I have a 69 vet which always 427 ran hot 454 solid roller ran hot now I have a 632 ready to go in do I use an oil cooler
car runs hot
- Thread starter rick coldin
- Start date
Four core aluminum radiator will do the trick, which I put in my 74 and it always ran hot. Four core did the trick
thanks I have a stock 390 hp 427 rad in it so I will try your idea with the stroker motor what brand did you use in aluminum
Sorry I had to check with my bro I couldn’t remember he says we had it made at Mr Radiator in Calgary but the owner has since retired and shut it down and that was 10 years ago. I am sure there will be a rad shop that could help you or a speed shop. Hope this helps
Stock, I think electric fans would be better as it saves horsepower. Even though it works very well stock or a high out put water pump.
DeWitts with dual electric fans cured my issues. Beautiful piece very well made expensive but more than worth it
I used a 4 row aluminum champion radiator. The company also sells them on ebay.ca and are very well made and well priced. I’d highly recommend them. One thing you could also do if you go with electric fans is take out the thermostat in your car. That way coolent can flow through your engine unrestricted and you won’t have to worry about it running too cold because your fans won’t turn on until they have to. That’s what I did one my car and it works extremely well. Plus you gain a little hp and beacause you get faster cooling your fans don’t have to work as long which prolongs their life. I’ve also found that it cools so well that on the highway the fans rarely turn on.
As for fans, like Bearone said, Dewitt's is good, Spal fans are also really good. I decided to go with Derale 4000cfm fans but made the mistake of doing quick sloppy measurements. Ya, not very smart of me. Fortunately it worked out but in the end to get the fans in I needed to disassemble the left front suspension to get the fan shroud in. The left suspension now actually sits inside the fan a couple inches away from the blades. I’d just advise to make sure to measure for the depth of the fans to make sure they’ll fit. You’ll also most likely have to get a higher output alternator to run the fans.
Hope this helped. Here are some pictures of the champion radiator. I’m not sure about other radiators but I did have to bend some custom brackets and make some small customs in the lower rubber mounts to make it fit but definitely worth it for the savings.
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There are quite a few high quality aluminum radiators available nowadays. That said... I seem to recall reading somewhere, sometime, that steel radiators do dissipate heat better than aluminum. Aluminum does look pretty though, and I'm sure they can be lighter too.
David
David
I would say you are wrong about steel dissipating heat better. Aluminum has a higher thermal conductivity than steel meaning it is able to transmit heat easier through it. In fact it is something like 5 times better at transferring the heat. I would imagine all new cars have aluminum radiators since they can be made smaller with the same thermal capacity.
It is possible that a steel radiator has better geometry (or something) that allows it to cool better....but it wouldn't be the fact it is steel.
Just my 2 cents.
T
It is possible that a steel radiator has better geometry (or something) that allows it to cool better....but it wouldn't be the fact it is steel.
Just my 2 cents.
T
Completely agree with you Taylor. Aluminum radiators also have a better construction which allows more air to pass through them. Plus a longer life span.
I now also think you are correct Taylor. Just did a bit of research... aluminum does conduct better than steel. Copper is better than both, but the lead, brass and steel in the copper rads negates any possible benefits. I agree.... an aluminum rad is most likely the best performing rad.
I used the Dewitts aluminum in my 70 454 with a high glow Meziere water pump and a Robert Shaw thermostat. The Robert Shaw has a larger opening and is what the factory used. It used to run smokin hot now runs 1/4 gauge all day. I spent alot of time sealing up all gaps in rad support between all items with foam like the factory did also.
I used the Dewitts aluminum in my 70 454 with a high glow Meziere water pump and a Robert Shaw thermostat. The Robert Shaw has a larger opening and is what the factory used. It used to run smokin hot now runs 1/4 gauge all day. I spent alot of time sealing up all gaps in rad support between all items with foam like the factory did also.
thanks for the advice its all appreciated I am going to try a dewitts rad and spal fan set up along with an oil cooler set up like a cobra the blue print block has some 3/4 npt fittings for an oil cooler years ago I put a 327 in the back seat of a 66 corvair which ran hot until I put a dc3 plane engine oil cooler on it all with 2 big spin on filters never overheated after that
...That's alot of motor you are putting in there. From what I heard the early C3's didn't get enough air moving in from the front, the later C3 was much better . I don't have the motor you got, but my 82 C3 runs too cold. It has the factory big HD rad , factory electric fan and the fan with clutch. In the fall time it is just cold in the car as it just cools too much even with a 195' thermostat , if I remember right bottom rad hose temp is around 130' . If you could get more air entering the front then that might help. Suggested up top was removing the thermostat, my knowledge of that is if you circulate the coolant too fast it does not have a chance to cool down in the rad so you are basically circulating hot coolant without giving it a chance to cool any amount. Pipes through the oil pan allow outside air to pass through them thus giving some cooling effect to the engine oil. Not really a option but having the heater on full blast will cool it some. I use to do that in my 396 12.5/1 comp and it would drop 10 degrees . Isn't there a brand of antifreeze that doesn't boil as fast as normal stuff ?
Consider the Evans Waterless Coolant. It did wonders for my H1 Hummer 
Evans Waterless Coolant, Prevent Engine Overheating
Evans Waterless Coolant, Prevent Engine Overheating
Interesting point. It made me question weather you would achieve better cooling with or without a thermostat. Here is quote from an article about the benefits of increasing collant flow / pressure and the benefits of doing so.
"Generally speaking, higher flow and higher pressure is beneficial to the cooling system," he told us. "Higher pressure in particular raises the boiling point of the fluid, thus decreasing the likelihood of vapor forming in the coolant. This results in better cooling, rounder cylinders, cooler valves, etc. Higher flow rates (up to a point) will increase the heat rejection from the radiator."
Will A High Flow Water Pump Keep Me From Overheating?
I’ve noticed that in conjection with an aluminum rad, high flow water pump, electric fans, and removing the thermostat my car stays cooler and cools faster. If I had a mechanical fan my motor most likely would never reach operating temperature so the electric fans really act like my thermostat now.
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Reading this seems like 'deja vu' for me. I had overheating problems with my big block especially when stuck in traffic. I tried most if not all the suggestions, lower temp thermostat, no thermostat, better sealing around the shroud, high performance water pump, straight fan (instead of clutch), coolant additives, tinkering with engine timing, etc.. I wanted to keep the car looking original so the DeWitts aluminum rad and dual Spal fans was the last option. I finally gave in, and kicking myself in the head for not having done it sooner. Its the only mod to the car, but I kept all the stock parts.
My recommendation, go for DeWitts and Spal combo!
My recommendation, go for DeWitts and Spal combo!
