early a body radiators

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dudeman601

dudeman601

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what radiators will fit a early a body? will some of the later ones work? (different sizes) what are the pro's and con's of switching to a different radiator?
i am having difficulty finding a radiator that isnt just complete junk for my project. any advice would be greatly appreciated
 
one thing to remember the early a with a 273 has the water pump outlet on different sides.
so if you go with a newer style rad you will have to change the timing chain cover and water pump.

oh ya that if you have a V8. not a slant
 
I'm running a replacement '71 radiator in my '66 Valiant. I know a '65 Dart radiator will work in a '77 Volare. I would say that as long as the mounting holes line up it will work. That should open you up to anything from an A body or F body and gets a bunch more options to choose from.
 
its a /6 car that i bought without a motor trans or rad.. i just happen to have a peppy lil 360 laying around that i an going to put in it, so i dont think the outlet issue will be to much of a problem..
 
As long as it's not a 63, you should be fine. They all used the same opening in the core support. Pretty much any 22" mopar radiator will bolt right in. As others have pointed out, the water pump and lower hose changed for all small blocks in 1970. If you are using a 70-up engine (like a 360) it would probably be easier to use a later radiator.
 
I have a 22" out of a 68 dart in my 65. After 64 they opened up the Rad support so it fits perfect.....made a big difference. car barley sees 180 if ever.
 
If you aren't going stock, have you thought about an aluminum radiator? This is what I did. Got one from FBO (http://www.4secondsflat.com/). You have to have the brackets welded on, which is the big downside, but the radiator itself is really cheap. Save a bit of weight even. =)

As for the outlet, even though my engine is a 73 340, I still preferred to go with the earlier style water pump - guess I just prefer to keep things as original as possible, even though it doesn't look stock at all. I guess call me silly.
 
the rad in my 66 barracuda is from a dodge van,,so the numbers say,,,19 inches tall,,22 wide i believe,,i think i redrilled holes in the rad so it bolts to the factory threaded holes in the rad suppport,,,its was a factory 3 row rad,, i had it converted to a 4 row,,plenty of room in the tanks,,and has the correct hose locations for your 360
 
dudeman601 said:
what radiators will fit a early a body? will some of the later ones work? (different sizes) what are the pro's and con's of switching to a different radiator?
i am having difficulty finding a radiator that isnt just complete junk for my project. any advice would be greatly appreciated
Click to expand...

I used the radiator from my '65 Coronet in my '65 Dart after I went to a stock hemi radiator in the B body. Had it recored. Fit like it was made for it. No problems with cooling. Stock 4 blade fan, no shroud. I am going to be ebagging it soon as I have gone lightweight aluminum now that it is a race only Dart.
 
C130 Chief said:
As long as it's not a 63, you should be fine. They all used the same opening in the core support. Pretty much any 22" mopar radiator will bolt right in. As others have pointed out, the water pump and lower hose changed for all small blocks in 1970. If you are using a 70-up engine (like a 360) it would probably be easier to use a later radiator.
Click to expand...

Include
1964 early build V8 Car, for the small opening.

100_0471Medium.JPG
 
My 65 Dart 273 had a fan-bashed radiator when I bought it. The original radiators are hard to find so I bought a later model (71+?) at Autozone ($200). I kick myself since I have seen much cheaper on ebay and Craigslist since. That required switching to the later aluminum water pump, but only $35 vs $65 for an older cast iron one, and better looking.

The newer water pump blocks a view of the timing tab, so some say you must also change to the newer timing cover ($60). I had to anyway since mine was severely pitted. The old timing tab is a separate part so I will bolt it in at least temporarily to make a new TDC mark on the harmonic balancer at the new timing tab (integral w/ cover). I will leave it on if it will fit with the new water pump installed (haven't assembled). Some say you even need a later harmonic balancer to get the correct timing mark, but that seems over-kill. If the old timing cover is usable, I suggest finding a way to install the old timing tab somewhere visible and remarking the damper.

I also bought a fan clutch and fan shroud. It looks like my car had neither but it has add-on air and it gets very hot in CA Central Valley so I need all the help.

I don't like the "spray it all one color" approach the factory used and prefer to see aluminum and paint brackets and accessories different colors. I clear- coated the aluminum parts with 500 F engine paint. I will know in a few years if it holds up and stops corrosion. I have seen 2 versions of 500 F rattle-can engine enamel - Rustoleum and Duplicolor. I prefer the former (Autozone) because you can spray at any angle, which is great for painting the engine in the car.

cavemanmoron, I love your 64 Valiant. The lines are so clean, similar to Barracuda but more elegant. Nicer than my 65 Dart, which I think was the best-looking year for Darts.
 
65Vart said:
I have a 22" in my 65. After 64 they opened up the Rad support so it fits perfect....
Click to expand...

Let me elaborate to add clarity: as Cavemanmoron's picture shows, the 64-and-older cars have a narrow opening (19") in the sheetmetal, which defines the width limit of the radiator if you want to have the full airflow available. The 65-and-newer cars have a wider opening, for more airflow that the V8 needed.

When a 65 car was built with a slant six and a little 19" radiator, the radiator support pieces were really wide to make up the difference. (Wish I had a pic handy.)

- Erik

64 Valiant, 170 3-spd
82 Volvo wagon, 5.0 5-spd :)
 
ok i have bought a radiator from a 68 b body.. the part number shows its a 22'' 318 rad... its in perfect shape and i got it a good deal.
i have ran into the issues that you guys were talking about (well not really issues, more like something to keep me busy on the weekends when i get home ha ha ha)(i am deployed, and honestly kinda jumped the gun. i didnt even look to see what side eveything was on). my late model water pump has the outlet on the opposite side. so my choices are to get a early sb water pump? if i do that will need to get a early timing cover? or will the one i have work? do they make only cast iron water pumps?
 
so what should I look for in the 63? Am I stuck with recoring what I have or is there another solution/ replacement? (I'm hoping it is just the thermostat since it even runs too hot in the winter)
 
Me, I had a custom aluminum rad made in America for my '62 Lancer (w/aluminum 225) by this guy. Workmanship and quality are beautiful - I put up words and pictures over here.
 
I would put a good quality 3 row core into the stock tanks and brackets. Replace ALL the hoses and thermostat (180) at the same time. Add 50/50 long life antifreeze and distilled water and you won't have a problem for 20 years or until the freeze plugs, water pump, or that 40+ year old heater core goes bad!:).
Thanks, Mark
 
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