Cheapskate Cooling...

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j par

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Well let's just put it out there like it is instead of beating around the bush. I'm broke as always and looking for high-dollar stuff LOL so I'm going to order a radiator from Summit and probably a high-volume mechanical water pump. Of course I want the best bang for my buck, but yet that is very short and needs to be stretched very far. I'm really looking to get a radiator in the $200 range or less that would be great and I think there was like one high-volume water pump for like $50 or somewhere in that range?
I just want to be able to order it from someone like Summit and not from China directly I guess. At least Summit will take it back if it's crap pretty easily. Or at least that's my thinking. Thank you if anybody has any part numbers or anything that's work for them on the cheap but definitely need some serious Cooling. I know I have 28 in between the frame rails. I really don't know what size to order but I would obviously like the biggest and most volume I can get. I wouldn't mind running my electric fans on it but I could be talked into putting a regular fan and shroud on it.
Thank you for anybody's comments input and definitely experience...
 
The summit catalog has a brass and copper radiator starting at $100
Ive had good luck with champion 2 &3 core aluminum
 
It would be nice to know what car/engine we are working with and what if any mods have been done.
73 Duster with a 410 Stroker with as many mods as I can afford! LOL but with that said as much cooling power as I can get LOL
I like the reviews on this? I can make anything fit it's just an old slant 6 car that I can cut or do anything I want. Of course I don't want to do too much if I don't have to, and also I was considering cutting the opening in the core support a couple inches on either side?

Summit Racing SUM-380331 - Summit Racing® Universal Fit Aluminum Radiators
 
If I spent the money to build a 410, I sure wouldn't cheap out on something that could ruin the 410.
 
I bought my 340 high flow water pump from RockAuto. It's brand new and well made.
 
73 Duster with a 410 Stroker with as many mods as I can afford! LOL but with that said as much cooling power as I can get LOL
I like the reviews on this? I can make anything fit it's just an old slant 6 car that I can cut or do anything I want. Of course I don't want to do too much if I don't have to, and also I was considering cutting the opening in the core support a couple inches on either side?

Summit Racing SUM-380331 - Summit Racing® Universal Fit Aluminum Radiators

That looks like a pretty good deal for a two row core with 1 inch tubes.
It doesn't look like they come with any mounting flanges though.
Also no trans cooler built in if that matters.

Whatever you get try to mount it with rubber grommets, because unless you have a core support of some sort these cars flex quite a bit and tend to break the metals at the corners around the core.
 
That looks like a pretty good deal for a two row core with 1 inch tubes.
It doesn't look like they come with any mounting flanges though.
Also no trans cooler built in if that matters.

Whatever you get try to mount it with rubber grommets, because unless you have a core support of some sort these cars flex quite a bit and tend to break the metals at the corners around the core.
Some great advice there with the rubber mounts I appreciate it!
 
If I spent the money to build a 410, I sure wouldn't cheap out on something that could ruin the 410.
It's a rough road! LOL Of course when I had built the 410 I would have liked a forged crank instead of a cast crank, I would have liked h-beam rods instead of I-beam rods, I would have liked Edelbrock heads instead of stock heads, there's a lot of stuff that I've cheaped out on but still I'm happy to be rollin. I think my temperature gauge should keep me out of trouble as far as the car overheating and ruining a motor. It's made it almost 4 years now on the stock radiator I can't imagine this being a downgrade.
The Internet lol it's almost like you're challenging me to spend more money lol
 
It's a rough road! LOL Of course when I had built the 410 I would have liked a forged crank instead of a cast crank, I would have liked h-beam rods instead of I-beam rods, I would have liked Edelbrock heads instead of stock heads, there's a lot of stuff that I've cheaped out on but still I'm happy to be rollin. I think my temperature gauge should keep me out of trouble as far as the car overheating and ruining a motor. It's made it almost 4 years now on the stock radiator I can't imagine this being a downgrade.
The Internet lol it's almost like you're challenging me to spend more money lol

On one of my cars I had an idiot light, mechanical gauge and warning buzzer on all three critical gauges.
(I could turn the buzzers off individually if I wanted)
Overkilled the heck out of the early warning systems.:D
 
Don't skimp on the pump. Just suck it up and buy the Milodon pump. Worth every penny. If you are going to run a thermostat, run the only one I trust and I can't think of the name of it right now.

I'll get back to you on that.

As for the radiator...get the 26 inch radiator and get a 2 core with the biggest cores you can find. I hate the radiator I bought because I had to make it fit. But the damn thing works. Mine is an ECP. If you don't mind drilling holes in the core support and trimming the mounts it's good for the money.

