Aluminum Radiator Question
03-02-2009, 11:24 AM
#1
5th Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Texas
Posts: 4,462
Aluminum Radiator Question
I am going to be installing a new aluminum direct fit radiator when my fresh 302 arrives. I have a concern about the specs on some of them. I see on a lot of the aluminum radiators that it says for up to 300 horsepower. Many of the others do not say. Mine is going to have around 350 horsepower. Is this going to pose a problem?
03-02-2009, 05:09 PM
#2
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Texas Hill Country
Posts: 2,100
Personally, I have never seen a radiator sized by horsepower. They are usually sized by rows, height, width, depth, input location, and output location. I live in the Texas hill country and had a ton of issues until I went to a big boy aluminum with big block shroud and fan. Griffin makes good radiators, but the fan and shroud size is the key I think. In Texas, it is all about air flow! I had issues with the new radiator still overheating until I changed out fans and shroud. I think I ended up with a 19" fan and big block shroud. Do a search on the topic. I posted my results and parts I used.
03-02-2009, 05:31 PM
#3
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 1,839
Urban, are you using an electric or engine driven fan (I know you want to keep your car looking as stock as possible)?
TX65, Since it is a bolt in, you are really limited by the size of the 65 opening and mounting flange. You probably have one similar to mine, although mine was advertized as up to 600 HP. I don't see how this is possible given the small size of the radiator. Here is mine, does yours look similar?
TX65, Since it is a bolt in, you are really limited by the size of the 65 opening and mounting flange. You probably have one similar to mine, although mine was advertized as up to 600 HP. I don't see how this is possible given the small size of the radiator. Here is mine, does yours look similar?
03-02-2009, 05:56 PM
#4
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 2,266
+1 the width of the opening is the big issue on 65/66 cars. The radiator is very narrow compared to later cars. adding extra rows only works to a point.
a good quality stock fit alum rad should work out ok until you have extreme heat and you want the a/c running in traffic.
if i were able to mod the front of my car, i would relocate battery to trunk and cut the edges of the rad support panel to get a wider rad in. there is an obvious "line of best fit" in the frame and minimal work to remount the radiator.
ScottH actually swapped out the radiator support from a 67 to get a wider rad in. He has a page on the mods.
a good quality stock fit alum rad should work out ok until you have extreme heat and you want the a/c running in traffic.
if i were able to mod the front of my car, i would relocate battery to trunk and cut the edges of the rad support panel to get a wider rad in. there is an obvious "line of best fit" in the frame and minimal work to remount the radiator.
ScottH actually swapped out the radiator support from a 67 to get a wider rad in. He has a page on the mods.
03-02-2009, 06:13 PM
#5
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Texas Hill Country
Posts: 2,100
I used an engine flex fan made by Flex-A-Lite and a plastic stock big block fan shroud (not a big fan of the electric fan). The larger fan and shroud fixed what issues my new aluminum radiator could not. Also fixing my A/C condensor mounts so that it mounted more vertical, thus allowing more air flow also helped a bunch. Basically, my issues were not fixed with a new radiator, but once I got the air flow lined out it started working much better. My point is get the largest radiator, fan, and shroud that will fit and do not worry too much about the horsepower rating...A radiator in Alaska is going to need to work much less efficiently than a radiator down here in Texas, so the horsepower thing is really meaning less, IMO.
Tx65coupe, what are the dimensions/specs of the radiator you are looking at? What size and type fan do you have? Do you have a shroud? Do you have A/C and how is the A/C condenser mounted? Having A/C adds to the load of the cooling system, so that is very important too.
Tx65coupe, what are the dimensions/specs of the radiator you are looking at? What size and type fan do you have? Do you have a shroud? Do you have A/C and how is the A/C condenser mounted? Having A/C adds to the load of the cooling system, so that is very important too.
03-02-2009, 08:00 PM
#6
5th Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Texas
Posts: 4,462
Yeah, I know thats how they are sized, but I have seen some that say they are only good to 300 hp. I was just wondering why that would be.
I was planning on going with one like this. Mustangs Unlimited recommended this one.
http://www.mustangsunlimited.com/ite...T1=FL306450+01
I'm still not set on one yet though. I've been looking at a few that Summit carries too.
I was planning on going with one like this. Mustangs Unlimited recommended this one.
http://www.mustangsunlimited.com/ite...T1=FL306450+01
I'm still not set on one yet though. I've been looking at a few that Summit carries too.
03-02-2009, 08:36 PM
#7
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 1,839
03-02-2009, 08:52 PM
#9
5th Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Texas
Posts: 4,462
Personally, I have never seen a radiator sized by horsepower. They are usually sized by rows, height, width, depth, input location, and output location. I live in the Texas hill country and had a ton of issues until I went to a big boy aluminum with big block shroud and fan. Griffin makes good radiators, but the fan and shroud size is the key I think. In Texas, it is all about air flow! I had issues with the new radiator still overheating until I changed out fans and shroud. I think I ended up with a 19" fan and big block shroud. Do a search on the topic. I posted my results and parts I used.
I'm near Austin. What part of the hill country are you in?
Mine originally had the 200 I6 when I got it in high school and it always overheated. It had a 4 blade fan and didn't have a shroud. I put a 4 row OEM style radiator, fan shroud and 5 blade fan. Then it was ok, but that was with the 200. My 302 is definitely going to generate more heat that it did. At least I would think so. I don't know if I have much of an option for a shroud besides the one I have and its pretty small.