chevy Malibu) so I could keep my almost new radiator (a 1996 corvette all aluminium radiator).

However after my F-body engine blew a head gasket, I got to thinking about my coolant system. Since I've been slowly but surely repairing the damage, i did some research and found that while the B-body had the same PSI rating as the Malibu tank (15psi) the F-body is 18 psi. It makes sense why the old tank blew in the heat, causing the car to over heat and blow the head gasket.

So now, I'm looking for some other options so that I may keep my water pump and radiator. Does any one have any ideas so that I may keep my expensive bits? I was thinking a remote filler neck, but I don't know if that's a good idea because of how the hoses from the water pump are situated -- i guess I could just splice it in, but I don't think it'd be at the top of my cooling system and i'd wind up with a ton of air. In the Fbody, wasn't the filler cap all the way up by the firewall?

My other idea was to find a header tank with a higher PSI rating that is metal. There are some around, but they are expensive. Plus, the inlets are very small, the inlet i currently have is 3/4" and the ones on the tanks i've seen are 1/4".

My third option is to ditch my radiator, water pump and coolant tank and go to a straight F-body setup -- sure fire, but the most expensive.

Does anyone have any ideas of what i could do?

Thanks!

 

The LT1 in the F-Body has a fill cap on top of the radiator, and a simple overflow tank. It did not have the complex "air elimination" system that the Corvette had, with the tank at the firewall.