Radiator options for my '62

rmcphearson

Well-known member
I need a radiator for my '62 falcon ranchero with a 170. The original has a gaping leak near the top. Instead of getting it fixed I'm thinking about getting a new aluminum radiator and keep the old one for a possible future restoration. It looks like the v8 radiators for my falcon can be purchased on ebay for $100. The 6 cyl ones are more expensive. Would I be better off getting a v8 radiator and making it work?

Here's one I'm looking at.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3-ROW-ALUMINUM ... Sw46hbIVC5
Thanks,
Roland
 
hey! speed daddy! (we like their i6 split header - just like the CI/VI).
There seems to B a radiator thread round here somewhere, Roland. It has alot of info - but yeah an 8 will have more capaciticy but bein bigger my B a sm added hassel to mount in a oe 6 cyl radiator spot. The co did that (mounted both) so oem prts could B used I'd think.
Make sure U get measurments B4 pullin ur own (or after?) so U can compair to what's 4 sale.

I kept mine (a 170) when goin to the 250, may go up to the bent8 alu AND electric. we'll C.

Don't 4get to ck local radiator shops. Keepin mine only cost $50 (boiled, rodded. a lill sodering of the mount frame, painted) a great deal if U ask me!
 
Howdy Back Roland:

Is your stock radiator a single row type radiator? Check the dimensions of the inlet and out let bungs. Stock hoses are easy to find. Mismatched bung sizes, not so much.

As Chad suggested, you might want to check locally on getting your stock one rebuilt. I think you're be surprised at the improvement of your stock radiator is it is rebuilt, and less money.

On a side note, even though the radiator you are looking at is Aluminum, three rows adds a bunch more water, which is more weight. And a three row in a 170 will have a very hard time getting up too operating temp. Unless you have AC, hot temperatures, and heavy loads a three row radiator is overkill.

Just a thought to consider- Back in my drag racing days (early 60s), we were swapping two and three cores for a one core. Probably pretty silly, but we were desperate for low buck/no buck performance.

Adios, David
 
Thanks guys. The original is stamped C2DE 800. I don't know how to tell how many rows, I don't want to pull fins off.

I found some correct drop ins. Rockauto has:
Spectra CU1463 copper 3 row copper 1-3/4 thick for $105.
OSC 251 2 row aluminum 1-7/16 thick for $130.

I think I'm going to get the OSC because it's thinner and it's a pain in the butt to squeeze the 4 fan screws in behind the original radiator.
 
sometimes there's a 'spacer' (2 - 4 inches) U can pull out frm between the fan & WP (or add).
There's also a multiplicity of mechanical fans 2 choose frm.

I think the over all thing 2 shoot 4 (as far as lookin @ ur results) is - a WP fan that is 1/2 in & 1/2 out of the shroud.
That and
results in proper /both/ heating and cooling. Some have been set up to never run hot enuff - others all ways over heating.
Special attention paid to only special conditions - do U have any unusual driving needs? (mountain, desert, race?)
:beer:
 
:shock: you can tell how many rows by taking the radiator cap off shine a light inside and look for the number of tube rows there are. Good luck (y) :nod:
 
The alum radiator I rcvd was worse than the old one in terms of clearance between the fan and the radiator. I had to shorten the 4 fan bolts about 3/16" to squeeze them in and I had to omit the lock washers to get enough thread engagement. Probably should have gotten the original fixed like everybody here told me.
 
not sure, might the alu cool better just due to the material (alu better'n copper)?
 
Howdy Back rmcphearson and All:

Did you happen to weigh the old and the new radiators for comparison? What about the size of the upper and lower bungs, inlet and outlet. Did you check the diameters for comparison? Did you ever check to see how many rows the stock radiator had? It would also be interesting to compare the volume of water/coolant each holds. These details may be useful to others that are interested.

Keep it coming on your new adventure.

Adios, David
 
Looking into the old one from the top, there are 3 rows of louvers. Not sure if that's what I'm supposed to look at. This car had factory AC originally.

The new radiator is noticeably lighter, seems to hold a similar amount of coolant. The bungs were the correct size and location. It's a very crudely made radiator. The problem was there is less clearance between the fins and the fan requiring me to rig the 4 fan screws and damage the radiator fins. I would not buy this radiator again.

I got bigger problems. The radiator was only one of the leaks. Now that no coolant is pouring out the radiator and being sprayed all over the engine, I can see coolant coming from the head gasket in the front of the engine on the passenger side. That's a long story. Here it is...

A couple months ago, knowing that the head gasket had a minor coolant leak on the driver's side and a small amount of puddling around the front passengers head bolt, I took some advise to retorque all the head bolts. For some reason I replaced that front passengers head bolt. Maybe because coolant was puddling around that bolt head and I decided to rtv the bolt hole. I can't remember why for sure. Anyway when I tightened the new bolt to the proper torque it felt like it was starting to strip so I stopped tightening it as my butt puckered up. Well, here we are 2 months later with a major leak there and I checked to see if that bolt was still tight. That bolt is just spinning. Now I'm going to have to remove the head and helicoil those threads, damn it.
 
you can now understand how an aluminum rad is so cheap, it's made cheap.

I was looking at aluminum for my '62, but all of them look like they are stick welded together.
 
"...around the front passengers head bolt,..."
isn't that 1 of 2 known anomalies on these falcon motors? That's the 1 (# 13) that can go into the water jacket & if not ground a 1/4 inch off (or so, look'n C) will hit the H2O impeller? We do that'n coat it w/snot (a gasket-in-a-tube) so as to not rust/leak. U hafta check each head U use for this and observe the #11 head bolt for oil passage (ie additionally look @ what's left of passage nxt to it after machining) as well. These 2 - right front most, and left rear most need our attention (& sometimes work/modification) to prevent catastrophe later...

All al la the Schjeldahl brothers'n the "Handbook". Got you a copy?
(y)
 
Yes, I got the book when I bought the car.

I think what happened that caused the big coolant leak at the front/pass corner of the head gasket is the following:

I replaced that head bolt with one that was too short. When determining the length for the new bolt I screwed it in until it bottomed out. It only went in a few turns. Then I added a couple flat washers so it would not bottom out when I torqued it. What I didn't realize was it was bottoming out on crud. Since my new bolt was only engaging a couple threads they stripped.

So yesterday I cleaned the threads through with a tap then made a stud. I screwed the stud in while spinning the fan until the stud scraped the pump impeller. Then I unscrewed it a turn and torqued a nut down. I did seal it with rtv. No coolant leak from that corner of the head gasket today! And the temp is stable at 170 with this new aluminum radiator just like the old one.

Cheers!
 
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