Replacement radiator recommendation?
- Thread starter 321Duster
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CudaJason
Well-Known Member
I put that exact Radiator in my 66 Barracuda and it was almost a direst bolt in. I had to drill 2 new holes in the radiator mount brackets to match up with the factory mounting hole in the core support. irt works great and have had no cooling issue at all. here is a pic of it installed. I don't think you can go wrong with it. I plan on getting another one for my other 66 Barracuda Formula S 4 speed car.
CudaJason
Well-Known Member
Make sure you get some cheap satin Black paint and lightly paint the core on the front side so you don't have the awful aluminum radiator behind the grill look.
The biggest problem all these import aluminum radiators seem to share is the mounting brackets are positioned so that they throw the radiator closer to the engine than they "could" and space is already at a premium in these cars.
Look at the one in post 28. Says it's the same as what you posted. Look how much room is between the radiator and the radiator support. That's a TON of wasted space, especially if you're working on an early A body with a slant 6.
I had to chase the FedX guy down the street to my neighbors as he went right by. I asked him about my delivery... "Oh let me check" he says. Anyhow, if you don't mind the fat welds it looks ok and comes with a cap too. I put coolant system cleaner in the old radiator to flush the system which was pretty nasty and probably why the car is overheating. We'll see in a couple days
CudaJason
Well-Known Member
Your are right, It does have nearly 1.25 inches it could move forward if the brackets were posistioned better(which in these cars is a mile!), but it fits fine with a v8 and leaves about 1.5 inches between the fan and the radiator core. I had planned on using a clutch fan but, no way was that gonna work. For a radiator that cost me 225 bucks it works great. and it doesnt look like someone stole one out of a toyota and stuck it inther with the crazy welded tanks and tiny *** radiator cap. I may end up taking it out and modifying the brackets to move it forward, but for right now its working just fine.
CudaJason
Well-Known Member
ive used those and they dont impress me, and they have peeled off of every tank i have sprayed them on, thats why ijust started doing the core on th front only. Seriously i use the cheapest satin black paint i can find and just mist it on enough to change the color. A thin coat is all you need on the core, the more paint you put on it the less air can get through. The real cheap paint seems to be super thined out and coats it nice and lightly with out filling the core. The paint i used on this was Lowes Brand "project" spray paint, at 2 buck a can it worked real well.
Should is the key word.
A lot of things that should work better based on the computer simulation don't in the real world.
The only place heat transfer happens in a radiator is at the junction between the fin and the tube. The more and larger that contact patch is the more heat is transfered.
Copper/brass or aluminum it's the same.
Copper/brass is a better thermal transfer medium than aluminum BUT... the solder used to solder the coper/brass tubes to the fins minimize the benefit of the copper/brass.
All that said... Look at the overheating posts 98% use an Aluminum radiator. Certainly there are other reasons that the aluminum radiator is not the cause, but for my money I'm going copper/brass
321Duster
No disassemble!
Sorry, in my haste I forgot the most basic of info - 72 model, with AC, which is what likely dictated its original 22" radiator based on what others have said.
321Duster
No disassemble!
If you look at the fitment tab for the Jeg's radiator it indicates that it will fit an A-body as well. Looking at the dimensions provided it appears to be pretty close.
321Duster
No disassemble!
I'd be concerned that this would impact heat transfer even more, as any thickness of paint is going to act as an insulator. Someone else mentioned using a thinner product, that would be the way to go to prevent a marginal cooling system from getting worse.
Eastwood used to sell a paint specifically for radiators, though in reality it was probably just highly-thinned to promote more coverage with fewer coats (and thickness).
I'll take your word for it. My answer would have been electric fans, especiall electric fans and shrouds that reduce airflow.
But I don't check in the cooling/heatin section often.
One reason I didn't try to answer earlier. A bubble top radiator is harder to subsitute. The square tops are easier to find, and easier to substitute. I'd still go for an OEM in good shape or recored or replica if you can. Make sure the overflow niplle points the correct direction for the overflow can and the spacing to the fan is correct. Finally a shroud is really helpful these days with more stop than go traffic.
Light coats so will keep it matte or dull as it should be. Main goal is to prevent oxidation and corrosion. Coats are too thin to really effect conduction and black will help in radiation. If the aluminum has been passivated it may not need the protection as much as a copper/brass radiator.
There is a supposed heat disapating paint from a place called Tech Line Coatings. I have it on my '69's Cold Case. Does it work, I don't know, how would I compare it. Five years ago, enough to paint my 22" radiator was around $85. You have to etch the aluminum with something like Purple Power Aluminum Brightener, dry then paint it with a normal spray gun. It is a flat black finish.
That's why I used that word twice and italicized it the first time.
My money might say that a high percentage of folks that use aluminum radiators also have many other deviations from stock that might affect cooling.
...but I'm a professional "devil's advocate".
That 22" Cold Case in the picture above fit perfect in my SB '69 Dart, with a /6 shroud turned 180°, cast iron Flowkooler pump, Hayden #2947 clutch and 2863 216 fan. The same radiator will not fit in my '72 318 Dart, because the aluminum water pump is 3/4" deeper, thicker or whatever, closer to the radiator. You have to watch that. Again, I had to send a 26" Cold Case back for another car of mine, just wasn't going to work out . Seems like you can have good luck with one company's radiator in one application, buy another one for another vehicle and then have issues.
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