Harrison Radiator Applications & Identification for A-Bodies

...this is what I was doing in '19. Seems like we have enough interest/participation now to do this for '70-71. My '71 AM page 11-4.3 has 7 revs. Does yours (or anyone else's have more), and does your or anyone else's '70 AM have as many or more than Duane's 12 revs? Depending on how this goes, we may be able to expand years. Regardless, participants in this discussion have been made aware that whatever we come up with won't be absolute, but our best approximation given (Duane's) caveats. Does anyone have image of SE or SF tag?

 

From the 68 and 72 assembly manuals

Dated 11/3/71


1968 Assembly manual dated 4/3/68

 

...some random radiator info I collected while researching (mostly using SS parts because that's what should be in my '71):

Unlike other Divisions, Buick didn't use 4-row cores, just 2 and 3 and (at least for '71) the SB rad with a 45 core was only 2-row.
Cores came with side channels and end caps attached. End caps were not part of tank.


Image of 2 and 3 row end caps on tanks. SB rad used CF passenger side tank. Unless I learn differently for SE rad, IA driver side tank was used on all 2 and 3-row rads.


How to read a rad tag

 

...would you look in upper right corner of posted pages and count number of dates in first column of "Revision Record" box, if any.
Example page

 

...yep, and rare as...

 

1968 is Rev R (15 Dates)
1972 is Rev E (5 Dates)

 

I currently have this exact radiator in my 68 GS (CF / IA 3 core) It is not original to the car, it had the original 2 core that I took in to be redone and asked if it could be made into a 3 core, they guy had 3 core tanks around and made me a 3 core. This was before I knew about all these codes...... The month code on mine is "E" which would be May if I am reading it correctly.

Who owns that tag in the post and do you want to sell it It matches my radiator including the year code...

 

I'll check my AM's too. Have a couple versions of '70, '71, & '72.

 

Yes my SW radiator I had did have an IA tank on drivers side and passenger tank did appear big.

 

Here’s my rad tag info I think rad is original to car 70 stage 4 speed no a/c low mileage car ,it had the factory plugs in trans cooler IA CF tank codes SJ rad code 3 not 30 core code and 8? In date code area..? Gregg

 

...has anyone seen an SS tag with other than "8" in date code. I'm leaning toward concluding that Harrison radiator tag date code was when a particular radiator configuration first appeared.

Does anyone have, or pic, of SE or SF tag. I need tank/core codes.

For everyone else helping with assy manuals, would you check "Revision Record" in upper rt corner of "Radiator Assy Chart" page in Section 11-4 to see if # of revision dates is greater than:
1968 AM 15 Revisions (Mike)
1969 AM 11 Revisions (Duane) edited 12/06/2021
1970 AM 12 Revisions (Duane)
1971 AM 7 Revisions (me)
1972 AM 5 Revisions (Mike)

Once we determine who has latest AM for each year, I'll need a high res copy of entire "Radiator Assy Chart" page (not just chart) and also copy of "Heating and Cooling Options" page from Section 0-12.
I realize most of us have AM copies of various quality. If I'm unable to read revisions, we may have to fall back to an earlier legible copy...

 

...has anyone come across any Harrison documentation describing differences in cores (fins/tubes/spacing). SS replaced SJ in '71. By '72 it was showing up in Master Parts book in lieu of SW as well. SS used same tanks as SJ, with a "30" core rather than SJ's "3." Curious what it was about core that allowed it to replace SW, and if/when SW no longer in '71s (SS in Revision Record 10/26/70). Allowing time to deplete existing SW stock, who's got latest post-10/26 SW?...

 

I believe Buicks came with 2-cores, a thinner (front-to-back) 3-core, and the wider 3-core that you would find in the SW rads. There may have been other variations as in height of the tubes, etc.
4-cores were not available on the 68-72 Buicks.

My 69 Assembly book page shows 11 revisions.
Duane

 

Brett,
All you would be doing is guessing, as to which radiator was used as a replacement, especially regarding what was done at GMAD plants.

