What radiator to use with a 408?

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Steven190

Steven190

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A general question to all that are running a 408 with about 550 hp.
What radiators are you using?

I am looking at a 22" Wizard radiator, just curious has anyone used these or running a 26" instead.
 
I would put the absolute biggest one I could fit tween the frame rails with the thickest core I could find.
 
Find a massive radiator out of a V8 Cherokee Chief. I got a brass 3 core thats literally 1/4 inch shy of the Narrow A frame rails in there. Hose fittings were close enough.
 
I plan on running a four core Champion radiator that another member changed direction on. I also got the dual fans, shroud and relays. High flow Milodon water pump. Shouldn't be any problems with overheating.
 
Stock tanks, 3 core, with factory clutch fan and shroud, and it stays cool. Plus it looks....factory.

Should of stated also, 7 blade fan, 5/8 tubes in the core, and motor is 10.4:1, dynoed at 585HP.
 
I ran a factory style 26" rad (new replacement) with my 408. With a factory 7 blade fan, clutch and shroud it never even hinted at running hot in 4 years of hard summer driving and idling in trafic. Mine was around 500 horse and 10:1.
 
I'm still running the factory radiator has kept both my 416 and 360 cool...nothing special about it at all...
 
A nice cross flow would work, I have a griffen dominator serises for my 451 big block with dual 12" puller fans on it that push 2100cfm each, and a 160 t sate, one on thermo switch the other a Manuel switch.
 
How about a U.S. Radiator High Efficiency.
Factory size replacement with 4 core?
stock fan shroud.
It should pretty much bolt right in.
I think you will need a high flow thermostat, too.
 
I use copper and brass us radiator desert coolers. I haven't had great luck with cheap alum radiators. Usually the fit isn't that great, sometimes they come twisted and they aren't repairable locally. I run a 26", triple pass, fine fin unit.
 
I'd try reusing your stock radiator with the stock shroud and mechanical fan before buying anything new. If there's not a problem, there's no need to fix it.
 
There seems to be many solutions to the same issue. I have used a Griffin in the Pro Street Dart and it worked very well, I am now looking at a Wizard with a shroud and the clutch fan on the engine. The car I got to start the project had no engine/trans or radiator in it, so I have to start fresh.

Thanks for the input, anyone used the Wizard radiator
 
Absolute MINIMUM: a 340-A/C-HD cooling radiator and a HD (police) water pump and fan.
 
I'm running the stock '65 A/C High Altitude 22" Rad with factory steel shroud and factory 7 blade non-clutch fan. Consistently runs cool. Never again will I ever even consider POS electric fan(s).
 
I have a champion 26" 4 core, dual electric pusher fans. perfect temps all the time. I had the 22" 4 core and 7 blade flex-o-lite mechanical fan with shroud and it would overheat on hot days. 605hp
 
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