new radiator

T

theguitarist

Well-known member
I ordered my new aluminum head package a few weeks ago and am preparing for the installation project at the end of the summer. My old radiator (copper/ brass stock replacement) has more JB Weld than metal on the top seam and will be replaced as well.

I hear a lot about how great the aluminum radiators are but I've read that the old stock-style transfers heat better. The only issues I've had with my current one is leaking on longer road trips, but this is due to age. It has always cooled just fine.

I'm wondering if I need an upgrade for the extra output I'll get from the new head, intake, and carb. Recomendations?
 
8) my advice would be to go ahead and get a good aluminum radiator. you want a dual core rad with 1" thick cores and at least 16 fins per inch for best cooling on the street. its generally going to cost about the same as a good copper/brass rad will. i also suggest stepping up to an electric fan as well, find one from a ford taurus as they pull a ton of air.
 
"...an electric fan... from a ford taurus..."
what year and engine? have heard good things B4, just not sure what to look for...
Thank you!
BTW: would the radiator be something to grab as well (for an early 'stang, Maverick, falcon, etc)?
 
8) any ford taurus that has a single fan will do nicely. as i recall most guys use the fan from a 95 and earlier taurus.
 
I thought you had a magic answer or new something I didn't :p

But, there is no electric fan that can be used as a puller which will fit and have enough CFM to cool the engine.
The Taurus fan is about 4" thick. I think we only have about 2 - 2 1/2 inches of room.

If anyone knows of an electric that will fit please post.
 
Forgot to post about the hoses.

For the top hose. I used a 90 degree silicon from Speedway Motors with an adapter from Gates.
For the bottom hose. I used a universal flexible from Gates.

If needed I could try and look up the part numbers.
 
theguitarist,
hope this aint jackin ur thread
but I'll ask:
is the ol brass/copper too expensive now-a-days, unavailable, the alu better, or what?
I don't see the ol style anymore...
(alu is the most available 'metal' on earth).
8^ 0
 
rbohm":2f6wzv81 said:
my advice would be to go ahead and get a good aluminum radiator.
Click to expand...

X2 There are specialty applications where a vat & rod treatment of the radiator is the only option, but given the ready availability of reasonably priced replacements for most of these car and the investment you're making in the engine, I'd spring for a quality replacement.

Copper is a better thermal conductor of heat than aluminum (although the tanks on copper rads are usually brass and tubes & fins are copper), but much of the improvement in modern radiators is through design. More surface area per tube in each row and often more fins. Over time the fins become detached from the rows of tubes on the old radiators, and bit by bit it lessens the cooling efficiency/capability.

Folks won't hesitate to add an oil cooler, or transmission cooler...but there's nothing more important than an engine cooler/radiator to preventing catastrophic failure due to heat, especially given you're springing for the 'aluminum head' (far more prone to damage from heat than cast iron).

IIWIYS I'd consider it a necessary expense for prevention/protection. And never live with a leaking cooling system if you can help it. Water boils at a higher temperature when under pressure, so a leaking system isn't cooling sufficiently or as efficiently, so consider having your system pressure tested once you've sprung for all these goodies. Just my $.02
 
chad":de7wpx3y said:
is the ol brass/copper too expensive now-a-days, unavailable, the alu better, or what?
Click to expand...

the difference in cost between an aluminum radiator and a copper/brass radiator is similar these days, though the aluminum radiators are a bit more expensive still. the reason i now recommend an aluminum rad these days is because of design and weight. an aluminum radiator with two rows of 1" tubes is a thick as a four row copper/brass rad with 1/2" tubes, but is far more efficient as eliminating heat due to more surface area for the coolant to dissipate heat from. also the aluminum rad is lighter as well.
 
"... an aluminum radiator with two rows of 1" tubes is a thick as a four row copper/brass rad with 1/2" tubes, but is far more efficient as eliminating heat due to more surface area for the coolant to dissipate heat..."
OK then! On to the new technology.
I wuz thinkin it was just a way for the manufacturers to make more money.

I see alot of them imported from CHINA (& the plastic tank on top separates quickly from the lower fins).
Is the Northern (cited above), or some of the other companies reliable? Who?

