When upgrading to an aluminum radiator on your classic musclecar, a nice finishing touch is a polished coolant recovery tank. It not only adds more cool points to your engine bay, but also adds function to keep your cooling system functional.
As your engine gets to operating temperature, excess air trapped in the cooling system is vented out through the radiator cap as pressures increase. Along with that expelled air is some of your coolant, which was typically vented directly to the ground in classic vehicles. The radiator purges the excess out of the system until there enough room to allow for the expansion.
[1]Once your engine cools, a properly working overflow tank allows that excess fluid that has collected to be drawn back into the system.
Having an overflow tank, like these from Champion Cooling [2], allow you to capture some of that expelled coolant, which will be pulled back into the radiator as the system cools. This process helps to keep your cooling system working at its best, and also maintains higher levels of coolant in the radiator to create a maintenance-free system.
Champion [3] has a series of videos to help with installation and technical information, and offers a full line of recovery tanks that will allow your cooling system to operate at its peak potential. The sleek, stainless steel design adds that finishing touch to any project vehicle.
Once you find the right recovery tank to fit your build needs, Champion recommends carefully following the supplied installation instructions to ensure proper recovery operation. While the mounting location is flexible, it’s best to mount the recovery tank close to the overflow fitting and to be sure to route the hoses to the proper connection.
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All Champion products come with a Lifetime Limited Warranty and are made to install with limited or no modifications necessary. Each recovery tank kit contains all the necessary hardware to ensure ease of installation.
For more information on the entire line of Champion Cooling [6] products, visit the company’s official website.