Another Cold Case radiator install

[67dartgtgo]

After performing due diligence and being very unhappy with my current cooling I decided to pull the trigger on a Cold Case radiator.
My current setup is a BeCool 3row with a 2” core, cross flow which came with the ‘67 when bought some years back now. It always ran a little hot dipping as high as 220* occasionally with the Mopar Performance 5.9 magnum 320 hp edition but since the cam change and performance upgrades I’ve decided it would benefit from a more friendly setup with the ability to upgrade power later on.

 

[67dartgtgo]

I went with the MOP750A, 26” with the transmission fluid cooler. It’s not a direct fit radiator for our “A” bodies but after some reading I knew it wouldn’t be hard to get it there and I liked that a mopar radiator shroud could bolt up to it relatively easy. More on that later.

 

[67dartgtgo]

It comes with a great warranty and was packaged really well. Impressive boxing and protection for shipping. So far...so good.

 

[67dartgtgo]

Impressive right out of the box. Love the stamped tanks.

 

[67dartgtgo]

I also bought the recommended shroud #2785435 from Mancini. Aftermarket of course but supposed to be now made from better materials than the original aftermarkets that turned to spaghetti when they got hot.
The first shroud I received was broken right at the block off ligament but Dan at Mancini was fantastic and got me another one in a day.
The block off doesn’t come with the shroud which is unfortunate but I fabbed one up out of aluminum that works great.

 

[67dartgtgo]

Lastly I knew going from a 2” to 3” core I’d be losing precious space at the fan and water pump so a Hayden 2947 fan clutch replaced the original MP clutch. This got me about 9/16” of needed space.

 

[67dartgtgo]

This was my old BeCool setup.

 

[67dartgtgo]

Initial mock up results after some drilling and cutting.
The radiator bracket upper holes lined up beautifully with the core support existing mount holes, I assume for an original 26” radiator. The lower bracket holes needed to be marked and drilled along wth some revealing done for grille mounting access bolt holes. Not a big deal at all knowing it wasn’t going to drop in like melted butter...but pretty slick so far.
You can see my transmission fluid filter mounted in the front of the support. I made that mounting bracket from some steel shelving mini strut. The Hayden cooler is mounted on rubber button cushions.
I planned on using the radiator cooler in series with the Hayden but decided not to use the radiator cooler at all due to it’s restrictive 1/8 npt fittings compared to the Hayden and the 46rh transmissions 3/8 lines. I may opt in to run it in parallel in the future.

 

[67dartgtgo]

Checking cap to hood clearance....looks good. About an additional inch to spare above the hood brace.

 

[67dartgtgo]

The shroud isn’t a bolt and go but can be made to fire by filling the side gap. I used 3/4” aluminum channel. It fit up pretty nicely and is easy to drill enabling mounting to go pretty smoothly. I filled the top gap with some 1/8 foam insulation. Nice fit. I did shave just a smidge off the 2 plastic number pieces that fit up against the tank.
Smidge is technical talk for a tiny bit.

 

[67dartgtgo]

Mounted in place. Man it sure takes up some room.

 

[67dartgtgo]

The moment of truth, after measuring to be sure the clearances are good for the 10th time, is the fan install. This is where you can really do some damage to the radiator fins.
I was sure to use the water pump to fan clutch bushing that came with the 2947 clutch to ensure that nice tight fit.
I’ve got the MP 5 blade fan so I believe it may be easier to install than 7 blade fans due to the distance between the blades. This allowed me to roll the fan into the shroud with little to no contact on the radiator fins. The few that were rolled a bit I easily straightened with a pick.

 

[67dartgtgo]

I was able to reuse my relatively new hoses by cutting them to accommodate a better fit. Reworked my transmission cooler lines and good to go.
Installation complete.