Also, there is a radiator company that advertises here on FABO. You may want to look into what they sell.

The thermostat can be bought through Stewart water pumps. Worth every penny.

Also, make sure your pulleys are at 1:1 or even better yet over drive the pump a bit.
 
Don't skimp on the pump. Just suck it up and buy the Milodon pump. Worth every penny. If you are going to run a thermostat, run the only one I trust and I can't think of the name of it right now.

I'll get back to you on that.

As for the radiator...get the 26 inch radiator and get a 2 core with the biggest cores you can find. I hate the radiator I bought because I had to make it fit. But the damn thing works. Mine is an ECP. If you don't mind drilling holes in the core support and trimming the mounts it's good for the money.

Also, there is a radiator company that advertises here on FABO. You may want to look into what they sell.

The thermostat can be bought through Stewart water pumps. Worth every penny.

Also, make sure your pulleys are at 1:1 or even better yet over drive the pump a bit.
You know me, I hope I can make a bracket and I do have to cut something! LOL
 
Not an expert on this by any means, but I have been told, sometimes those HV pumps have a reverse effect. They pump coolant so fast, it is not in the radiator long enough to cool. As I said though, I'm no expert.
 
Not an expert on this by any means, but I have been told, sometimes those HV pumps have a reverse effect. They pump coolant so fast, it is not in the radiator long enough to cool. As I said though, I'm no expert.
From what I've read they really don't pump that much more if any. I think the thermostat or spacer will really keep it from flowing so fast as to not have enough time in the radiator or in the motor to transfer the Heat.
 
I'm just thinking bang-for-the-buck that one that I posted in post number 4 seemed to get some pretty good reviews and pretty good praise from people in pretty much the same predicament that I'm in?
 
Not an expert on this by any means, but I have been told, sometimes those HV pumps have a reverse effect. They pump coolant so fast, it is not in the radiator long enough to cool. As I said though, I'm no expert.
I have personal experience with the reverse effect, but that was because the radiator wasn't up to the task, too small and no shroud.
 
oh forgot, I have the ECP radiator as well. you know the one YR had such a hard time installing. lol
A good radiator for the cost. not as hard to install as YR claimed in the ECP thread.
I guess he didn't write the check to the right guy. lol
 
I put a rad out of a 96 s-10 in my rat rod. It cools a mild 383 just fine, and it was free. I didn’t plan on keeping it in there because I didn’t think it would work, it’s still there, the car has never overheated. I have a large clutch fan on a stock pump with no shroud. The radiator is about 3/4 inch thick. Weird huh
 
I put a rad out of a 96 s-10 in my rat rod. It cools a mild 383 just fine, and it was free. I didn’t plan on keeping it in there because I didn’t think it would work, it’s still there, the car has never overheated. I have a large clutch fan on a stock pump with no shroud. The radiator is about 3/4 inch thick. Weird huh
Yeah I also really don't think I'm having a major overheating problem as much as a bad cooling system all together. Number one I know the block is like new inside so it's not clogged with all kinds of radiator plug crap. The thermostat is probably a 160 if not a 180 gutted. I just have an electric water pump that's great for the track but not for the street. Probably just a regular mechanical water pump would work fine in all likelihood. And my radiator is probably fine for a stock 318 or a slant six and works great at the track again but not on the street. I think it's simply just doesn't have enough volume. I don't see myself being able to cool this motor with any radiator that only holds seemingly LOL a half a gallon of water? I don't necessarily need one that can deflect bullets just one that holds more water. Anyways this is just kind of the feel that I'm getting off of my car. I could have some kind of major cooling problem but I really would like to go back to something a little more simple and start from there.
 
The Internet lol it's almost like you're challenging me to spend more money lol

You bet! It ain't my money!

Sure man. :D
"Mission from God" That cracked me up the first time I saw that movie and still does.

Just watched it last week. I still grin with "It's almost nine o'clock, we gotta go to work" whilst crawling out from under a pile of bricks
 
oh forgot, I have the ECP radiator as well. you know the one YR had such a hard time installing. lol
A good radiator for the cost. not as hard to install as YR claimed in the ECP thread.
I guess he didn't write the check to the right guy. lol


What pissed me off was if you look at his "blueprints" online the measurements are all correct. Except the core isn't exactly in the same place as OE. That's why you need to trim some of the mounting brackets off and then I was really pissed because I had to drill holes in the core support. I was hot about that. I didn't want any more holes in the car. I'm trying to keep it as day two as it already is and not change much more stuff on it.

I will say the radiator works good as far as cooling. That pig will run at 170 all day long, even in 100 degree heat.
 
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