Biggest most massive 4 core rad for a 68 Barracuda?

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MOPARdefiler

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Im looking for a bolt in swap for the weak factory junk. I want this to be the last radiator i buy for this thing. Will be cooling a hot, hi-compression, 4 speed shifted small block for now, but future plans include much more, so, need great cooling capacity.

Thanks!
 
? Im running an 8,000 rpm turning, 11.78 second running, 68 340 and a 4 speed.

I also run the original, 40 year old radiator (heavy duty cooling, factory AC). Never gets even a little hot.

Build an efficient and effective cooling system, don't just toss a big radiator at the problem.


Plenty of threads on here over the years about guys with their fancy radiators that won't cool the car because their overall cooling "System", sucked.
 
Just because a rad has 4 cores does not mean it is better than a 2 or 3 core.
The tubes are smaller and the farther thru the air flows, the hotter the air gets and the less efficient the rad is.

My 340 has a .508 cam, headers and A/C and I am running the original stock 26" rad, clutch fan and shroud in Florida. :burnout:
 
1968FormulaS340 said:
? Im running an 8,000 rpm turning, 11.78 second running, 68 340 and a 4 speed.

I also run the original, 40 year old radiator (heavy duty cooling, factory AC). Never gets even a little hot.

Build an efficient and effective cooling system, don't just toss a big radiator at the problem.


Plenty of threads on here over the years about guys with their fancy radiators that won't cool the car because their overall cooling "System", sucked.
Click to expand...

Just read this over and over again. It's dead nuts on.
 
Take your car with the rad that is in it, and go to a RADIATOR SHOP! Do not waste your money at a quick lube type shop that offer rad flushes. All they do is cut your heater line, install a "t" fitting and run a garden hose to it and "flush" your system.
Save your money on that and go for a good meal with the wife or girlfriend.
A real RADIATOR SHOP will do a reverse system power flush, which is compressed air and water and they will flush out your heater core, block and radiator the right way.

You may need a re-core on your radiator, a good RADIATOR SHOP will take care of your car and make it work! Ask around.



FYI- A radiator has a CORE, the CORE is made up of fins and ROWS of tubes, usually 1 - 4 ROWS.

So when your talking about a 4 CORE radiator your actually meaning a 1 CORE with 4 rows...
 
A thicker radiator core isn't going to pass as much air through it either.
The factory's engineers determined a wider radiator core is more efficient than thicker.
Still holds true today. A new cars radiator may be only 1 inch thick but its surface area is massive. There is very little resistance to air flow through them. The electric fans dont work as hard and little to no grille is required. Just points to ponder
 
There was a time when everything plumbing was copper and brass. Hard water / well water would eventually eat up the pipes. A softer material like aluminum wouldn't last very long. The main reason they use the softer, less expensive aluminum and plastic today is beacuase they can.
 
What people nowadays don't realize is, you are actually supposed to use only distilled water in the cooling system. Copper/brass and the rest of the cooling system will last much longer.
 
OK, my fish has a very large but thin radiator. The "puller" elec fan is offset so it clears the water pump pulle (elec motor). Problem is it is about 1/2" too high and the local rad shaop wants over $300 to recore it and shorten it. I think I can buy a Champion cheaper.

Anybody have any experience putting a Champion into a fish? The opening is 22 1/2" wide by 16 1/2" high. I suppose I can mount a "pusher" fan on front of the rad.

And what's wrong with a little glycol in that distilled water? My car gets exposed to freezing over the winter sometimes.
 
I run a stock re-cored 318 2 core rad in my race car,running 10,s without any heating issues.Sounds like your rad is gunked up,get it record,less headache.JMO
 
For the record, Aluminum is over twice as thermally conductive as brass. It's a better radiator material all around, if the corrosion issues are kept in check.
 
airwoofer said:
OK, my fish has a very large but thin radiator. The "puller" elec fan is offset so it clears the water pump pulle (elec motor). Problem is it is about 1/2" too high and the local rad shaop wants over $300 to recore it and shorten it. I think I can buy a Champion cheaper.

Anybody have any experience putting a Champion into a fish? The opening is 22 1/2" wide by 16 1/2" high. I suppose I can mount a "pusher" fan on front of the rad.

And what's wrong with a little glycol in that distilled water? My car gets exposed to freezing over the winter sometimes.
Click to expand...


I have a Champion radiator in my 68 Barracuda with 70 up aluminum water pump. You have to use a Jag short fan clutch (forgot the p/n). The top hose was too much toward the center. So my MP fan would not fit. I need a 1" smaller diameter fan than the MP diamter. Also my stock 68 fan shroud will not fit because top hose gets in the way. A 70 up radiator might be better choice.

Even will all that. I ran a 1" small fan and no fan shroud. I've put 2,000 miles since April 1 on my stroker 416 motor without any overheating. I've run it all day at roadcourse 130mph hitting 6,000 rpm no problem. I've run it in 95 degree heat on the freeway cruising 3,800 to 4,000 rpm for 80 mile trip. I've also ran it in stop and go traffic jams too. If it does idle for a really long time in major L.A. gridlock in summer heat it will get warm up to 200deg. A fan shroud will really help in that extreme case.

I also run distilled water, Justice Brother Super Radiator Cooler (reduces temp/cavitation water pump lube), and Justice Brothers Cooling System Protector (anti corrosion/ electrolysis/cavitation, water pump lube).
 
While fighting cooling issues with my '74, I swapped in a lot of different radiators and tried all sorts of different timing settings, etc.

The last radiator I installed was a 4-Row C-Body Radiator for a car with HD Package & 440. Massive Monster, it sits tight against the bottom of the core support (installed a rubber pad under the tank) and Had to notch the mounting brackets to clear the frame.

Requires the Battery Tray to be removed for a test fit, and both the Radiator & Tray must be installed at the same time for everything to fit together

340.jpg


Ignore the Bungee Cord holding down the Massive 1000CCA Battery, I borrowed the battery from my Diesel to start the car, didn't want it wacking into the fan so I slapped a bungee it on to temporarily hold the battery in place

In the end (after cutting a Factory A-Body Shroud to fit the radiator) It turned out my cooling problem was something simple... My power steering pump was clocked to the side/angled slightly (never did figure out why) and was slipping the belt for the water pump. Dismantled the brackets and installed the brackets the exact opposite way from what they were supposed to be and the car ran cool after that.

I do have a Electric Pushing Fan (from a 1989 Ford Probe) installed in front of the Condensor for those hot days idling in traffic, just incase. It's rigged to the "Flasher" switch in my Rallye Cluster :D Think I've only had to use it 3 times, and each time it was over 95* outside stuck in low speed stop & go traffic
 
i have been running a 2 core and matching fan shroud out of a 85 chrysler 5th avenue with my 318in my duster, it fit perfect ,even the mounting holes are in the same spot ,and a 195 thermostat and ive tried repeatitly to get it hot and have had no luck. the best 30 bucks i ever spent.
 
I fought cooling issues in my coronet for six months. I have a shroud and 7 blade clutch fan. This is a 500 inch motor. My Champion radiator sucked. It wouldnt cool it. Temp eventually creeped till I shut it down. Changed to a Griffin with 2 rows of 1.25 inch tubes and problem solved.
 
Im running an old 69 2949067 22" 3 core 318 a/c radiator in my 340 4speed swinger. 10:1 340 w Linati .280/.480 cam. Drive all over, even in city driving never goes above 185. Id get your radiator checked.
 
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