 

[67dartgtgo]

I’ve run it about 30 minutes at idle in a garage at about 60*. Dead on at 185*. Much cooler than my previous but I know there’s loads of capacity here. The lower tank is cool to the touch while the upper is dang hot....185ish I’d say. Lol. I used a 50/50 Preston’s antifreeze mix good to 265 and -30 by the hydrometer.
The air flow through this is fantastic and I know the shroud makes a huge difference.
I’m loving the Cold Case so far....and it looks great too.

 

[Cal Tonsley]

I’ve run it about 30 minutes at idle in a garage at about 60*. Dead on at 185*. Much cooler than my previous but I know there’s loads of capacity here. The lower tank is cool to the touch while the upper is dang hot....185ish I’d say. Lol. I used a 50/50 Preston’s antifreeze mix good to 265 and -30 by the hydrometer.
The air flow through this is fantastic and I know the shroud makes a huge difference.
I’m loving the Cold Case so far....and it looks great too.

Nice set of posts, well done!

 

[moparmat2000]

Looks great !!

 

[mopardude318]

Nice work! Looks great. Need to get me a cold case.

 

[383Scampman]

I put a Cold Case in my '72 Scamp last summer . Had to remove my Haden #2947, bummer . anyway my temp went down 15* right away . Needs a shroud . I'm going to make mine from aluminum stock . cost $125.00 . No way I'm paying $200.00 for shroud and still have to modify it .. But as long as it works , I guess . Stay safe , guys

 

[moparmat2000]

383scampman , dadsbee , check out making a fiberglass shroud using a homemade mould and an old pocket tee shirt stretched over it with a mould release. Soak the stretched cotton with multiple layers of resin. When dry pop it from the mould, scuff and fiberglass it on the inside with fiberglass and resin. I added steel brackets riveted and JB welded to the shroud.

 

[moparmat2000]

More pix. Homemade steel brackets bonded with JB weld, and also riveted on with MS20426AD solid rivets.

 

[67dartgtgo]

You guys are def way more talented than me when it comes to making your own shrouds and I even thought about it too. If I thought I could have made or even bought an aluminum shroud that looks half decent I would have tried. I've seen some original molded shrouds selling for $200 as well. If you can make it better, awesome...especially if you can do it the first time with no mistakes that might end up costing more than buying something. It might not be a perfect bolt on fit out of the box but can made to fit easily.

 

[dano]

I’ve run it about 30 minutes at idle in a garage at about 60*. Dead on at 185*. Much cooler than my previous but I know there’s loads of capacity here. The lower tank is cool to the touch while the upper is dang hot....185ish I’d say. Lol. I used a 50/50 Preston’s antifreeze mix good to 265 and -30 by the hydrometer.
The air flow through this is fantastic and I know the shroud makes a huge difference.
I’m loving the Cold Case so far....and it looks great too.

My 340 runs 185 with mine, and its a 22". The only issue I have with it was it spaces the factory shroud out really far. I riveted black garage door seal that a had a lip so it snugged up and sealed the top and bottom. Otherwise a nice piece.

 

[67dartgtgo]

I put a Cold Case in my '72 Scamp last summer . Had to remove my Haden #2947, bummer . anyway my temp went down 15* right away . Needs a shroud . I'm going to make mine from aluminum stock . cost $125.00 . No way I'm paying $200.00 for shroud and still have to modify it .. But as long as it works , I guess . Stay safe , guys

Cold Case says the shroud will work. So I guess it's my error for not reading between the lines. They don't say it will be a direct bolt on fit but they also don't say it won't be so it's definitely misleading. Mancini implies the block off comes with the shroud...also misleading but for the small amount of mods to fit it up and close off the openings...it just wasn't that big a deal to me.

 

[67dartgtgo]

More pix. Homemade steel brackets bonded with JB weld, and also riveted on with MS20426AD solid rivets.

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That's some nice work Mat.

 

[moparmat2000]

Got the idea from guys that make custom speaker enclosures in car trunks using cotton fabric and fiberglass.