1973 Dart Swinger cooling

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erafuse

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Have a 1973 Dart Swinger stock 318 2v Auto. 63,000 original miles. Radiator was recored ( looks small 19” but it’s orginal ) runs fine on the highway in traffic on a hot day gauge goes up to half way(not sure of actual temperature).Has not boiled or anything. Like for it to run a little cooler in traffic. Would a fan clutch help or a cooling fan ? Any info would be helpful thanks.

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First off , you should have a 17 1/2"x22"x1 3/4" radiator . If that is the case , Classic Industries has a shroud for that rad . Secondly , make sure the rest of your cooling system is up to the task . thoroughly clean the block and heater core . The shroud should do the trick . If it doesn't , install a clutch fan . You shouldn't have an issue after that . But just in case , you can go with a 160*F thermostat if it still runs hot . Make sure you have 50/50 coolant and DISTILLED water . When and if it's still hot let us know again and we will solve your issue . Good luck , Tom
 
First off , you should have a 17 1/2"x22"x1 3/4" radiator . If that is the case , Classic Industries has a shroud for that rad . Secondly , make sure the rest of your cooling system is up to the task . thoroughly clean the block and heater core . The shroud should do the trick . If it doesn't , install a clutch fan . You shouldn't have an issue after that . But just in case , you can go with a 160*F thermostat if it still runs hot . Make sure you have 50/50 coolant and DISTILLED water . When and if it's still hot let us know again and we will solve your issue . Good luck , Tom
Thanks. The radiator is only 19” wide not 22”. When I had it recored they said it was original. Do you know if you can buy a shroud for a 19” radiator?
 
I would go with the bigger radiator and of course a shroud that came in those cars. I owned a 318 and it had the bigger one. I would question weather that is original. Usually only the slants came with that one. 180 degree thermostat. Also, get a aftermarket gauge. It provides a little insurance
 
How do the shrouds attach? Anyone have pics?
 
Still could be original rad they didn't care in the 70s they installed whatever they were given shroud should attach to the sides of the rad
 
Despite what some folks are indicating the 19” rad in your car is what it came with from the factory. If your 318 had AC or was ordered with the heavy duty cooling option, it would have had a 22” rad. Also in 1973 the A bodies were available with a 26” rad for the first time. Prior to that all A bodies came with a 19” or 22” rad. The rad core support is different between the 22” and 26” radiators so if you upgrade to the 26” it will require some drilling to your existing core support.

As some other have suggested, get a shroud for your 19” and you’ll probably see an improvement.
 
Despite what some folks are indicating the 19” rad in your car is what it came with from the factory. If your 318 had AC or was ordered with the heavy duty cooling option, it would have had a 22” rad. Also in 1973 the A bodies were available with a 26” rad for the first time. Prior to that all A bodies came with a 19” or 22” rad. The rad core support is different between the 22” and 26” radiators so if you upgrade to the 26” it will require some drilling to your existing core support.

As some other have suggested, get a shroud for your 19” and you’ll probably see an improvement.
Thanks for the info. Does not have air conditioning and not ordered with heavy duty cooling. Bought from the original owner 3 years ago 59,000 miles when I bought it and it seems the 19” radiator came with the car new. The radiator shop that recored it thought it was the original anti freeze. Going to try a shroud if I can find one.
 
As I have said before the wealth of knowledge on this forum is mind boggling if someone here doesn't have the answer then I doesn't exist
 
Still could be original rad they didn't care in the 70s they installed whatever they were given shroud should attach to the sides of the rad[/
As I have said before the wealth of knowledge on this forum is mind boggling if someone here doesn't have the answer then I doesn't exist
Yep lots of good info. Always someone willing to help.
 
Based one your analysis of the situation, it just sounds like you need some better air flow when sitting in traffic.

That radiator sure looks stock to me. The fan looks big enough. One thing you could try is just adding a spacer to the fan to get it a little closer to the rad. It looks a good 3-4" away from the core?

If an OEM shroud is not available for that model, you could have one fabricated out of aluminum. I've also seen universal shroud kits that aren't that expensive and should help pull more air through.

Lastly, while I cringe when anyone considers putting an electric pusher fan on a radiator (not very efficient and will block air flow on hwy), that solution is not all that bad if you have space in front of your radiator. I have seen hundreds of cars use a pusher fan successfully despite it being a band-aid fix.
 
Based one your analysis of the situation, it just sounds like you need some better air flow when sitting in traffic.

That radiator sure looks stock to me. The fan looks big enough. One thing you could try is just adding a spacer to the fan to get it a little closer to the rad. It looks a good 3-4" away from the core?

If an OEM shroud is not available for that model, you could have one fabricated out of aluminum. I've also seen universal shroud kits that aren't that expensive and should help pull more air through.

Lastly, while I cringe when anyone considers putting an electric pusher fan on a radiator (not very efficient and will block air flow on hwy), that solution is not all that bad if you have space in front of your radiator. I have seen hundreds of cars use a pusher fan successfully despite it being a band-aid fix.
Thanks. Yea I thought about a cooling fan but since it’s an original car would like to keep it original looking. Might try the spacer and a shroud if I can find one.
 
Until you can put a real number to the temperature its just guessing.
Mechanical temp gauges are inexpensive.
Not boiling over is a good indicator of not having a problem, or not a serious one.
 
Until you can put a real number to the temperature its just guessing.
Mechanical temp gauges are inexpensive.
Not boiling over is a good indicator of not having a problem, or not a serious one.
Thanks when I bought the car it would run up to 3/4 on the gauge so put a new sending unit in and recored the radiator and it does run cooler. Due some city driving and parades so just being cautious to try and keep temperature down.
 
Is the Mopar part # for a 1973 Dart shroud 3691916 ? Also would a clutch fan help to keep temperature down?
 
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