They were just as likely to substitute another make’s radiator rather then what Buick would have suggested.

Also until recently with chip shortages “The Assembly line never stopped.” There are documented cases where incorrect parts were put on the cars so they could get them off the line. Then the parts were changed out before the cars were shipped to the dealerships………and the answer as to whether every car had the parts swapped back out is anyone’s guess.

Some of the assembly manuals even list the parts “the factory” could/would replace before shipment.

I don’t know about the different “tiers” of HD Cooling. The radiator page shows what the letter codes would be for cars with HD Cooling.

Also, I don’t think there were 2 different levels of HD Cooling shown on the “Wholesale Car Order Forms”, which is what was used to order the cars from the Factory…… and without that, how would the salesman/dealership know how to order the car.

The Wholesale Car Order Forms show exactly how the cars were ordered, and sometimes were changed during the production year. If the info is not on them then the cars were not ordered like that. (The only exception to this that I know of was with the “GSX option parts” for the 71-72 cars.)

If you want to know what the HD cooling incorporated for each body number, then you need to look at the Option Code sheets at the beginning of the assembly manuals. Those pages spell out what the codes included for the various body/model numbers.
Duane

 

...I've read and re-read order forms and AM 11-4 rad info, as well as 0-12 cooling options (specifically I3, I6, and I7). I have not read '70 AM 0-12 simply because I don't have a '70 GS [I will read if you'll send me image]). I find wording inconsistencies with both order forms and AM, for example, '71 AM page 0-12.10 Cooling Options. I7 Heavy Duty Cooling sez not available w/A1 or I6 and includes V03, which is I3 Heavy Duty Radiator, which sez with I6 only and not A1. Did your head explode? Ommmmmm. Here's my take. English is a subjective language, people tasked with writing this stuff likely weren't the engineers setting specs, and were nodding in agreement during explanations. I want to get back to "what were engineers trying to accomplish," manage extra cooling loads under optional conditions. A1 (or GSX in '70) were expected to be run harder and require more capacity. If I6 also ordered, even more capacity needed. I6 without A1 needs extra but not "maximum". For buyers who might want/need more capacity for say towing or maybe driving at 100 mph across AZ in summer, there was I3 or I7 (which unfortunately aren't well defined) There were 2 "extra cooling" rad upgrades, SJ (later SS) was first step, and SW was second. It's not clear that one could directly order an SW, rather you got one if order contained 2 options needing upgraded cooling...

 

IMHO, & I'll dive more into the '70 AM(s) incl. the option code sheets, you're onto they're scheme for the stepped upgrade process (1 or 2 steps) as required. If so, then for example, a Stage 1 w/o A/C would get an SJ (one step) but a Stage 1 w/AC would get an SW (2 steps - 1 for Stage 1 & another for AC). That would've meant that to get an SW in non-A/C car someone would've had to understand all this & do an SCO as I7 couldn't be added to a Stage 1 since it was already incl. Whereas on the 2 Fremont GS 455's Mike noted, the one w/I7 got 2 upgrades (A/C & I7) but the other only got one upgrade for the A/C.

 

In '71 on the order form, they actually fixed the issue I brought up previously with respect to the I7 GS 455 car @Mike Trom referenced by adding I3 in that in '70, to get the SW, that car had to be ordered w/I7 but I6 already included everything but the SW radiator so by all rights, I7 should've cost less on an A/C car than on a non-A/C car. I3 fixed that issue & req. I6 as I3 was just the radiator upgrade on an A/C car.

Edit: The I3 terminology "Extra HD Radiator" then makes perfect sense since one was already getting the HD radiator as part of I6 and since I6 was required w/I3.

What I3 didn't "fix," and maybe the engineers didn't want you to be able to do 2 cooling upgrades if not necessary, is there was still no way to get an SW on a non-A/C Stage 1. To fix that, the note would've needed to read "(I6 Req. exc. w/A1) (N/A with both A1 & I6)"

 

...for me, definitive test of ability to specifically order an SW would be a GS 455 with I7 only, no A1 or I6. Anyone got one...