Can U go down a few inches (in thickness or length) or # of 'rows' and still do well for the engine due to alu's improvements (thinkin of figment issues on some of the mods we do here). The smaller the more affordable I'm assuming.

Thanks again, as always.
 
chad":3731fhb7 said:
"

I see alot of them imported from CHINA (& the plastic tank on top separates quickly from the lower fins).
Is the Northern (cited above), or some of the other companies reliable? Who?


Thanks again, as always.
Click to expand...

They are built in the USA. I like it more than my $600 Griffin. Well, that is what I paid when they first came out many many years ago.

Quote from Northern "Our offices, manufacturing facility, and primary distribution facility are located in Willmar, Minnesota"
 
just got a call from 'Northern' - "we don't sell direct. Our 205030 is a Summit prt # 380461 & the 205059 is a Summit #380485 (man v auto transmis), All alu (no plastic tank), tig welded, 14 -17 fin p/inch, 1 inch tube, we test em to 30 psi..."

All that sounds like a quality amerikan product, if it's the $600 of the other - that's outta my range...

Check em out @ Summit (he named other co. but none stuck in my mind, oh a 'local' did - Speedway).

EDIT:
yeah, the Northern is 1/2 the price of the Grif. One model ('69, 250ci, 'stang) 4 auto transm:

Northern Radiator 205030

Summit part # 380461///2

Radiator Style: Downflow
Overall Width (in): 18.500 in.
Overall Height (in): 20.250 in.
Row Quantity: 2
Radiator Material: Aluminum
Radiator Finish: Natural
Transmission Cooler:Yes
Inlet Location: Upper passenger side
Inlet Size: 1 1/2 in.
Outlet Location: Lower passenger side
Outlet Size: 1 3/4 in.
Core Height (in): 17.750 in.
Core Thickness (in): 2.250 in.
Core Width (in): 15.750 in.
Tube Size: 1 in.
Fan Included: No
Quantity: Sold individually.
Notes:please verify the original inlet and outlet locations. Some applications have the inlet on the upper passenger side and the outlet on the lower driver side. If this is yours, you will need the SUM-380462. Overall dimensions include mounting brackets. Cooler bosses are 1/8 in. NPT.
In-Store Pickup:Choose In-store pick-up (OH, GA, NV) on our web site.

Hope the formating holds, around $300 (still 'up there' in my world).
 
Could you just find a quality radiator shop and have the original rebuilt or would that be cost prohibitive?
 
kenny170":2u8jrdc5 said:
Could you just find a quality radiator shop and have the original rebuilt or would that be cost prohibitive?
Click to expand...

8) for the money it would cost to recore the old radiator you could pay just a bit more and have a brand new radiator shipped to you. the last time i had a radiator recored it cost me right around $170. the last new radiator i bought cost me just over $200.
 
"...find a quality radiator shop and have the original rebuilt or would that be cost prohibitive?"

"...where a vat & rod treatment of the radiator is the only option, but given the ready availability of reasonably priced replacements for most of these cars..."

unless out in the "bonnies" it may B pretty expensive due to labor costs (gotta "tank" em, clean, rebuild). Growin up I remember it being done all the time, not often today I don't believe. Socks aren't even darned these days...
(now, come on down to this acreage, "Mossy Bottom" & you'll see a broke/self-unemployed swamp geezer trying to get by "DIY-wise" - or more correctly ignorant).

(Hey, Rich, sliped in B 4 I could push the 'send button').
 
LOL, I had my radiator out a few months ago detailing my engine and thought it might be a good time to have my radiator rodded out...Guy at the shop looked at my like I was nuts.
Said, "we haven't done that in years"....
I used to get it done often on new to me cars.

I just flushed it out with a garden hose and called it done.
 
Thanks for all the responses! First, I don't mind the thread being robbed because it leads to new information.

I checked out the Northern radiator at Summit and I like what I see. After comparing to the Griffins, there is no way I will pay that much for a name-brand!

I will probably place my order in a few weeks and post an update after everything (aluminum head, intake, new carb, and radiator) has been installed and tuned.
 
U mean a thread can B jacked for a good reason?
Yes, I think so...
' welcome!

Good luck with the next steps (& those after, as there always are!). That head sure sounds like it will B a nice addition! :D :wow:
 
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