Last summer we informed you that the guys at Koyorad were working on yet another aluminum radiator for classic Japanese cars. This time, the beneficiary was the classic bantamweight street fighter known simply as the TE27. Well the development process has completed and they have just announced that the radiator is available for purchase. But wait, there’s more. It doesn’t just fit mangos, but peanuts and goons as well — the new cooler will fit all second-gen Corollas, including TE21 2- and 4-door sedans and TE28 wagons, from 1971-74.
The core comes from Koyorad’s all-aluminum 36mm VH series, developed for optimal coolant volume and coolant circulation. It’s quite a bit beefier than the stock unit to ensure proper air circulation, but despite its girth it’s still a bolt-in replacement for the stock OEM unit. A ⅛-inch PT female accessory fitting (threaded plug included) allows you to plug in a temp sensor for aftermarket gauges as well.
We saw one of the first prototypes of this unit test-fitted on Patrick Ng’s beautiful 1974 Corolla Coupe last summer. It’s great to see companies like Koyorad embracing the nostalgic market and providing yet another part to keep these cars on the road. It adds to their growing repertoire of aluminum radiators for the Toyota Celica and AE86, Datsun S30 Zs and 510s.
This is great. I tried to buy a new radiator a while back but couldn’t find one.
I am so happy that KOYO RAD are finally supporting the secret nostalgic that is the 2nd gen Corolla. I am sure this will make them quite as much money as their uber popular Datsun setups.
For those that would prefer to run a brass radiator for all the special reasons that make brass better than aluminum, I would recommend you seek out a local, old school radiator shop. Not only can they stretch and repair your top and bottom tanks, but they can also install much larger cores, with or without dimpling. Cost wise you will come out to about the same as this Koyo radiator. That is what I did about 7 months ago and have not regretted it. I no longer run any kind of cooling fan and run straight 50/50. And the best part is it looks exactly like stock.